Identifying the Wood Bison
BISON DIFFERENCES: PLAINS vs. WOOD
| To determine whether a Bison is a Plains Bison or a Wood
Bison, a series of external characteristics are looked at. Wood Bison are generally taller and less sticky than
Plains Bison. A large Wood Bison can measure 1.8 m to the shoulder and weigh over
900 kg. The plains bison is usually smaller, has shorter legs and a heavier head and
hump. Both species have massive humped shoulders, a low slung head and what appear
to be disproportionately slender hindquarters. Males and females have short black
horns extending upward from the sides of the head. Plains Bison are lighter in
colour than Wood Bison. Both species have a long woolly undercoat overlain by long
guard hairs. Long, dark-brown, shaggy hair covers the head, shoulders and forelegs,
while the hair on the hindquarter is shorter and lighter in colour. A beard 20 - 30
cm long grows from the chin. During summer, Plains Bison develop a heavy coat or
"chaps" on their front legs which accounts for their massive front end
appearance. The tail of the Wood Bison seems longer and hairier that that of the
Plains Bison and finally, the hump on the Wood Bison is flatter and more angular than the
Plains Bison's. |
|
|
Plains Bison
 | Bulls average 730 kg. (Cows, 410 kg) | |
| Shorter Neck |
| More rounded hump |
| Smaller and Stockier |
| Chaps of long hair on forelegs |
| Cape is usually lighter in colour |
| In summer, cape forms distinct boundary with the rest of body |
| Frizzy hair on head |
| Large more rounded beard |
Wood Bison
| Largest Land mammal in North America | |
| Bulls average 840 kg - 10 to 15 % heavier than Plains Bison (Cows, 475 kg) | |
