BOVID

American bison, or plains buffalo (Bison bison). any hoofed mammal in the family Bovidae of the order Artiodactyla. The family includes the antelopes, bison, buffalo, and cattle, sheep, and goats. Bovids are cud-chewing, grazing, or browsing animals found most often in grasslands, scrublands, or deserts, though some species occupy habitats such as mountains, forests, or swamps. Bovids occur in both the Eastern and Western Hemispheres. Some live alone or in small bands, but many associate in large herds. Bovids may be graceful (antelope), stocky (cattle), or lightly built (goats). They range from a shoulder height of about 25 cm (10 inches) in the royal antelope (species Neotragus pygmaeus) to about 2 m (6.5 feet) in the bison (Bison bison; see photograph). Horns are always present in males and often in females too. The horns consist of a horny sheath covering a bony core that is a fixed outgrowth of the skull. Unlike the antlers of deer (family Cervidae), the horns of bovids are never shed. Depending on the species, the female bears one to five young; gestation ranges from 4 to 11 months. The family Bovidae includes 47 genera and 138 species. Some, such as the domestic cattle, sheep, and goats, are of considerable economic value to humans. Others, such as the bighorn and some antelope, are hunted for food, sport, horns, or hides. The majority of bovid species are native to Africa or to Central and South Asia, while the bison, musk ox, and mountain goat and mountain sheep occur in North America. Domesticated species of bovids are now found throughout the world in association with human populations.