Bison antiquus

Taxobox
name = "Bison antiquus"
status = not applicable (prehistoric)


image_caption = "Bison antiquus"
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Mammalia
ordo = Artiodactyla
familia = Bovidae
genus = "Bison"
species = "B. antiquus"
binomial = "Bison antiquus"
binomial_authority = Leidy, 1852

Bison antiquus sometimes called the "ancient bison", was the most common large herbivore of the North American continent for over ten thousand years, and is a direct ancestor of the living American bison.

During the Pleistocene Ice Age, steppe wisent ("Bison priscus"), migrated from Siberia into Alaska. This species then developed into the long-horned bison ("Bison latifrons") which lived in North America for 3 million years. About 22,000 years ago, the long-horned bison gave wayclarifyme|Date=November 2007 to the "Bison antiquus". "B. antiquus" were abundant from 18,000 years ago until about 10,000 years ago, when they became extinct, along with most of the Pleistocene megafauna. "B. antiquus" is the most commonly recovered herbivore from the La Brea tar pits.

"B. antiquus" was taller, had larger bones and horns and was 15-25% larger overall than modern bison. From tip to tip, the horns of "B. antiquus" measured approximately 3 feet (nearly one meter).

External links

* [http://www.backyardnature.net/loess/~bisft1.htm Ancient Bison foot fossil]
* [http://paleodb.org/cgi-bin/bridge.pl?action=checkTaxonInfo&taxon_name=Bison+antiquus Paleobiology Database - Bison antiquus]