Ancient Bison
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| Bison antiquus Leidy, 1852 |
The Ancient Bison, Bison antiquus, was the most common large herbivore of the North American continent and is a direct ancestor of the living North American bison.
During the Pleistocene Ice Age, Steppe Wisent (Bison priscus), migrated from Siberia into Alaska. They descended to Long-horned Bison (Bison latifrons)BI-son LAT-i-frons and lived in North America for 3 million years. About 22,000 years ago, Long-horned Bison died out and gave way to the Ancient Bison. Ancient Bison were abundant 18,000 years ago until about 10,000 years ago, when they became extinct along with most of the Pleistocene megafauna. Ancient Bison is the most commonly recovered herbivore from the La Brea tar pits.
The Ancient Bison was taller, and had larger bones and horns and generally 15-25% larger than modern day bison. From tip to tip, the horns of the Bison antiquus measured approximately 3 feet.
[edit] External links
[edit] Sources
- University of Texas
- Montana State University - Bozeman
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