During the harshest North American winters, temperatures on the northern plains can plummet below minus forty degrees. Fierce winds whip heavy snow into blinding whiteouts, creating lethal conditions for most wildlife. While most grazing animals turn their backs to the storm and drift helplessly downwind, the American bison does the exact opposite.
Bison possess an ancient survival instinct to turn directly into oncoming blizzards. By walking straight into the wind, they push through the front of the storm faster, greatly reducing the time they spend exposed to dangerous weather. Their immense shoulder humps are composed of dense muscle supported by elongated vertebrae, acting as natural snowplows.
Beneath their shaggy outer coats lies a remarkably dense wool underfur that traps body heat so efficiently that falling snow does not melt on their backs. Sweeping their heavy heads side to side, they clear deep drifts to graze on dormant prairie grasses underneath, enduring conditions that would kill almost any other large mammal on Earth.
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Disclaimer: This video is for educational and entertainment purposes. Information comes from documented public sources and images are illustrative.
