Steppe Bison
by Weston Westmoreland
Title
Steppe Bison
Artist
Weston Westmoreland
Medium
Photograph - Photograph
Description
Prehistoric steppe Bison.
The steppe bison or steppe wisent (Bison priscus) is an extinct species that ranged Europe, Asia, and North America during the Quaternary.
Over 6 ft tall at the shoulder, reaching 2,000 lb in weight, with the tips of the horns three feet apart and the horns themselves over 1.5 ft long, it had to be pretty awe-striking to come across a creature like this one. Particularly if you meant to hunt it.
Huge, immensely powerful and short tempered as it was, prehistoric humans - Neanderthals first and then us - had it as part of their menu. Our ancestors had intimate knowledge of these animals as can be attested through many exquisite cave paintings, notably in the Caves of Altamira and Lascaux, and in paleolithic bone carvings.
The steppe bison became extinct in the early Holocene and is the ancestor of both American and European bison. Some specimens have been rescued, in quite a good state of preservation, from the permafrost.
A truly amazing creature of titanic elegance.
MORE amazing CAVE ART just one copy-paste away in my Prehistoric Gallery: WestonWestmoreland.com/Collections/CaveArt
You can learn more about what drives me in my blog:
http://inspiringthoughtsandimages.com/
Weston Westmoreland.
Uploaded
November 11th, 2016
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