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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In addition to the answers people have already given you, you're also operating from the false premise that "beavers weren't taken out till there (almost) weren't any left": beaver numbers
were severely reduced by the end of the 19th Century. Not as badly as bison, but they went from a continental population of tens of millions down to tens of thousands by 1900.