Quote:
Originally Posted by DoubleF
I've on occasion wondered why Buffalo/Bison basically went extinct in North America in the 1800s. Did they herd and migrate in an unpredictable way that they'd just blow go right through settlements and destroy everything in their path? Hunting, fine. High demand, sure? But beavers weren't taken out till there weren't any left. Why did they do it for Buffalo/Bison?
Is there some facet of the stupidity of bison that contributed to their demise that the tiniest tip could wipe them all out? Like... Pandas? Is that partially what head smashed in buffalo jump is a testament to? With a pair of horses and some loud noises, we can run an entire herd of buffalo off a cliff?
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I think it's pretty simple: they were too big and strong that they didn't normally need to run from most predators. And they are so big they couldn't really hide in any practical way, so they could be spotted miles away.
Compared to beavers where there are usually some ponds that were so inaccessible that trappers couldn't find them or wouldn't bother
Also buffalo gestational period is slightly longer than humans...reproducing one calf every 11 months is going to make it a lot harder to sustain/recover a population than beavers, who can spit out 1-6 kits every 4 months or so. The buffalo numbers game was just impossible.