Cartoon's Prehistoric Park Animal Field Guide Volume 1

by WildExpert24

As a Prehistoric Park employee, you get the privilege to work with the likes of previously extinct animals. However, if you want to survive longer than five minutes, then you need to know its inhabitants. From the world of Cartoon's Prehistoric Park, this Guide will give you info on behavior, diet, lifespan, and more. Welcome to the Ultimate Prehistoric Guidebook.

70. Steppe Bison

Steppe Bison

Scientific Classification

Domain: Eukaryota

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class:Mammalia

Order: Artiodactyla

Family: Bovidae

Subfamily: Bovinae

Genus: Bison

Species: Bison priscus

Described by Ludwig Heinrich Bojanus (Latin: Ludovicus Henricus Bojanus), 1825

Common Names: Steppe Bison, Ice Age Bison, and Steppe Wisent.

Subspecies:

-Bison priscus priscus

-Bison priscus mediator

-Bison priscus gigas

Current Park Population: (17; 10 adults, 7 calves; 6 male, female)

Park Diet: Cow Feed, Grasses, Legumes, Alfalfa, Clover, Hay, and Leaves.

Natural Diet: Grass, Twigs, Herbs, Leaves, and Foliage.

Lifespan: 18-24 Years

Habitat: Mammoth Steppe, Open Grasslands, Temperate Grassland, and Grasslands Bordering Woodlands or Forest Margins.

Native Ecosystem: Western Europe, Eurasia, and eastern Beringia, North America

Breeding Season: August through to October

Gestation Period: 264 days

Number of Young: One Calf

Danger Level: 7 out of 10.

Park Star Rating: 3 Stars

Summary: The American Bison is the National Mammal of the USA that once roamed in the herds of thousands across North America. But long before the American Bison, an ancestor of them had a bigger range including Europe and Asia which was the Steppe Bison. The steppe bison or steppe wisent (Bison priscus) is an extinct species of bison. It was widely distributed across the mammoth steppe, ranging from Western Europe to eastern Beringiain North America during the Late Pleistocene. It is ancestral to all North American bison, including ultimately modern American bison. Three chronological subspecies, Bison priscus priscus, Bison priscus mediator, and Bison priscus gigas, have been suggested.

Discoveries: Steppe bison appear in cave art, notably in the Cave of Altamira and Lascaux, and the carving Bison Licking Insect Bite, and have been found in naturally ice-preserved form.

Blue Babe is the 36,000-year-old mummy of a male steppe bison which was discovered north of Fairbanks, Alaska, in July 1979. The mummy was noticed by a gold miner who named the mummy Blue Babe – "Babe" for Paul Bunyan's mythical giant ox, permanently turned blue when he was buried to the horns in a blizzard (Blue Babe's own bluish cast was caused by a coating of vivianite, a blue iron phosphate covering much of the specimen). Blue Babe is also frequently referenced when talking about scientists eating their own specimens: the research team that was preparing it for permanent display in the University of Alaska Museum removed a portion of the mummy's neck, stewed it, and dined on it to celebrate the accomplishment.

A Sketch of the Blue Babe Specimen next to Paul Bunyan -Ed

In early September 2007, near Tsiigehtchic, local resident Shane Van Loon discovered a carcass of a steppe bison which was radiocarbon dated to c. 13,650 cal BP. This carcass appears to represent the first Pleistocene mummified soft tissue remains from the glaciated regions of northern Canada.

In 2011, a 9,300-year-old mummy was found at Yukagir in Siberia.

In 2016, a frozen tail was discovered in the north of the Republic of Sakha in Russia. The exact age was not clear, but tests showed it was not younger than 8,000 years old. A team of Russian and South Korean scientists proposed extracting DNA from the specimen and cloning it in the future.

The steppe wisent is known from Denisova Cave, which is famous for being the site where the first Denisovan remains were discovered.

Evolution: The steppe bison first appeared during the mid Middle Pleistocene in eastern Eurasia, subsequently dispersing westwards as far as Western Europe. During the late Middle Pleistocene, around 195,000-135,000 years ago, the steppe bison migrated across the Bering land bridge into North America, becoming ancestral to endemic North American bison species, including the largest known bison, the Long-horned Bison (Bison latifrons), and the smaller Ancient Bison (Bison antiquus), the latter of which is thought to be ancestral to modern American bison.

Description: Steppe Bison resemble the modern bison species, especially the American wood bison (Bison bison athabascae) Males are black with brown around the shoulder and face, Females dark brown, grayish brown around the shoulder and face, and a light brown top running down the neck and forehead, and Calves were grayish brown with a dark brown top, and pale legs.

Size: The Steppe Bison was over 2 m (6 ft 7 in) tall at the withers, reaching 900 kg (2,000 lb) in weight. The steppe bison was also anatomically similar to the European bison (Bison bonasus), to the point of difficulty distinguishing between the two when complete skeletons are unavailable. The two species were close enough to interbreed; however they were also genetically distinct, indicating that interbreeding was in fact rare, possibly as a result of niche partitioning between the species.

Skull: The tips of the horns were a meter apart, the horns themselves being over half a meter long. Bison priscus gigas is the largest known bison of Eurasia. This subspecies was possibly analogous to Bison latifrons, attaining similar body sizes and horns which were up to 210 centimeters (83 in) apart, and presumably favored similar habitat conditions.

Distribution and Habitat: The Steppe Bison was widely distributed across the mammoth steppe, ranging from Western Europe to eastern Beringia in North America during the Late Pleistocene.

Paleobiology

Ecology and Behavior: Steppe Bison do play a Role as a Keystone Species in the Ice Age alongside the Woolly Mammoth. Bison create open areas in forests and woodlands by debarking trees. This allows grasslands to thrive, which supports a variety of insects, butterflies, and reptiles. This creates a mosaic of habitats by trampling and wallowing in sand baths. This creates niche habitats for pioneer plants, insects, and lizards. Steppe Bison disperse seeds that stick to their fur, which helps to increase floral biodiversity and supports pollinators, dispersing nutrients (dung) across their territory, which fertilizes the land and helps vegetation to grow, and Bison disturb and aerate the soil through their wallowing and trampling behavior. They are also prey to the Ice Age Predators.

Social Behavior: The Steppe bison is a herd animal, which lives in both mixed and solely male groups. Mixed groups consist of adult females, calves, young aged 2–3 years, and young adult bulls. The average herd size is dependent on environmental factors, though on average, they number eight to 13 animals per herd. Herds consisting solely of bulls are smaller than mixed ones, containing two individuals on average. Steppe bison herds are not family units. Different herds frequently interact, combine, and quickly split after exchanging individuals.

Bison social structure has been described by specialists as a matriarchy, as it is the cows of the herd that lead it, and decide where the entire group moves to graze. Although larger and heavier than the females, the oldest and most powerful male bulls are usually satellites that hang around the edges of the herd to protect the group. Bulls begin to serve a more active role in the herd when a danger to the group's safety appears, as well as during the mating season – when they compete with each other.

Territory held by bulls is correlated by age, with young bulls aged between five and six tending to form larger home ranges than older males. The European bison does not defend territory, and herd ranges tend to greatly overlap. Core areas of territory are usually sited near meadows and water sources.

Diet: Steppe bison feed predominantly on grasses, although they also browse on shoots and leaves; in summer, an adult male can consume 32 kg of food in a day. Steppe bison need to drink every day, and in winter can be seen breaking ice with their heavy hooves.

Reproduction: The rutting season occurs from August through to October. Bulls aged 4–6 years, though sexually mature, are prevented from mating by older bulls. Cows usually have a gestation period of 264 days, and typically give birth to one calf at a time.

On average, male calves weigh 27.6 kg (60.8 lb) at birth, and females 24.4 kg (53.8 lb). Body size in males increases proportionately to the age of 6 years. While females have a higher increase in body mass in their first year, their growth rate is comparatively slower than that of males by the age of 3–5. Bulls reach sexual maturity at the age of two, while cows do so in their third year.

The lifespan of a Steppe bison in the wild is usually between 18 and 24 years, though females live longer than males. Productive breeding years are between four and 20 years of age in females, and only between six and 12 years of age in males.

Interactions with other species: The Steppe Bison is prey to Many Ice Age Predators including Cave Lions, Cave Hyenas, Cave Wolves, Cave Bears, Steppe Brown Bears, and Cave Leopards. Calves would fall prey to them, not much for the Adults due to their large size and strength only pride of Cave Lions based on bite and claw marks on the Blue Babe Specimen, Clans of Cave Hyenas, Packs of Cave Wolves, and Large Cave Bears can take down an adult Bison.

The Steppe Bison lived and grazed alongside herbivores like Megaloceros, Elasmotherium, Wisent, Saiga Antelopes, Eurasian Elk or Moose, Woolly Mammoths, Woolly Rhinoceros, Tarpan, Aurochs, European Wild Donkey, Roe Deer, Red Deer, and Wild Boar in the Mammoth Steppes and Forests. When Mammoths including bulls in Musth are around these Bison stay clear..

Steppe Bison is a common prey animal to Early Humans, Neanderthals, and Ape-Men using Stone Age Weapons and are often painted in their caves.

Extinction: Like All Ice Age Animals, The steppe bison distribution contracted to the north after the end of the last glacial period, surviving into the mid-Holocene before becoming extinct as part of the Quaternary extinction event. A steppe bison skeleton was radiocarbon dated to 5,400 years Before Present (c. 3450 BCE) in Alaska B. priscus remains in the northern Angara River in Asia were dated to 2550-2450 BCE, and in the Oyat River in Leningrad Oblast, Russia to 1130-1060 BCE. The causes for the extinction of the steppe bison and many other primarily megafaunal species remain hotly debated, but the selectivity for large animals suggests that the spread of modern humans played a substantial role.

Danger Tip: Steppe Bison may look peaceful in the Distance, but if you get too close the Bison will charge and gorge you in the horns whether you're near its baby or the herd, especially a stampede.

Reintroduction Project: Steppe Bison are candidates to be reintroduced to the wild. Organizations like Rewilding Europe and Pleistocene Park agree with Prehistoric Park to reintroduce the Aurochs back to the Wilds of Europe and Asia. The Bison's presence can help benefit the Wildlife and the Eurasian Ecosystem through their grazing habits.

Significant Events: The Team found a Herd of Steppe Bison alongside a herd of Aurochs. The Team observed behaviors like the Adults using their snouts to push through the snow looking for hidden vegetation. Young bulls spar working up the ranks to be Top Bull while calves drink from the udders of their mothers' milk. Trey uses a cattle-wrangling strategy by waving the Aurochs with a flag in front of their faces to the portal. It's the movement of the flag or mantle that causes bulls to charge, not the color red as they can only see yellow, green, blue, and violet, Due to the retina receptors in their eyes. The Aurochs and Steppe Bison herds charged into the Time Portal transporting them to Prehistoric Park. They now live in Ice Age Mount.

Mammoth Steppe:

The Steppe Bison resides in the Mammoth Steppe Habitat of the Ice Age Mount Zone equipped with climate technology like ice climate fences to regulate the cold temperate of the ice age. The Aurochs share the large paddock with Elasmotherium, Eurasian Aurochs, Woolly Mammoths, Steppe Bison, Tarpan, European Wild Ass or Donkeys, Woolly Rhinoceros, their modern-day relatives the European Bison or Wisent, and Saiga Antelopes.

With their temperament being similar to Modern-day Bison, they are often easy to work with using Husbandry methods and procedures to help take care of these bovids.

Conclusion: The Steppe Bison is one of the more Common Ice Age Herbivores of its time and it gave rise to the Modern Day Bisons that roam Today. Learning from its Past can help protect and conserve the Modern day Bisons in the Future.

The Field Guide might take a long time, like structuring and writing descriptions of the creatures, but also my time in college and spending time with my family. So you can suggest additional information quotes, descriptions, and natural or speculative behaviors for the prehistoric animals that I can edit, and you can send your suggestions either in reviews or private messages.

Examples: Inferring what the toons are doodling on the sketches or snarking quotes.

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