Customer Reviews

American Bison: A Natural History (Organisms and Environments)

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Most of us grew up with cats or dogs as animal companions. Those who lived on farms had animals of wider acquaintance. Dale F. Lott was the grandson of the superintendent of the National Bison Range in Western Montana, and his father worked on the range as well. He writes, "I first encountered bison not as symbols of the West, the squandering of a natural resource, or a conservation triumph. They were simply the animals I had seen most often when I was a young child - enthralling in and of themselves." He went on to get his doctorate in biology, studying the huge animals he had grown up with. In _American Bison: A Natural History_ (University of California Press), he sums up the basics of bison. Thirty years of teaching seem to have given him an admirable power of storytelling, and his book is not only good for encompassing all the necessary natural history of the species, but also for his expression of personal encounters and feelings for the beasts.

In every chapter, Lott describes with no slight awe how well tuned evolution made these animals for their world, a world which is no longer. The peculiar bison profile, for instance, the huge mound above the forelegs, the hanging head, and the skinny rump, equips them for quick motion around the front feet "on which they pirouette on the sod like a hockey player on ice". A bull has to be able to pivot and twist to protect his own flanks and to dig a horn into the flank of an opponent. He says of the surprisingly complicated system of rumination, by which bison carry around bacteria to break down grass for their future digestion, "It's so sophisticated that neither bison nor biologists would be likely to think of it, yet it was achieved by the perfectly purposeless, aimless, and automatic process of natural selection." Lott has spent a good deal of time in what is left of the wild, watching these animals, and he reports on the complicated negotiations and social systems they have developed. He has written not just of bison, but of the prairie itself, how it came to be, and how the bison, rather than just being predators of grass, kept the grass vibrant through the centuries before they were ranged in. Part of the story has to be that the grasslands are no longer home to bison, and that the paying grasses we put on them are taking away the soil the bison helped build up. Bison are in small herds, with a risk of inbreeding, or being domesticated, with a risk of losing their complex wild behavior.

The worrisome future of bison is not the theme of this book, though. Throughout Lott shows an engaging eagerness to describe anything he has seen in his prairie fieldwork. Cowbirds, for instance, used to be buffalo birds, roaming the plains with the bison and thus unable to stick around long enough to raise a family. They can now stick around non-roaming cows, which do a sufficient job of stirring up insects for them to eat, but they still don't raise their own families; they still deposit their eggs in the nests of some other species which gets tricked to raising cowbirds instead of real progeny. Prairie dog towns are favored by bison, as both animals like closely cropped grass. The bison wallow around and damage the tunnels, but they also "bring something to the party... Of course, buffalo chips don't produce a fertilizer as quickly as, say Miracle-Gro, so the bison are a little like a dinner guest bringing a bottle of wine so new it must be aged a few years to be palatable." Ferrets, wolves, and grizzlies wander through these pages, too. It is an evocative book, beautifully written, by someone who loves these magnificent and forlorn beasts and is obviously eager for the reader to get to know them, too.

This slim book provides a very thorough and scholarly, yet slyly humorous, and beautifully written summary of what modern biological and behavioral scientists have discovered about the American Bison and how they live their lives. The author has distilled decades of his own and others' research into a concise yet engaging account of what it's really like to be a bison. I found it a joy to read and suspect that it's one of, if not the, best book ever written about these fascinating and important animals. If you've always been attracted to bison, have wanted to read one book telling the most about them, and are not daunted by wading through a little science clearly presented, then this is probably the book for you.

Not just a book about the American Bison (commonly called Buffalo)itself but also just about anything connected with them. You'll get information about herd ranges- past & present, current population estimates (and worries about the future of the herd, and scholars best guesses about what historical numbers might have been.

Dr. Lott writes extensively about behavior of the bison, some of this comes from 3 generations of personal family experience and includes items I hadn't read or heard of before. You'll even find extensive material about plant and other animal life that live with these animals and how many of them are interrelated.

He even covers the human/hunting aspects and their effects on what the bison was/is. Someone out to hunt buffalo might get some hints but the book isn't aimed at them.

If you've ever seen a buffalo you'll want this book, you really ought to consider it even if you don't ever plan on looking them up (That is the skimpiest part of the book, finding out just where the remaining bison herds are today).

I gave $40 for the hardcover, I think the paperback is $11.95, not cheap but a pretty good value for one of the best bison books I've got.

What a great job of telling the story of the American Bison and the ecology of the Great Plains! Dale Lott writes in such a pleasing style, the book was a pleasure from start to finish. Having recently moved to a spot in Wyoming where bison are roaming around my house, I wanted to learn more about them. The book delivered beautifully. Buy it!

AMERICAN BISON by Dale F. Lott
Is the story of bulls and of cows.
He conjures up the woolly herd
Complete with the whys and the wows!

It's not just the story of beasts of the west,
The favorite Indian quarry.
But tells of the Bison's doings and habits
In a way that becomes quite the story.

You'll learn about breeding the bison way,
How the bulls have their way with their gals.
How they spar with each other, with bluffs and with feints,
And if they're not killed remain pals.

It's the story of how this species became
The symbol of The Frontier and The West,
And tells why the woollies have lasted 'til now
Despite, as fools, doing our best,
To make them only a memory
In the minds of our daughters and sons.
Thank goodness they're still around today
Most tipping the scales in the tons.

You'll learn of bison physiology,
Of this creature's majestic physique.
You'll read of the grasslands, and others who live
In a place filled with awe and mystique.

Prairie dogs, wolves and grizzly bears
And pronghorns all live on the plains.
The book tells of their relationships,
How their struggle for balance remains.

Lott makes his case that Buff remain wild,
Rutting and grazing as in days long ago.
I have to concede that his logic makes sense,
While others would argue not so.

So it's really the story of the modern Buff
And just how they're doing today.
Read this book and you will learn
About life, The Buffalo Way!

Douglas McAllister

I can't believe it's true, but it was the best book for me in 2004. Of course, I have a particular interest in bison and prairie wildlife but most of the books I read on those subjects are pretty dull and a chore to work through.

In stark contrast, Lott's book is a joy to read. Just because a species is interesting doesn't ensure that a book on it will be. Lott gives these amazing creatures the treatment they deserve. The reader can tell that Lott really enjoyed writing this book. His writing is entertaining, humorous when appropriate and packed with a ton of information.

Eveb if you're not into wildlife, bison or the prairie, I'd still recommend this book. Bison are an important part of the ecology, history and psychology of this nation. Lott reminds us that bison are in our blood.

AMERICAN BISON: A NATURAL HISTORY by Dale F. Lott provides an in-depth look at one of the most important and historic animals to ever tread the Great Plains of North America. The book studies all facets of the American Bison from family relationships to courtship and confrontation.

AMERICAN BISON also studies the biological and ecological communities in which the bison lives. Lott provides "biographies" of every player in community from microscopic microbes to ticks to coyotes and wolves and grizzlies.

Lott also makes an impressive case for not only the protection of the species but also for a full-blown return of wild bison to the Great Plains. It was simply a fascinating read!

"American Bison" by Dale F. Lott. The author, Dale Lott, has spent much of his life, if not his entire life, observing and studying the animals commonly called "buffalo". Clearly, this excellent book is a labor of love for him. He deals with all the relationships that the bison (buffalo) have established in order to survive, ranging from microscopic bacteria up to the greatest predator, Man. Chapters are devoted to obvious relationships such as Chapter 1, "Bull to Bull and Cow to Bull", interesting in how important the sex drive is, but also how important survival is. Some unseen relationships are described in Chapter 5, "Digestion: Grass to Gas and Chips" ... who would have thought? The buffalo (bison) once roamed this North American continent in the millions, and Professor Lott (Emeritus, U. Cal., Davis), spends an entire chapter (Chapter 8) on how many buffalo there once were. He makes a stand for 30 million or so, which is about half the 60 million bison usually accepted.

Throughout the book, Prof. Lott sprinkles interesting comments which grab your attention. He defines the bison as "Living according to a `fat economy'", which means, as with bears, the bison must accumulate enough food reserves in the Spring and Summer to last them through the cruel Winter. He calls this, "making fat while the sun shines." In the chapter on "Digestion", he describes the necessity of bacteria in the many stomachs of bison for the breaking down of the grasses which they eat. Then, out of the clear blue, he brings in the analogy, "It's a sobering fact that 12 or 13 percent of a bottle of ...Champagne is bacteria pee." (Page 49) These little gems are scattered throughout an otherwise serious book that tells you more than you could imagine about the American Bison. Read the book because of the subject, but then, read the book just to see how many common sayings the author has twisted to fit the subject!

This is one of those books that should leap into your shopping cart even if you're not inherently interested in the topic. This is easily the best book I've read on any animal, though some books on wolves come close. Given the totemic role of the bison in American culture and history, it's an important book as well.

I'm not particularly interested in bison, and used to see them as dumb cow-like animals you see everywhere in Yellowstone. I now have much greater respect for the animal. I've also learned the answers to burning questions such as "why, if they are both prairie grazers, are pronghorns (usually) territorial while bison are not?"

Lott likes to tell stories as a way to present natural history. This strategy is very effective. He is a professor emeritus of natural history but wears his learning lightly, in part because of these stories.

Lott is also uniquely qualified to write this book. He grew up on the national bison range, so he has been around these animals all his life. It's easy to imagine walking the prairie with Lott, listening to his stories about bison. He tells stories and explains nature as well as Bernd Heinrich, though Lott is less quirky (which could be either a good thing or a bad thing).

Though the book is short, it's pretty exhaustive in its coverage of the bison. He covers habitat, behavior, some other animals in the ecosystem (badgers, coyotes, black-footed ferrets, prairie dogs), relations with humans, and conservation issues.

I don't normally praise a book's production values, but kudos to the University of California Press for making a beautiful trade paperback. You can get a sense of this from the cover picture here at Amazon. The layout and organization, the photographic plates in the middle of the book, and the pictures at the head of each part (group of chapters) look great. It's a pleasure to hold in your hands as you read it.

The book makes an argument for a large grasslands park, probably in conjunction with Canada's Grasslands NP. This argumentation isn't particularly effective, though. If you're inclined to favor such an idea, Lott will have an emotional appeal to you. If you're opposed, you won't get any hard-nosed arguments that will try to persuade you to change your mind. (In either case, I would recommend Manning's "Grassland" as making a more powerful case for such a park.)

Anyway, check out all the other reviews. Everybody loves this book and you will too.

The book is well-written, has good personal experience & insight into bison and biology. The bison connection to other great plains flora & fauna is explained. A good read for bison behavior. I give this four stars instead of five because of the evolutionary angle the author takes.