They don't like it when you watch.
I expected to learn about and write about new subjects but could not have anticipated many of them. In my new life, Random Facts simply fall from the sky, much like pecans on a brand-new car in the South or pollen in whatever part of the country I call home.
This week’s Random Fact: The mating ritual for bison is a bit more involved than the process for cattle and a male bison will follow the intended female around for four days before consummating the act.
I did not witness bison mating but talked with the owner of Terry Bison Ranch in Cheyenne, which has more than 2,000 head of buffalo on 41 square miles, for Images of Cheyenne, a relocation magazine published by Journal Communications. The ranch organizes hunts, which I don’t like to think about, and offers tours, which is a big source of its income.
More people can mean fewer calves. Bison don’t like to be bothered when they are getting in the mood, and heavy tour activity can cut the number of females who bear a calf that year in half. The boy-girl ratio also is different on a bison ranch. Typical cattle ranchers have one bull for every 20 cows. The average boy bison, on the other hand, gets a shot at 10.
Who knew?
Still, it is comforting to see parallels between the animal world and ours. “Female bison are the ones who control when the male gets to begin the courtship process,” the owner told me.
No kidding.
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Pamdemonium 