A bison is a large bovine in the genus Bison within the tribe Bovini. Two extant and numerous extinct species are recognised.
Image: American bison k 5680 1
Image: Bison bonasus (Linnaeus 1758)
Magdalenian bison on plaque, 17,000–9,000 BC, Bédeilhac grottoe, Ariège
A museum display shows the full skeleton of an adult male American bison.
Bovines comprise a diverse group of 10 genera of medium to large-sized ungulates, including cattle, bison, African buffalo, water buffalos, and the four-horned and spiral-horned antelopes. The evolutionary relationship between the members of the group is still debated, and their classification into loose tribes rather than formal subgroups reflects this uncertainty. General characteristics include cloven hooves and usually at least one of the sexes of a species having true horns. The largest extant bovine is the gaur.
Bovinae
Bovine skull