- Title Pages
- Organisms and Environments
- Dedication
- Foreword
- Preface
-
Part one Relationships, Relationships -
Chapter 1 Bull to Bull and Cow to Bull -
Chapter 2 Cow to Cow -
Chapter 3 Cow to Calf -
Part Two The Machinery of a Bison’s Life -
Chapter 4 Bison Athletics -
Chapter 5 Digestion -
Chapter 6 Temperature Control -
Part Three Whence they Came Forth, and how Much they Multiplied -
Chapter 7 Ancestors and Relatives -
Chapter 8 How Many? -
Part Four The Bison’s Neighborhood -
Chapter 9 The Central Grassland -
PART FIVE The Bison’s Neighbors -
Chapter 10 Wolves and Bison -
Chapter 11 Buffalo Birds -
Chapter 12 Diseases and Parasites -
Chapter 13 Pronghorn -
Chapter 14 Prairie Dogs -
Chapter 15 Badgers -
Chapter 16 Coyotes -
Chapter 17 Grizzlies -
Chapter 18 Ferrets -
Part Six Human and Buffalo -
Chapter 19 Close Encounters of the Buffalo Kind -
Chapter 20 To Kill a Bison -
Chapter 21 Bison Numbers before the Great Slaughter -
Chapter 22 Where have all the Bison Gone? -
Chapter 23 Attitudes -
Chapter 24 Conservation -
Chapter 25 A Great Plains Park - Bibliography
- Index
Bison Athletics
Bison Athletics
- Chapter:
- (p.40) (p.41) Chapter 4 Bison Athletics
- Source:
- American Bison
- Author(s):
Dale F. Lott
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
While buffalo leaps and sprints are spectacular, walking is the athletic talent that brings the animals to food and water day after day. Bison are roamers. The energy cost is high; bulls weigh about a ton. When a vehicle that size is fueled with blades of grass, every blade has to count. So the athletic challenge becomes like one of those competitions to see how far a vehicle can travel on a gallon of gas. It's all about efficiency — getting the most out of every drop of gas or blade of grass. The bulls are built to be quick in battle. To protect their body with their head, they need to pivot around their front feet. They have a great form for that function: much of their weight is centered over their front legs.
Keywords: movement, bison, walking, buffalo, energy cost, energy efficiency
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- Title Pages
- Organisms and Environments
- Dedication
- Foreword
- Preface
-
Part one Relationships, Relationships -
Chapter 1 Bull to Bull and Cow to Bull -
Chapter 2 Cow to Cow -
Chapter 3 Cow to Calf -
Part Two The Machinery of a Bison’s Life -
Chapter 4 Bison Athletics -
Chapter 5 Digestion -
Chapter 6 Temperature Control -
Part Three Whence they Came Forth, and how Much they Multiplied -
Chapter 7 Ancestors and Relatives -
Chapter 8 How Many? -
Part Four The Bison’s Neighborhood -
Chapter 9 The Central Grassland -
PART FIVE The Bison’s Neighbors -
Chapter 10 Wolves and Bison -
Chapter 11 Buffalo Birds -
Chapter 12 Diseases and Parasites -
Chapter 13 Pronghorn -
Chapter 14 Prairie Dogs -
Chapter 15 Badgers -
Chapter 16 Coyotes -
Chapter 17 Grizzlies -
Chapter 18 Ferrets -
Part Six Human and Buffalo -
Chapter 19 Close Encounters of the Buffalo Kind -
Chapter 20 To Kill a Bison -
Chapter 21 Bison Numbers before the Great Slaughter -
Chapter 22 Where have all the Bison Gone? -
Chapter 23 Attitudes -
Chapter 24 Conservation -
Chapter 25 A Great Plains Park - Bibliography
- Index