What does a bison look like?

Answer 1

The American Bison is a large land animal, one of the largest land animals in North America, next to the moose. Bison have a large horny hump over their shoulders and necks which is covered in dense, curly dark-brown hair. This hair runs from the nose to the middle of the back, and to the middle of the belly. The rump of the bison has a smoother hair coat and is not nearly as thick as what's on the front.

Bison do not have prominent ears like cattle do, but they are there, they're just tiny and hidden in the mass of hair. It can be fun for a first-time bison producer to find when he or she has to put an ear-tag on a bison cow or bull.

The head of a bison is large and broad, with a nose that points straight down, unlike at a an angle like with domestic cattle, Cape Buffalo and Water Buffalo. The forehead is broad, built to take impact when fighting with other bison (especially for rutting bulls). The nose of a bison is black, moist and shiny and looks just like the nose from a cow. The horns are black, hollow and short, and curve upwards. The horns are not made of keratin like in cattle, but of hair, but are still hard and tough enough to deliver a devastating blow to any predator that comes too close to the animal's head.

The thick hair goes down half way to the bison's front legs, and hangs off in the back of the front legs like sleeves. The back legs do not have this thick hair. Bison are cloven-hooved animals (or, have two toes) with dewclaws on each foot.

Bison also have a tail similar to that of a lion's or a cow's. They hold it straight up in the air when they are panicky, agitated and about to run away.

Answer 2

Bison have short horns and humped, heavily mantled shoulders that slope downward to the hindquarters. The European bison, or wisent , Bison bonasus, has a less luxuriant mane and beard than the American species, B. bison.