Wood Bison
Bison bison athabascae
WILD STATUS
Threatened
DISTRIBUTION
Northern Canada only, including Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, British Columbia, Yukon and the Northwest Territories.
SIZE
Approximately 907 kg (2200 lbs).
HABITAT
Found in the open boreal and aspen forests where there are large wet meadows and slight depressions caused by ancient lakes. The bison population in the Mackenzie Bison Sanctuary (NWT) uses wet meadows and willow savannas in summer, forests in the fall, and returns to the meadows and savannas in winter.
REPRODUCTION
After a gestation period of 270 to 300 days, cows give birth to a single red calf in May; twins are rare. Females usually give birth twice in three years.
DIET
Wood Bison feed mainly on sedges and grasses, but also on shrubs, lichens, and the leaves and bark of trees.
INTERESTING TIDBITS
- Wood Bison are the forest relative of the more common Plains Bison.
- The wolf is the bison’s main predator (other than humans), but newborn calves can be taken by bears.
- A wild herd is found in Wood Buffalo National Park.
- Wood Bison can drown during spring floods or when they venture onto thin ice.
- The conversion of lands for agriculture or other development has limited the habitat of the Wood Bison.
- They are often called buffalo, yet Wood Bison are not actually buffalo.
ANIMAL FACT SHEET
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