![the cave buffalo the cave buffalo](https://cdn.onlyinyourstate.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/15217_678889058856613_7003364977041260940_n.jpg)
Other activities of the bison include rubbing, rolling, and wallowing. A bull with lowered head, snorting and pawing the ground, with tail stiffly upraised, conveys a universal warning of danger to all nearby that is impossible to ignore! In the words of early naturalists, they were a dangerous, savage animal who feared no other animal and in prime condition could best any foe. At the time bison ran wild, they were rated second only to the Alaska brown bear as a potential killer, more dangerous than the grizzly bear. But their head, with its massive skull, can be used as a battering ram, effectively using the momentum produced by two thousand pounds moving at thirty miles per hour! The hind legs can also be used to kill or maim with devastating effect. Their most obvious weapon is the horns that both males and females have. They can move at speeds of up to 35 miles per hour and cover long distances at a lumbering gallop. To a casual observer, a grazing bison appears slow and clumsy, but they can outrun and out-maneuver than all but the fleetest horse. They usually appear peaceful, unconcerned, even lazy, yet they may attack anything, often without warning or apparent reason. The best description of a bison's temperament is unpredictable. In the spring, bison shed their winter coat and may use wallows, park signs, trail markers, and fence posts to help remove itchy loose fur. It is little wonder that bison, unlike domestic cattle, face into storms. The length of the hair measures up to sixteen inches on the forehead, ten inches on the forelegs, and only eight inches on the hindquarters. A mature bull in winter has a dark brown to black coat. The color and character of the bison's fur varies with the season.
![the cave buffalo the cave buffalo](https://live.staticflickr.com/7163/6449555517_20d49c01e2_b.jpg)
This hump, along with a broad, massive head, short, thick neck and small hindquarters give the animal its rugged appearance. One of the physical differences between the old world buffalo and the American bison is the large shoulder hump of the bison. Although it is a misnomer, the name buffalo is still used interchangeably with bison. Because American bison resembled in some ways old world buffalo (Asian and African buffalo), early explorers to North America began to call them buffalo. Bulls (right) are much larger, more muscular, and have thicker hair on their heads and forelegs.īison are part of the family Bovidae, to which Asian buffalo, African buffalo and domestic cattle and goats belong. Cows (left) are smaller and have less hair on their heads.