Its Dangerous...It Eats Plants...It Runs Faster Than You
Did you read the title? Did it make you nervous? Relax, this is about a mammal.
It is the largest plant eater in North America. And it walks on prairies. It eats while it walks. Guess that makes it the original “grazer.”
It is a terrestrial creature. Didn’t we say it was big?
A male, or bull, can be SIX feet tall to the top of its shoulder. Don’t be fooled. Its not a spindly 6 feet. A bull may weigh 2000 pounds. Small cars weigh 2000 pounds. And this creature has horns. It can run 30 miles per hour. No matter how fast you think you are, you cannot outrun this creature. Want the truth? Humans can run between 8-10 miles per hour. Yes, it can be dangerous-if we forget how fast it can run.
When we forget these animals are wild that’s when they are dangerous. Then the fault is with us.
Think of it…30 mph, 2000 pounds of muscle…perhaps there is something to a vegetable diet?
The terrestrial creature we have in mind is the American Bison.
Could we agree on something? Bison are big. Bulls are huge. Have you considered how American Bison become so large? Bison bulk comes from plants. They eat grass and prairie plants. Does it seem possible that an animal which only eats plants could grow so large?
In the distant past there were millions of American Bison grazing on North American prairies. We both know they almost became extinct because of extreme hunting pressure. Today’s population is a minuscule 30,000. But be thankful. Bison are found in enough numbers in American National Parks and small private herds for us to see what magnificent animals they are. To see this amazing animal is a gift every human pair eyes should experience. Human ears should hear the grunts…and be in a safe place to hear when a bull bellows.
There is another thing to consider when the American Bison is the subject. Consider the land bison live on. Prairies are beautiful. Bison in American National Parks have magnificent habitat to live in.
A picture is worth a 1000 words. Think about the American Bison while you observe the world of the bison in photos.
American Bison country in national parks is rugged. This photo comes from the Little Missouri National Grasslands.
Bison have shared habitat with horses for centuries. Horses are large herbivores but a bull bison weighs more.
In Theodore Roosevelt National Park bison drink from the Little Missouri river.
This photo gives a size comparison. In the foreground is a cow bison. In the background is a large bull-nearly 6 feet at the shoulder…and don’t forget about 2000 pounds are held up by his hooves.
Yes…he’s about 6 feet tall. We couldn’t weigh him…but nearly a ton of bison in this photo.
This bull was in Theodore Roosevelt National Park’s north unit. It was grazing while it walked.
How does a herd of bison cool off? Wade up to their bellies in the Little Missouri River.
It’s not likely that bison look at the sky often. Clouds like these may cause bison watchers to pause in awe.
How many sunsets in the life of a bison? The average lifespan for a bison is between 15-20 years. An 18 year old bison would see 6,570 sunrises and sunsets. That’s a lot of beauty.
We live in a wonderful world.
It’s full of beauty.
The Author and Perfecter of everything in it-bison included- is God.