Home on the Range

On the fourth of July, we picked up Mom and Dad for the afternoon and headed to the National Bison Range near St. Ignatius. Mom, Randy, the kids and I had NEVER been inside the range. The last time Dad had been there was when he was in college. We had a great time and saw everything we came to see. Wildlife and scenery! Beautiful! Here are a mix of pictures taken by Randy and I. They are all unedited as I just don't seem to have time to edit right now. Hope you enjoy...

"Did I just hear a discouraging word?"

Although these great animals are truly called Bison, they have been referred to as Buffalo for so many years that the two terms can be used interchangeably. Here are the true differences between the Bison and the Buffalo...*

-Bison have a hairy fur coat on their body which grows thicker in the winters as a protection from the rugged environment they live. Buffaloes do not have thick fur.

-Bison have very sharp horns which they use for their defense. A buffalo's horns aren't very sharp but are longer than a bison's.

-Bison have a huge hump over the top of their front two legs which Buffaloes do not have.

-Bison also have a thick beard that circles around their rib cage but Buffaloes do not have a thick beard.

-A Bisons' temperament is associated with its rugged structure and it can be a very attacking animal when threatened, Buffalo, on the other hand is a peaceful animal. This is also the reason why it is domesticated.

-Buffaloes grow up to 5 feet in size while Bison may grow to 6 feet.

-Bison can run faster than Buffaloes.

-Buffaloes can weigh between 800-1200 kgs while Bison can weigh up to 1400 kgs.

Thank you gkey for reminding me of this great old song to play along with my post. It fits perfectly!

*this information comes from here.