Bison Calf Behaviors and Their Interactions with Mother Bison
Bison Calf Behaviors and their Interactions with Mother Bison
Kelci Wunderlich: kelci.wunderlich@mnsu.edu
June 26, 2012
INTRODUCTION
Yellowstone National Park, a place in which Birds fly free, Elk and Bison roam the valleys, and the Bears and Wolves tie the food chain together. The first animal observed just in the gates of Yellowstone National Park was a lone Bison; immediately a point of interest for the group. The Bison (Bison bison) is the largest land mammal in North America, and in a typical year approximately 3,000 Bison roam through the valleys of Yellowstone National Park (National Park Service, 2012). Until the reintroduction of wolves into Yellowstone, adult Bison didn’t have any predators. Observed first-hand, the Mollie Wolf Pack does in fact kill adult Bison which will also bring forth the motherly instincts of Bison to protect their young. In a study conducted by Smith et al, wolves were more successful in killing elk when they were first released into Yellowstone, but when the elk became scarce some of the wolf packs learned how to kill injured Bison and Bison calves, and since have succeeded in killing any adult or Bison calf (Smith et al, 2000). Bison Calves were the true eye-catcher in the many herds of Bison observed at Yellowstone; they were born in May as their size was still very petite as they stayed in close contact with their mothers at all times (Green, 1993). Calves are able to keep up with their herd in as little as 3 hours after they are born, but their mothers still maintain a close watch on them as they are suspect to becoming the prey of wolves or grizzly bears (Wolff, 1988). In a study conducted in Wood Buffalo National Park, the herd would take many different precautions in order to protect their calves such as: the mother and calf would walk in the front of the herd when there was a wolf sighting, and the bulls would take up the back of the herd to offer more protection (Carbyn and Trottier, 1988). The
Kelci Wunderlich: kelci.wunderlich@mnsu.edu
June 26, 2012
INTRODUCTION
Yellowstone National Park, a place in which Birds fly free, Elk and Bison roam the valleys, and the Bears and Wolves tie the food chain together. The first animal observed just in the gates of Yellowstone National Park was a lone Bison; immediately a point of interest for the group. The Bison (Bison bison) is the largest land mammal in North America, and in a typical year approximately 3,000 Bison roam through the valleys of Yellowstone National Park (National Park Service, 2012). Until the reintroduction of wolves into Yellowstone, adult Bison didn’t have any predators. Observed first-hand, the Mollie Wolf Pack does in fact kill adult Bison which will also bring forth the motherly instincts of Bison to protect their young. In a study conducted by Smith et al, wolves were more successful in killing elk when they were first released into Yellowstone, but when the elk became scarce some of the wolf packs learned how to kill injured Bison and Bison calves, and since have succeeded in killing any adult or Bison calf (Smith et al, 2000). Bison Calves were the true eye-catcher in the many herds of Bison observed at Yellowstone; they were born in May as their size was still very petite as they stayed in close contact with their mothers at all times (Green, 1993). Calves are able to keep up with their herd in as little as 3 hours after they are born, but their mothers still maintain a close watch on them as they are suspect to becoming the prey of wolves or grizzly bears (Wolff, 1988). In a study conducted in Wood Buffalo National Park, the herd would take many different precautions in order to protect their calves such as: the mother and calf would walk in the front of the herd when there was a wolf sighting, and the bulls would take up the back of the herd to offer more protection (Carbyn and Trottier, 1988). The
Cited: National Park Service. 2012. Yellowstone Bison (Bison bison) http://www.nps.gov/yell/naturescience/bison.htm Meng & Associates. 2012. National Bison Association. http://www.bisoncentral.com/faqs#faq-nid-69. Carbyn, L.N., and Trottier, T. 1988. Descriptions of wolf attacks on bison calves in Wood Buffalo National Park. Arctic 41.4: 297-302 Coppedge, B.R., Carter, T.S., Shaw, J.H., and Hamilton, R.G Wolff, J.O. 1988. Maternal investment and sex ratio adjustment in American bison calves. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 23.2: 127-133. Green, W.C.H. 1992. The development of independence in bison: Pre-weaning spatial relations between mothers and calves. Animal Behaviour 43.5: 759-773. Laundre, J.W., Hernandez, L., and Altendorf, K.B. 2001. Wolves, elk, and bison: reestablishing the “landscape of fear” in Yellowstone National Park, U.S.A. Canadian Journal of Zoology/Revue Canadienne de Zoologie 79.8: 1401-1409. Brookshier, J.S., and Fairbanks, W.S. 2003. The nature and consequences of mother-daughter associations in naturally and forcibly weaned bison. Canadian Journal of Zoology/Revue Canadienne de Zoologie 81.3: 414-423. Prescott, J. 1985. Play and the development of individual and social behavior in the American bison. BIOL BEHAV 10.3: 261-276. Green, W.C.H. 1986. Age-related differences in nursing behavior among American bison cows. Journal of Mammalogy 67.4: 739-741. Green, W.C.H. 1993. Social effects of maternal age and experience in bison: Pre-and post-weaning contact maintenance with daughters. Ethology 93.2: 146-160 Smith, D.W., Clark, W.E., Phillips, M.K., Mack, J.A., and Mech, L.D