Bison antiquus is an extinct species of bison that lived in North America during the Late Pleistocene and the beginning of the Holocene from over 60,000 years ago until around 10,000 years ago. Bison antiquus was one of the most common large in North America during this time period. It is the direct ancestor of the living American bison.[C. G Van Zyll de Jong , 1986, A systematic study of recent bison, with particular consideration of the wood bison (Bison bison athabascae Rhoads 1898), p.53, National Museum of Natural Sciences]
Taxonomy and evolution
The first described remains of
Bison antiquus were collected at Big Bone Lick, Kentucky in Pleistocene deposits in the 1850s and only consisted of a fragmentary posterior skull and a nearly complete horn core.
[Gillette, D. D., & Colbert, E. H. (1976). Catalogue of Type Specimens of Fossil Vertebrates Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia Part II: Terrestrial Mammals. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, 25-38.] The fossil (ANSP 12990) was briefly described by
Joseph Leidy in 1852.
Although the original fossils were fragmentary, a complete skull of an old male was discovered in southern California and were described as a new species,
B. californicus, by Samuel Rhoads in 1897,
[Rhoads, S. N. (1897). Notes on living and extinct species of North American Bovidae. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, 483-502.] but the species is considered synonymous with
B. antiquus.
Since the 19th century, several well preserved specimens of
B. antiquus have been discovered in many parts of the United States,
Canada,
and southern Mexico.
Evolution
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 (known in North American geology as the Illinoian), and then entered central North America at the beginning of the Last Interglacial (locally known in North America as the
Sangamonian) around 130,000 years ago, following the melting of the Laurentide Ice Sheet, with a
B. priscus population evolving into
Bison latifrons (
Bison latifrons) by 120,000 years ago, and subsequently a population of
B. latifrons into
Bison antiquus by 60,000 years ago in central North America.
became increasingly abundant in parts of midcontinent North America from 18,000 until about 10,000 years ago.
Distribution
Bison antiquus is known from fossils found across North America south of the Laurentide Ice Sheet (whose southernmost extent is around the modern United States-Canada border), ranging from southern Canada (southern Alberta
and Ontario
[McDonald, J. N., & Lammers, G. E. (2002). Bison antiquus from Kenora, Ontario, and notes on the evolution of North American Holocene bison. Smithsonian Contributions to Paleobiology, 93, 83–97.]) in the north, and Washington State
and California
in the west, southwards to Southern Mexico
and eastwards to South Carolina and Florida.
Description
Compared to the living
American bison (
Bison bison),
B. antiquus was considerably larger and had longer limbs, with the upper limbs being more slender while the lower limbs were more robust. The skull was also somewhat more elongate and less domed than that of American bison.
It reached up to tall, long, and a weight of , with an average of around .
The horns were also considerably larger than those of living American bison and differed somewhat in shape,
being on average across tip to tip, but could be as much as across.
Ecology
Unlike living American bison, which are almost exclusively grazers,
dental wear analysis suggests that
Bison antiquus was a variable mixed feeder (both browsing and grazing) with an adaptable diet depending on geographical location, with diets varying from strict grazing to mixed feeding.
Paired
Mesowear and
Dental microwear from specimens of
B. antiquus from the Southwestern United States dating back to the end of the Last Glacial Period, after the Last Glacial Maximum, has found that they competed with horses for resources and may have been one of the contributing factors in the extirpation of equids from the North American continent.
was likely preyed upon by large carnivores, which may have included the
American lion (
Panthera atrox),
the sabertooth cat
Smilodon, and
Dire wolf (
Aenocyon dirus).
Relationship with humans
A number of sites document the exploitation of
Bison antiquus by
Paleo-Indians groups, such as those associated with the
Clovis culture and the later
Folsom tradition.
The Folsom tradition in particular is thought to have been reliant on hunting bison.
One of the best educational sites to view in situ semifossilized skeletons of over 500 individuals of B. antiquus is the Hudson-Meng archeological site operated by the U.S. Forest Service, northwest of Crawford, Nebraska. A number of paleo-Indian spear and projectile points have been recovered in conjunction with the animal skeletons at the site, which is dated around 9,700 to 10,000 years ago. The reason for the "die-off" of so many animals in one compact location is still in conjecture; some professionals argue it was the result of a very successful paleo-Indian hunt, while others believe the herd died as a result of some dramatic natural event, to be later scavenged by humans. Individuals of B. antiquus of both sexes and a typical range of ages have been found at the site.[Davis, L.B. and Wilson, M. (1978) "Bison procurement and utilization: A symposium," Plains Anthropologist. Volume 23, Issue 82, Part 2. p 128.][Agenbroad, L.D. (1978) The Hudson-Meng site: an Alberta bison kill in the Nebraska high plains. University Press of America.]
B. antiquus may have been hunted by Clovis people in North Carolina and South Carolina, based on blood residue from Clovis points.
Extinction
The living
American bison (
Bison bison) is suggested to have evolved from
Bison antiquus in central North America at the very end of the Pleistocene. The last populations of
B. antiquus became extinct during the early Holocene, around 10,000 years ago.
Likely intermediates between the species are referred to as
Bison "occidentalis".
Further reading
External links
