American Bison and Pronghorn Antelope
(Bison bison and Antilocapra americana)

The Bison, or American Buffalo, and Pronghorn are associates whose trails frequently cross on the plains and prairies. The Bison surpasses all our game in size and strength while the Pronghorn is the fleetest of the American plains animals.

The Bison was probably one of the most gregarious of all living animals. Its former abundance was incredible and the number has been estimated at 60 to 75 million animals. Herds extended in unbroken masses as far as the eye could see. The decline in numbers, with the development of the West, was so rapid that in 1895 only 800 survived. Today the only truly wild Bison are a remnant of the race known as Wood Bison which live along the Peace River of Canada. All other Bison are park animals or descendants of park animals.

Epidemic diseases were unknown among the Bison. The American Indian and the Gray Wolf were far from being its worst enemies. The greatest losses were in crossing the treacherous river ice during the spring migrations when the vanguard would crash through and thousands were pushed in by the on-surging masses.

Bulls that fight furiously for supremacy during the mating season live peaceably together the rest of the year. The calves, reddish in color, are born in April. Bison, unlike most game, face a blizzard—the thick woolly coat on head and shoulders afford them protection.

The Pronghorn is unique in that it is the only living hollow-horned mammal that sheds the outer horny sheath annually. Furthermore, it is the only antelope in the world with branched horns.

As in the case of the Bison, the recent Pronghorn population is but a fragment of a former abundance. However, these animals have recovered under protective laws and are once more becoming an important part of the big-game census in several of the Western States.

Four of the Bison in this group were secured through the courtesy and cooperation of the United States Department of Agriculture and came from the National Bison Range in Montana. The large bull in the foreground was donated for the group by the Department of Mines and Resources of Canada and was selected in Buffalo Park, Wainwright, Alberta.

Group Environment
Early autumn, between Rawlins and Saratoga, Wyoming

In pioneer days the "Overland Trail" crossed the North Platte River, southeastern Wyoming, about one mile from the present scene. Over distant snow-covered heights of the Medicine Bow Mountains, cottony cumulus clouds are drifting.

The red sedimentary rocks (Mesa Verde formation) contain remains of dinosaurs. The whitish slopes (center) are deposits of volcanic ash. The greenish rocks (left) are intrusives forced into the sediments when below the surface of the earth.

The head of the nearest of the colony of Prairie Dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) can be seen protruding from its burrow close to the Pronghorns.

Vegetation of the Wyoming plains includes:

1. Buffalo Grass, Buchloe dactyloides, was originally one of the most abundant low grasses of the Buffalo ranges. The grass is peculiar in being dioecious, or having male and female "flowers" on separate plants. On plains and prairies from Minnesota to Wyoming, Arkansas and New Mexico, 4000 to 6000 feet.
2. Grama Grass or Mesquit Grass, Bouteloua oligostachya, with narrow, parallel-sided plumes, is widely distributed on plains and prairies from Wisconsin and Manitoba to Missouri, Arizona and Mexico.
3. Sage Brush, Artemisia tridentata. Old plants of this species become very dense and gnarled. They may grow to a height of two feet. The leaves are bitter and aromatic.
4. Prickly pear, Opuntia polyacantha, is a highly typical cactus of the Buffalo plains country. The flowers are usually yellow, the fruit dry and spiny. Found between 4000 and 7000 feet.
5. The cowbirds (Molothrus ater artemisiae) on the ground to the right, commonly follow buffalo and cattle about. They feed on insects. Their most notable character however lies in their habit of laying their eggs in the nests of other kinds of birds, which perforce become foster parents, hatching the eggs and feeding the young cowbirds.

Audio

Ambience of the Great Plains: This 5 minute mix captures several different natural sounds one might hear on an American prairie including bison, meadowlarks, prairie dogs and insects. You will need to have the Real Player installed on your computer to hear this audio file.

Behind the Scenes

The Bison and Pronghorn Group, measuring 27' by 16', is one of the largest dioramas in the Hall of North American Mammals, which opened to the public on April 9, 1942. Collecting for the diorama began in August 1937, when James L. Clark, then Director of Arts, Preparation, and Installation at the Museum, led an expedition through Wyoming, Montana, and North Dakota to gather specimens and make studies of possible background landscapes. Most of the bison used in the completed diorama were taken from the National Bison Range in western Montana during a later expedition. The National Bison Range wildlife refuge was established in 1908 during the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt, and can trace its stock back to a small group of bison calves rescued by the Pend d'Oreille Indian Walking Coyote.

Two photos that demonstrate how Wilson rendered a bison so that it would appear undistorted on the curve when viewed by the visitor (1942).

LEFT: This image shows the bison as it would appear from outside the diorama at the appropriate viewpoint--undistorted.

RIGHT: This image depicts the bison as it would appear from inside the diorama--stretched and distorted as if it were rubber.