The Wisent, European Bison, European Wood Bison or Zubr (Bison bonasus) is a large Eurasian ungulate featured in the Eurasia Animal Pack DLC for Planet Zoo.
Zoopedia Description[]
General[]
Population In Wild: 2,518
The wisent (or Bison bonasus), also commonly referred to as the European bison, is a large ungulate living in the forests and meadows of Poland, Russia, Belarus, Lithuania, Ukraine, and Slovakia, in Eastern Europe. Wisents are characterised by their large head, shoulder hump and forequarters, all of which are covered in a brown, shaggy coat. The hindquarters are less bulky and are covered in a thinner coat. Both males and females have curled horns that point inwards towards the head and look otherwise alike, though males are larger by about 5%. Bulls grow 1.8m to 2.1m tall at the shoulder, 2.8m to 3.3m long, and weigh 615kg to 920kg. Cows are 1.7m to 2m tall at the shoulder, reach a length between 2.4m to 2.9m and a weight of 425kg to 635kg.
Today, the wisent is considered a Near Threatened species. By the early 20th century, wisents were driven to extinction in the wild due to overhunting and habitat loss. Only 60 individuals remained in captive or managed groups. Consequently, the species was offered widespread protection, and, through captive breeding and reintroduction programmes, the wisent was saved from disappearing completely. Deforestation and habitat loss though agricultural development, as well as inbreeding depression and hybridisation with domestic cattle, still threaten the species today. Carefully managed populations of wisents have been successfully reintroduced in many areas of Europe, with further reintroductions planned.
Social[]
Wisents live in mixed herds of females and their offspring, including sub adult males. Mature males live together in pairs or trios, except for breeding periods, where they fight each other for access to a group of females. Mixed herds often come together to exchange individuals, so they do not live in exclusive familial units.
Reproduction[]
In the mating season, taking place from August to October, dominant bulls, usually 6 years or older, attempt to join a group of females and defend them from rival males. Younger bulls will also join female groups, but are usually prevented from mating by the older male. If another mature bull approaches the herd, the two engage in a fight for their position. The bull assesses his female’s receptiveness to mating by sampling their urine. He will separate a female approaching oestrus from the group and guard her closely. When she is fertile, he will mount her to mate.
Wisent cows are pregnant for 254 to 277 days, and give birth to a single calf. To deliver the calf, she leaves the herd for a few days, then returns with the infant. Weaning is complete when the calf is 14 months old.
Female wisents reach sexual maturity at 3 years old, and remain with their mother’s herd. However, herds may exchange members when they meet, so herds aren’t exclusively family groups. Males become sexually mature at 2 years old and leave their natal group to join a bachelor herd, though they are unlikely to successfully mate until they are around 6 years old. At this point, they separate from their bachelor group and become solitary satellites hanging around the fringes of mixed groups until the next breeding season.
Animal Care[]
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Hay · Herbivore Pellets · Fruit and Salt Licks | |
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FOOD ENRICHMENT |
HABITAT ENRICHMENT |
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COMPATIBLE ANIMALS |
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Trivia[]
Zoopedia Fun Facts[]
- In Poland, the wisent is known as the zubr and is the national animal of the county.
- During summer, an adult male wisent may eat up to 77lb of food in a day.
- The wisent used to be heavily hunted for its hide, meat, and horns which were used to make drinking horns.
- There used to be 3 subspecies of the wisent, two of which are fully extinct now: the Carpathian wisent (B. b. hungarorum), native to Moldova, Romania, Hungary, and Ukraine, and the Caucasian wisent (B. b. caucasicus), native to the Caucasus Mountains in Georgia, Russia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia. The type species (B. b. bonasus) is the wisent we know today and the only subspecies to recover from extinction.
- The wisent is the heaviest terrestrial mammal in Europe, with bulls occasionally weighing over 2200lb. The record weight attained by a wisent is 4188lb, though generally this species is lighter than their American relatives.
Gallery[]
