Mammals on Monday: Wood Bison
Jan 25th, 2010 by Kevin, FCD
Wood Bison, British Columbia (click image to view larger)
In northern British Columbia & Alberta, as well as the southern portion of the Northwest Territories, you may encounter bison in your travels. Found in the boreal forests, they are a distinct subspecies called Wood Bison (Bison bison athabascae). Larger than their southern cousins, Plains Bison (Bison bison bison), they also look a little different as their hump is in front of the forelegs where the Plains Bison’s hump is directly over their legs. This bull was part of a herd strolling along the edge of the Alaska Highway in British Columbia. Straddling the border of Alberta and the Northwest Territories is Canada’s Wood Buffalo National Park, which also happens to be the prime breeding ground for the largest population of one of the world’s most endangered birds, the Whooping Crane.
