American Bison: A Natural History (Organisms and Environments Book 6)

This is a terrific book. I bought it after seeing so many bison on our trip to Yellowstone this fall. Lott obviously loves bison andafter reading his book, I now admire them too. It's easy to discredit them after seeing so many standing around beside andon the roads in Yellowstone but they are really fascinating with their very successful adaptations. We saw a herd of bisonrace across Lamar Valley, through the Lamar River, and up the opposite hillside with a little blond calf in the lead. It wasgreat. There is a lot more to them than most visitors realize. I suspected this might be the case which is why I bought this book.I was glad I did. I have one big question about Lott's study though. His work is almost entirely from the National Bison Rangewhich is an entirely fenced preserve. Very different from where wild bison naturally live. It would be more relevant I think ifhe would do some work in Yellowstone, esp. now that there are wolves.

Having read recently about the history of the Red Indians in America, which included their relationship with Bison, I was itching to read A little more. A trip to a local bison farm hardened that desire.I thoroughly enjoyed this read. The poor old bison went from millions on the American plains to just a few hundred. This details that story and the hopeful salvation of this noble beast. It also details its relationships, diet, habitat, population, predators and fellow animals that lived on those plains.Finally, it describes the slaughters that took place and the reasons for them? It so nearly drove the bison to extinction. The numbers are still very small but there does now seem a determined effort to ensure the bison remain in some form for ever more - Hooray! This is an excellent natural history read.

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.

I've visited, hiked, backpacked and studied bison refuges and the plants and animals that live on them, for two decades...faced many a charging bull and nearly killed once...and I've never read a better book about the lives of Bison bison.Almost every aspect of bison - their intraspecific and interspecific relationships - are covered in easy-to-read and personally-observed detail. The author is a wildlife ecologist specializing in social relationships. He grew up with bison on The National Bison Refuge in Montana and went on to become a respected wildlife scientist. He's a good storyteller, master of the telling detail, and slyly humorous. If you're deeply interested in bison and their habitats, it doesn't get any better than this - best popular science book available on the subject and well worth the price.

So much to learn, so little truth available elsewhere. Dale Lott's comprehensive study of the bison and its environment is thoughtful, scientific, entertaining, humorous and insightful beyond measure. It isn't often that a work of scholarly excellence is also a dampened good read. This one is a page turner that kept me from other obligations throughout. It is a rare good read on a much too neglected subject.