Steppe wisent

Skeleton of a steppe bison in Mammoth Museum.

The Steppe Bison or steppe bison (Bison priscus ) is an extinct species of bison. During the last glacial period in the Pleistocene this wild cattle was widespread. Of the surviving members of the genus, the species differed among others by their long horns.

Morphology and appearance

The appearance of the steppe bison was the other bison species likely to be very similar. However, this by a long horns and a generally bigger stature differs and reached about 2 meters at the shoulder level. Weight estimates amount to 700 to 800 kg. The cops were probably robust then the cows. As with other bison shoulder region was strong and neck and head wore the longest hair. Cave paintings show steppe bison with a reddish dark brown fur, similar to that of the other bison species. The horns are relatively long and thick, and bent obliquely upwardly forward. The horn tips are mostly oriented slightly to the rear. The largest measured distance between the horns of a steppe bison is around 120 cm.

Steppe bison are documented by numerous well-preserved skeletons or skeletal elements. Furthermore, some specimens with preserved soft tissue found. The most famous and best preserved copy is "Blue Babe", recovered near Fairbanks, Alaska, and is dated to around 36.000 years BP. 2007, another mummified steppe bison carcass was at Tsiigehtchic, Canada, found.

According to mitochondrial DNA of the steppe bison was with the American bison are more closely related than the leaner bison.

Distribution and habitat

The distribution area of the steppe bison stretched in the cold periods of the ice-free parts of Europe, Asia and North America. Consequently, it was a Holarctic Art In Europe, the cold time - faunal assemblages and hot -term faunal assemblages from each solved. During the warm periods of the steppe bison, therefore, was largely replaced by other heat preferring wild cattle, such as the aurochs. He stepped isolated on even in these climatic phases, as shown by the Thuringian Travertinlagerstätten in Weimar and Bilzingsleben. The habitat of steppe bison was the so-called mammoth steppe, their biome as well as the woolly mammoth, woolly rhinoceros, wild horse, the Saiga antelope and other large animals involved. The steppe bison was probably one of the most common animals of the mammoth steppe in some regions and went about in large herds. In North America, finds this species are common, estimated to represent 80 % of all fossils near Fairbanks the steppe bison.

Development and extinction

The steppe bison evolved probably in front of about 700,000 in the Middle Pleistocene, where he may have resulted from smaller forms such as bison schoetensacki, and reached its maximum expansion during the last ice age, the Würm glaciation. Although steppe bison are often depicted on cave paintings such as in the cave of Altamira, Lascaux Cave or in the cave of Niaux, are, it is unclear whether this type served people as game. The steppe bison fell Quaternary extinctions at the end of the Pleistocene around 10,000 years ago to the victim. According overkill hypothesis that man is responsible for the extinction of at least some missing at that time types.

According to a hypothesis of Zazula et al. the bison was created by constant introgression of steppe bison and American bison in a population of plants of the genus Bos. This would explain the similarity of the Y-DNA with bison but mitochondrial proximity to the Bos bison.