Celebrated on November 2nd
Did you know: It’s a baby bison. Bison calves tend to be born from late March through May and are orange-red in color, earning them the nickname “red dogs.” After a few months, their hair starts to change to dark brown and their characteristic shoulder hump and horns begin to grow.
Source: US Department of the InteriorDid you know: Though bison once roamed across much of North America, today they are “ecologically extinct” as a wild species throughout most of their historic range, except for a few national parks and other small wildlife areas. Yellowstone National Park has the largest population of wild plains bison (about 4,000), and Wood Buffalo National Park has the largest population of wild wood bison (about 10,000).
Source: Defenders.orgDid you know: Bison have large humps at their shoulders and bigger heads than buffalo. They also have beards, as well as thick coats which they shed in the spring and early summer. Another simple way to tell a buffalo from a bison is to look at its horns. Cape buffalo horns resemble a handlebar mustache; they have a thick, helmet-like base and curl down, then back up. A water buffalo’s horns are large, long and curved in a crescent, while a bison’s horns are typically sharp and shorter than the average buffalo’s.
Source: Smithsonian’s National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute