Extinct Long-horned Bison & Ancient Bison (Bison latifrons and B. antiquus) Fact Sheet: Summary

Describer (Date):
Bison latifrons: R. Harlan 1825
Bison antiquus: J. Leidy 1852

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Artiodactyla

Family: Bovidae

Subfamily: Bovinae

Genus: Bison

Species: Bison latifrons - Long-horned bison
Species: Bison antiquus - Ancient bison

Body Weight:
Bison latifrons: 1024 kg (2257 lb)
Bison antiquus: slightly lighter

Head/Body Length:
B. latifrons: 475 cm (15.6 ft)
B. antiquus: slightly shorter

Shoulder Height:
B. latifrons: 231 cm (8 ft)
B. antiquus: 210 cm (6.9 ft)

Pelage:
B. latifrons assumed to have less facial hair than B. antiquus (longer horns = less hair)

Horns:
B. latifrons: Horn cores span 1.4 - 2.2 m (4.7 -7.3 ft)
B. antiquus: Horn cores span 1 m (3.3 ft)

Distribution:
B. latifrons: United States, especially coastal California, Great Plains, Texas coastal plains, Florida
B. antiquus: North America, mainly south-western U.S., but also Canada, Mexico and Central America

Habitat:
B. latifrons: forest/woodlands
B. antiquus: open woodlands or savanna

Locomotion: High shoulder blades and tall spines on neck vertebrae allow bison to move front limbs in a long, extremely efficient gallop.

Social Groups:
B. latifrons: Somewhat solitary; possibly territorial; perhaps lifestyle like modern moose.
B. antiquus: Small groups or herds with stronger dominance behavior by males than seen in B. latifrons.

Diet:
B. latifrons: An eye-level browser; small trees and shrubs
B. antiquus: Low-growing herbs, shrubs,grasses.

Predators: American lions (Panthera atrox), possibly sabertoothed cats (Smilodon), and dire wolves (Canis dirus).

Feature Facts

• Bison survived into modern times when the Late Pleistocene extinctions claimed many other large mammals and birds.