Bison! I Love Bison!

Bison fascinate me. 

Maybe it's their size - bulls can stand 6' tall and weigh up to 2000 pounds. They are North America's largest animal.

It might be their mostly docile behavior that hides a potentially ferocious aggressiveness and power. 

Or their hidden athleticism - Bison are very agile, can swim, can run 35-40 mph and can jump 6 feet vertically.

Perhaps it's because they were nearly hunted to extinction - once numbering in the millions, by the late 1800's only a few hundred survived. These days, they number about 30,000. A real success story.

Possibly it's because they represent the American west, with all of its strengths and flaws. When Native Americans hunted them, they used every part of them, mainly for food and clothing. But the plains Indians had over 150 uses for bison parts. White settlers mindlessly butchered them, leaving them to rot. Bison slaughter was even one strategy employed to eliminate the Native communities by wiping out a primary food source. Ugh. 

Well, whatever it is, I love 'em. 

I've photographed bison at Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks (you can search this blog for "bison"). Also at Antelope Island State Park, including their annual Bison Roundup. 

These shots from yesterday evening are of a small herd just outside the east entrance to Zion National Park. By the way, note the horns. Some are curved, some straighter. It turns out that is an indicator of age. The one with straighter horns is probably a yearling. Those horns will begin to curve more soon.