Big and bad in black and white

Big and bad in black and white
A bison bull moves head on. (© Tony’s Takes)

One for Tatanka Tuesday taken this past weekend.

This massive bison bull was on the move and looking pretty intimidating as it walked toward me. The light was low so a conversion to black and white helps hide that and adds to the drama I think. As you can tell, his fur was looking a bit rough as he is shedding his winter coat.

It used to be we called these guys buffalo but that actually was incorrect. While they are part of the same family that includes the European and African buffalo, the bison is its own, distinct species. It is believed they were called buffalo by early North American explorers due to their resemblance to the Old-World species. Native Americans call them tatanka, a Lakota word that translated means “bull buffalo.”

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