Bison latifrons

Description

Because only skulls and horns of this species have been found well preserved, the size of B. latifrons is currently not clearly known. Based on leg bones, the mass of B. latifrons has been estimated to be 25-50% larger than that of modern B. bison, making it undoubtedly one of the largest-ever ruminants.

The known dimensions of the species are on average larger than any extinct and extant bovids, including both the American bison and the European bison, making it the largest known bovid. Overall, it was probably around 4.75 m in length and stood about 2.3 m or up to 2.5 m tall at the withers. With an estimated weight of 1250 kg,** or possibly over 2000 kg in very large males. The horns of B. latifrons measured as great as 213 cm from tip to tip, compared with 66 cm to 90 cm in modern Bison bison.

Evolution

The ultimate ancestor of all American bison species, the steppe bison (Bison priscus), first entered northwest North America (eastern Beringia, comprising Alaska and Yukon) around 195,000–135,000 years ago during the Penultimate Glacial Period (Illinoian), and then entered central North America at the beginning of the Last Interglacial (Sangamonian) around 130,000 years ago, following the melting of the Laurentide Ice Sheet, with a B. priscus population subsequently evolving into B. latifrons. The earliest fossil B. latifrons, as well as one of the oldest well-dated bison specimens in central North America, is from the Snowmass site in Colorado, dating to around 120,000 years ago. A population of B. latifrons has been suggested to have given rise to Bison antiquus, the ancestor of modern American bison before 60,000 years ago, with the two species co-existing alongside each other.

Habitat and behavior

Bison latifrons ranged across much of North America, extending from southern Mexico to southern Canada, as far west as California and as far east as Florida and the American Midwest. Though it was primarily a grazer, B. latifrons exhibited a high degree of dietary flexibility and adaptability across its range. Isotopic analysis from specimens found in Florida suggests a largely grazing based diet, while isotopic analysis of specimens from Clark Quarry, Georgia, suggest that these specimens had a mixed feeding diet (both browsing and grazing), with their diet varying according to the seasons.

Extinction

While many studies have suggested that B. latifrons went extinct around or before 20,000 years ago, a 2022 study reported remains from South Texas dating to around 13,000 years BP. Pressure from human hunting may have played a role in the extinction of B. latifrons.

References

References

1. Harlan, R. (1825). "Fauna americana: being a description of the mammiferous animals inhabiting North America". Anthony Finley.
2. (2023-08-28). "New records of Bison (Mammalia: Bovidae) from Southern Mexico and some comments on their distribution and biochronology". PalZ.
3. (28 March 2017). "Fossil and genomic evidence constrains the timing of bison arrival in North America". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
4. Hoganson, JW. (2002). "Occurrence of the Giant Ice Age Bison, Bison latifrons, in North Dakota". NDGS Newsletter.
5. (2010-12-18). "Bison Latifrons - Characteristics, Behavior and Habitat of Bison Latifrons, the Giant Bison". Dinosaurs.about.com.
6. Fabian Cerón Hardy, 2015, ''Stable Isotope Analysis of Bison latifrons and Paleoecological Inferences'', "1 - Introduction", UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones. 2478.
7. [http://ielc.libguides.com/sdzg/factsheets/extinctlonghorned-ancientbison Extinct Long-horned Bison & Ancient Bison (Bison latifrons and B. antiquus) Fact Sheet: Summary]
8. (2013-05-22). "Megafauna: Giant Beasts of Pleistocene South America". Indiana University Press.
9. (2011-12-29). "The Dream Hunters Epoch: The Paleo Indians Series". Xlibris Corporation.
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11. William Henry Burt, 1976, A Field Guide to the Mammals: North America North of Mexico, p.224, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
12. (September 2021). "Phylogeny of Late Pleistocene and Holocene Bison species in Europe and North America". Quaternary International.
13. (15 June 2024). "Stable isotopic analysis of fossil Bison tooth enamel indicates flexible dietary ecology across Pleistocene North America". [[Quaternary Science Reviews]].
14. (November 2014). "Effects of Pleistocene climates on local environments and dietary behavior of mammals in Florida". Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology.
15. (May 2020). "Enamel isotopes reveal late Pleistocene ecosystem dynamics in southeastern North America". Quaternary Science Reviews.
16. Baskin, J., R. Walls, and R. Thomas. 2022. [https://www.researchgate.net/publication/360748779_Bison_antiquus_and_B_latifrons_from_the_latest_Rancholabrean_latest_Pleistocene_Nueces_River_Valley_South_Texas ''Bison antiquus'' and ''B. latifrons'' from the latest Rancholabrean (latest Pleistocene), Nueces River Valley, South Texas.] ''New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin'' 88: 213.
17. Valerius Geist, 1996, Buffalo Nation, "The Advent of a Giant Bison", pp.22-30, [[Voyageur Press]]