Class Mammalia
Order Artiodactyla
Suborder Ruminantia
Family Bovidae
Bison/Bos—Bison or Cattle // Bison sp.—Bison // Bison antiquus—Ancient Bison // Bison latifrons—Giant Bison // Bison priscus—Steppe Bison
In common with the taxonomy of many of the large herbivores of North America, Bison taxonomy supports many disagreements among systematists and a plethora of synonyms. The genus originated in Eurasia and entered North America through one or more invasions through Beringia. The classification scheme followed here departs from that of Kurtén and Anderson (1980) and that of most earlier synthesizers, following the taxonomy of McDonald (1981). Under his classification, five species of North American Bison are recognized (B. alaskensis, B. priscus, B. latifrons, B. antiquus, and B. bison); the last four have been reported from our region.
Part of the confusion over Bison taxonomy involves the relationships of late Wisconsin Bison. Kurtén and Anderson (1980) recognized B. bison antiquus and B. bison occidentalis as subspecies of B. bison; B. taylori, among others, were listed as synonyms of B. bison. McDonald (1981) considered B. antiquus to be a separate species ancestral to B. bison and to include B. occidentalis as a subspecies (B. antiquus occidentalis); the earlier form of B. antiquus thus was B. antiquus antiquus. He considered B. taylori as a synonym of B. antiquus occidentalis.
Literature.
Kurtén and Anderson 1980; McDonald 1981.
Material insufficient to separate Bison from Bos is available from the Isleta Cave No. 1, but most likely pertains to modern Bos.
Sites.
Late Wisconsin/Holocene: Isleta Cave No. 1 (Harris 1993c).
Literature.
As with many bovids, horn cores are vital for identification to species. As a result, there are a number of records of fossils that can be identified as Bison, but not to a specific level. Many of these likely are B. antiquus.
A mandibular fragment from Dark Canyon Cave was indicated Tebedge (1988) to compare well with Bison bison.
Sites.
Pleistocene: Encino Blowouts (Agogino and Stevens 1972).
Rancholabrean: Agua Fria (Morgan and Lucas 2005); Badger Springs (McDonald 1981); Badlands Ranch (Morgan and Lucas 2003); Black Rock (Morgan and Lucas 2005); Boquillas Station (Mead et al. 2005); Brophy Cienega (Mead et al. 2005); CC:5:6 (Mead et al. 2003); Charley Day Spring (Lindsay and Tessman 1974); Cochiti Dam (Morgan and Lucas 2005); Fenn Site (Mead et al. 2005); Gallina Arroyo (Morgan and Lucas 2005); Jal (Morgan and Lucas 2005); Keams Canyon (Lindsay and Tessman 1974); Lake San Agustín (Morgan and Lucas 2005);Lindsay Ranch (Mead et al. 2005); Roswell (Morgan and Lucas 2005); Ruidoso (Morgan and Lucas 2005); San Rafael Aqueduct (Mead et al. 2005); Santa Cruz (Morgan and Lucas 2005); Snow Ranch (Morgan and Lucas 2005); Socorro (Morgan and Lucas 2005); Terlingua (Cockerell 1930); Tramperos Creek (Morgan and Lucas 2005); Tucson Brickyard (Mead et al. 2005); Twenty Five Mile Stream (Morgan and Lucas 2005); White Rock (Morgan and Lucas 2005); Whitewater Draw (Mead et al. 2005); Willcox (Mead et al. 2005).
Early Rancholabrean: Albuquerque Gravel Pits (Morgan and Lucas 2005).
Wisconsin: Mesa Vibora (Morgan and Lucas 2005).
Mid Wisconsin: Shonto (Agenbroad and Downs 1984).
Mid/Late Wisconsin: Dark Canyon Cave (Tebedge 1988); Sandblast Cave (Emslie 1988); U-Bar Cave (Harris 1993c).
Late Wisconsin: Balcony Room (UTEP); Big Manhole Cave (Harris 1993c); Bison Chamber (Harris 1970a); Camel Room (Harris 1993c); Cueva Quebrada (Lundelius 1984); Double Adobe (Mead et al. 2005); Fain Ranch (Pasenko and Agenbroad 2012); Harris' Pocket (Harris 1989); Lehner Site (Mead et al. 1979); Naco (Mead et al. 2005); Navajo Lake (Morgan and Lucas 2005); Pendejo Cave (Harris 2003); Placitas (Morgan and Lucas 2005); Salt Creek (UTEP: cf.); U-Bar Cave 18-20 ka (Harris 1989: cf.); Ventana Cave (Colbert 1950).
Late Wisconsin/Holocene: Black River (Harris 1993c); Conkling Cavern (Conkling 1932); Howell's Ridge Cave (Harris 1993c): cf.); Sandia Cave, Folsom Level (Hibben 1941); Stanton's Cave (Harington 1984); Werner Ranch (Mead et al. 2005).
Literature.
Agenbroad and Downs 1984; Agogino and Stevens 1972; Cockerell 1930; Colbert 1950; Conkling 1932; Emslie 1988; Harington 1984; Harris 1970a, 1989, 1993c, 2003; Hibben 1941; Lindsay and Tessman 1974; Lundelius 1984; McDonald 1981; Mead et al. 1979; Mead et al. 2003; Mead et al. 2005; Morgan and Lucas 2003, 2005; Pasenko and Agenbroad 2012; Tebedge 1988.
Synonyms: Bison occidentalis, Bison taylori.
This is the common late Pleistocene species in our region and extends into the Holocene, transitioning into Bison bison in the Middle Holocene (McDonald 1981). Changes in morphology, however, became apparent in very late Wisconsin and early Holocene times, producing what is recognized in much of the earlier literature as B. occidentalis or B. taylori (the B. antiquus occidentalis of McDonald 1981). The primary range was south of a line from about northern California to northern Florida, with records as far south as Nicaragua; scattered records to the north into Canada probably are late Wisconsin to middle Holocene (McDonald 1981).
Where horn cores are lacking, identification generally has been made on chronological grounds.
Fig. 1. Left maxilla with dentition, Bison antiquus. UTEP 54-1252, TT II, Dry Cave. Metric scale.
Fig. 2. Right posterior cannonbone, Bison antiquus. UTEP 54-1253, TT II, Dry Cave. Metric scale.
Sites.
Rancholabrean: Lea County (McDonald 1981); Model T (Morgan and Lucas 2005); White Mesa (Morgan and Rinehart 2007); Yeso Arroyo (Agogino and Stevens 1972).
Late Rancholabrean: Abiquiu (Morgan and Lucas 2005).
Mid Wisconsin: Papago Springs Cave (Czaplewski and Mead et al. 1999: as Bison sp.; Skinner 1942); Pendejo Cave (Harris 2003).
Late Wisconsin: Anderson Basin et al. (Morgan and Lucas 2005); Archuleta Creek (Meltzer et al. 2004); Big Bear (Morgan and Lucas 2005); Blackwater Draw Fauna (Lundelius 1972); Bonfire Shelter (Frank 1968); Folsom (Morgan and Lucas 2005); Jal Horse Quarry (Schultz 1943); Lucy (Morgan and Lucas 2005); McCullum Ranch (Morgan and Lucas 2005); Milnesand (Morgan and Lucas 2005); Murray Springs (Hemmings 2007a); San Jon (Morgan and Lucas 2005); Sandia Cave, Folsom and Sandia Levels (Hibben 1941); San Jon (Morgan and Lucas 2005); TT II (Harris 1993c).
Late Wisconsin/Holocene: Burnet Cave (Schultz and Howard 1935).
Literature.
Agogino and Stevens 1972; Czaplewski and Mead et al. 1999; Frank 1968; Harris 1993c, 2003; Hemmings 2007a; Hibben 1941; Lundelius 1972; McDonald 1981; Meltzer et al. 2004; Morgan and Lucas 2005; Morgan and Rinehart 2007; Schultz 1943; Schultz and Howard 1935; Skinner 1942.
Bison latifrons was the largest of all bison, with dramatically large horns. McDonald (1981) recorded the spread of the horn cores (from tip to tip) as ranging from 1.445 to 2.235 m (4.7 to 7.3 ft); horns normally extend for some distance beyond the horn cores in bovids.
Giant Bison are known from New Mexico by two specimens: Near Raton and north of Bernalillo. The latter is from gravels of the Los Durantes Formation, which is bracketed by ages of 156 ka and 98 ka (Morgan and Lucas 2005).
Sites.
Rancholabrean: Greaterville (Mead et al. 2005); Martinez Gravel Pit (Smartt et al. 1991); Raton (Morgan and Lucas 2005).
Literature.
Mead et al. 2005; McDonald 1981; Morgan and Lucas 2005; Smartt et al. 1991.
McDonald (1981) indicated that this is an Old World species that entered North America via Beringia, moving southward when glacial retreat made this possible.
Sites. Rancholabrean: Clovis area (McDonald 1981); Wetherly (Morgan and Lucas 2005: cf.).
Literature.
McDonald 1981; Morgan and Lucas 2005.
Last Update: 18 Mar 2013