Name: European bison (Bison bonasus)
Life expectancy: Bulls live up to 16 years, cows up to 24 years
Size: Adult animals are up to three meters long and have a shoulder height of up to two meters.
Weight: Bulls weigh 500 to 1,000 kilograms, cows can weigh around 300 to 500 kilograms.
Appearance: Bison have dark brown fur and high withers. They have two horns on their distinctive skull.
Habitat: Preferred habitats are deciduous and mixed forests.
Food: As pure herbivores, they feed on grasses, herbs and bark; they need around 50 kilograms of food per day.
Reproduction: The mating season is from August to November. The bison cows carry their calves for nine months, so they are usually born in spring and summer. At birth, the offspring weigh around 30 kilograms.
Social behavior: In bison, a lead cow leads the herd. As loners, the bulls only join the bison family during the mating season.