European bison

The European bison, or wisent, is a large wild bovine native to Europe. It is the continent’s heaviest land animal and survives through wild and managed populations.

Bison: A genus of large bovines that includes the European bison and American bison. The wisent is one of the two living species in this genus.
Herbivory: An animal feeding strategy based on consuming plants or plant parts. Wisent diets span grasses, herbs, leaves, and woody vegetation.
Steppe bison: An extinct bison species that ranged across northern Eurasia and North America during the Pleistocene. Its remains help reconstruct the bison lineage and environments preceding modern wisents.
European bison reintroduction: The restoration of European bison to areas where they had disappeared from the wild. Reintroduction has returned the species to landscapes beyond its last refuges.
Keystone species: A species whose ecological effects are disproportionately large relative to its abundance. Wisent grazing and movement can influence vegetation and habitat structure.
American bison: A North American bison species with plains and wood subspecies. It is the wisent’s closest living relative, but evolved on a different continent.
Grazing: The consumption of grasses and other low-growing vegetation by herbivores. Seasonal grazing is a major way wisents obtain food and reshape grassland.
Bison priscus: The scientific name for the extinct steppe bison, a widespread Pleistocene bovine. This named species is central to fossil comparisons with European bison.
European bison breeding program: Coordinated captive breeding and exchange of European bison to rebuild viable populations. The surviving species descends from a very small number of captive founders.
Ecological engineering: The modification of habitats by organisms through their activities. By feeding, trampling, and dispersing nutrients, wisents alter the landscapes they occupy.

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