358 VERTEBRATE AXIMALS OF THE UNITED STATES 



Family 2. Bovidae.^Cattle; sheep; goats; antelopes. Ruminants 

 with unbranched horns, in most cases in both sexes, which are not shed ; 

 lateral hoofs usually present: numerous species, mostly in Asia and 

 Africa; about 10 species in America, including the buffalo, mountain 

 sheep, mountain goats and muskox. 



Key to the United States Genera of Bovidae 



ai Body ver>' large and stout; nose not hairy; buffalo i. Bison. 



ao Body smaller; nose hairy; sheep and goats. 



bi Horns compressed anteroposteriorly; sheep 2. Ovis. 



b2 Horns compressed laterally'; goats 3. Oreamnos. 



1. Bison H. Smith. Head large; shoulders high; hind quarters 

 low and weak; fore quarters covered to the knees with a shaggy mane; 

 horns thick at the base and curved; hoofs broad; tail long; dentition 

 0/4, 0/0, 3/3, 3/3: I species. 



B. bison (L.). Buffalo. Color dark brown, lighter on the rump; 

 hoofs, nose and horns black; length 3,300 mm.; tail 500 mm.; height 

 at shoulder 1,700 mm.; weight 1,800 lbs.: North America, formerly 

 between the Alleghanies and the Rockies north of the Mexican 

 Boundary, now extinct, except a few preserved herds in the Yellowstone 

 Park and elsewhere, and a few wild herds in northern Canada. 



Subspecies of B. bison 



B. b. bison (L.). Plains buffalo. From the Rio Grande into Alberta 

 and Saskatchewan; eastwards from the Rockies, formerly to western 

 New York. 



B. b. athabasccB Rhoads. Wood buffalo. Larger and darker in color : 

 the Mackenzie region, Canada. 



2. Ovis L. Sheep. Body stout; legs short; nose narrow and hairy, 

 except a small naked space between the nostrils; horns very large and 

 heavy, curving backward and then downward; dentition 0/4, 0/0, 3/3, 

 3/3: numerous species in all continents except Australia and South 

 America; about 11 species and subspecies in northern America. 



O. canadensis Shaw. Mountain sheep; bighorn. Color grayish 

 brown, lighter in winter; large white rump patch; length 1,600 mm.; 

 tail 125 mm.; height at shoulders 1,000 mm.; length of horn up to 

 1,250 mm. in the male, curving outwards and forming often a circle; 

 horns in female short and straight; number of young at a birth i or 2 : 

 high mountains from the Mexican boundary into Canada and Alaska: 

 7 subspecies. 



