What does the bison eat? Bialowieza Bison: photo, description

European bison - a large cloven-hoofed mammal, refers to the bull species of the genus bison. If you want to know more about the animal, then read the article further. There you will find out who the bison is, and we will describe it in detail. In addition, let's talk about where he lives and what he eats.

Bison: description

The weight of the animal can reach one ton, and the length - three meters. The height of such an animal is about one meter. A distinctive feature of the bison is a bright disproportion between a well developed heavy front and a lighter rear part of the body. The color of the European bison is uniform, dark-brown wool predominates, can have a rusty hue, the head and neck are covered with a curly beard. Females are smaller. On the head rise small sharp horns, slightly bent inwards to each other. This weapon allows you to drive away predators and protect the territory.

The Bison, the photo of which you see in the article, was almost completely destroyed in the 18-19th centuries, only thanks to the enormous work of scientists it was possible to find about 60 individuals around the world and with the help of various conservation measures to begin their breeding. At the moment there are about two thousand such animals.

The main habitat of the bison is dense mixed forests. That is why the rapid development of fields by crops and deforestation, as well as mass uncontrolled hunting for valuable meat and the skin of these animals led to the extinction of the species. European bison for the winter period is united in herds of several dozen heads. In the spring they break up into small groups, as a rule, females stay with the young, and strong males lead a lonely life.

Zubr Belovezhsky: where dwells and what feeds?

The Bialowieza Bison is one of the species of this terrestrial mammal. A distinctive feature of this species are the larger sizes and light color of the grayish-brown hue. Its name was given to the bison due to its habitat - Belovezhskaya Pushcha.

It is famous for a large high-mountainous plain forest with a predominance of trees such as hornbeam, linden, ash and oak, and other deciduous. The Bison adheres year after year to one territory along which the river flows. The animal avoids the wetlands, as there are many insects on the marshes, which he tries to avoid, even tries to eat at a time when they have not woken up yet. He comes to these places only in especially droughty years for the replenishment of the body's water reserve, when the rivers on the territory of his habitat dry up.

Fight

At the end of summer or beginning of autumn, the female oviposition begins in the bison, and the males begin the rut. It is noteworthy that the fights of the bison are not aggressive. Males fight with horns, and the weaker moves away, the winner does not pursue the defeated. Therefore, such battles rarely end in severe injuries. The nature of the fight changes significantly if it is not a struggle for the female with another male, but for the territory.

Deer, elks and other ungulate animals are banned by the bison especially fiercely, even to death. The only enemy of this giant is a wolf pack, especially in winter with a high level of snow, when movements are difficult and require a large expenditure of energy. Despite its large size and heaviness, the bison is very fast, durable, can bounce up to two meters in height.

Reproduction

After fertilization, the females are nursed 9 months before the end of April and May, then a year they are fed high-calorie milk to 20% fat, and another year the cubs are with them. Complete puberty is achieved by six years of life. As a rule, a denticle appears every three years. On average, the bison lives twenty-seven to twenty-eight years.

The Bialowieza bison is grazing during the winter and summer months of the year in herds. Even adult males unite in small groups and almost never occur alone in the wild.

Winter came...

What does the bison eat in the winter? In the frosty period, the main part of the diet consists of bark and branches of deciduous trees, oak, crab, ash and others, and also mosses and lichens that predominate in mixed forests. For most of the day, the bison sleeps in the woods, the watering and food is taken for 2-3 hours before sunrise and sunset, when all the insects are asleep. Sometimes he eats during the day.

It's summer ...

What does the bison eat in the summer? In the hot season, the main share of consumption is made up of various juicy herbs and young shoots of trees and shrubs growing in the forest, as well as bark of mountain ash, fir and ilm, alder, ash and oak. The tree bark consumes less often. All because I'm getting tired of this kind of food for the winter.

Another kind

The Belarusian bison is found in plain forests, swampy areas with alder, oak and ash trees. By the way, this is exactly what the bison eats. Got its name due to its habitat - the Belarusian and Ukrainian Polesie. The external data of this animal completely coincides with the European species. The authorities of Belarus, on the territory of which the Belarusian bison lives, decided to passport all individuals of this species.

According to scientists, too close-crossed species have anomalies in their genes and lead to extinction. The resumption of the species began with the fact that only a few dozen heads could be found, so the entire population is one large family. The main task of scientists is to artificially prevent a cross between genetically close individuals. The Belarusian bison is listed in the Red Book of Belarus, Russia, Poland and other countries of the former Soviet Union, as well as the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

The third kind

The Caucasian bison is the only species inhabiting the Caucasus Mountains, at an altitude of five hundred to three thousand meters above sea level. Characterized by dark curly hair, more elegant shapes and sizes. The weight of a male reaches six hundred kilograms, the weight of females is up to four hundred. This subspecies does not cross with any of the species of bison. The animal completely disappeared due to uncontrolled hunting and military operations on the territory of the habitat. At the moment, there is a hybrid view from the male Caucasian and the female Bialowieza bison, it differs little from the extinct species.

After breeding, the bison had to go through a long way of adapting to the mountain habitat in order to occupy a niche of an older ancestor. Deforestation of lowland forests in the mountains has led to the fact that this species leads an almost settled way of life, and does not roam in search of quiet, shallow pastures. Severe winters in mountain areas take away about 7% of the total number of heads each year, in especially snowy places - up to 15-20%. The female gives birth to one, rarely two cubs every two to three years. Adult specimens are guarded by the whole herd from the attack of wolves and other possible predators. At the beginning of the twenty-first century, the number reached no more than three hundred individuals, the weakening of the reproductive potential and the appearance of many diseases connected with the reduction of the genetic diversity of the species gradually began to manifest itself.

Important note

The number of any species of bison does not exceed two thousand individuals, so they can live only in well-protected reserves, where they organize special areas for feeding bison, apply hay, straw, mixed fodder, cereals and other plants included in their diet. The ban on hunting for these animals and their inclusion in the Red Books of various countries of the world, as well as the protection of the world community, give a minimal chance of increasing their population and species conservation, although scientists will have to work for many years to achieve their greatness and spread over a large territory.

Conclusion

Now you know who the bison is. The photos presented in the article will help you to become more familiar with this beast. In addition, we examined the subspecies of this mammal and what the bison feeds on. The animal, as you can see, basically eats tree bark and plants.