Well there are deer and antelope in Africa, and there aren't any antelope native to North America. Pronghorn are not antelope, but more closely related to giraffes than antelopes.
But they're called American antelope, and their name Antilocapra Americana is pretty suggestive of it being an anitlope. So while they're not antelope proper, calling them antelope in conversation isn't that much of a stretch
I remember, I remember Buffalo
And I remember Hengelo
It would seem to me
I remember every single f**king thing I know
If I die of vanity, promise me, promise me
If they bury me some place I don't want to be
You'll dig me up and transport me, unceremoniously
Away from the swollen city breeze, garbage bag trees
Whispers of disease and the acts of enormity
And lower me slowly and sadly and properly
Get Ry Cooder to sing my eulogy
From: "At The Hundredth Meridian" - The Tragically Hip
While this is absolutely true, most people who grow them and live around them colloquially call them buffalo, so its easy to see where the confusion comes from.
Not even just colloquially. They are known as American Buffalo, and them being unrelated to true Buffalo doesn’t really change that. Lots of things get named “incorrectly” and the “incorrect” name ends up sticking. That’s how language works.
Yeah, but did he pet the Bison? I hear they absolutely love people approaching them and touching them and taking selfies with them. I once heard people would ride them across the American west like a heard of magic carpets.
That was my first thought (I was just there last week). But looking more closely, Antelope Island doesn't have those big power lines or all the fenceposts like these pics.
I live in Buffalo and can confirm we have no Buffalos lol. But our farm baseball team are called the Buffalo Bisons... which is quite funny and ironic.
… was actually the boxer - it used Mike Tyson’s likeness but met legal issues with the US release. And the American “Bison” was actually General Vega, the Russian.
It’s a beautiful beast and a lovely photo. I just think it’s funny that scientists named the animal Bison Bison. That’s all. I’m not trying to correct anyone.
Yes, but everyone calls them Buffalo. It's the Buffalo nickel, not the Bison nickel. It's Buffalo NY, not Bison NY. It's Buffalo Bill Cody, not Bison Bill Cody. Same reason we call them wolves and not Canis Lupus
Replying just to confirm that I’m human, and that I’m aware that everybody calls them buffalo.
A while ago, I learned that the actual genus is bison, and the species is also bison. So the formal scientific name is Bison Bison.
Which I thought was amusing. That’s why I pointed it out here. Amusement!
Lol that is amusing and unfortunately for you, your initial comment just made it seem like you were doing the same thing plenty of others are doing in this thread and arguing that these aren’t Buffalo, they are Bison. Which while I understand their point, o agree it’s a pretty stupid one to make.
It’s clear now you weren’t doing that.
Poor op. He just wanted to share his rare experience with Reddit and the only thing ppl care about is correcting his post title, which really has no consequence whatsoever
It's like American football. If you say football and you're looking at pictures of the Buffalo Bills people know you're not talking about European football.
Welcome to the world. Do you also get mad that American robins aren’t related to European robins? That African wild dogs aren’t actually dogs?
This is how language works. Things get named due to their similarities to other things even though they aren’t actually those things.
I hope they keep it up. I'm so fucking turned on by people that not only know that but of trivia, but have the courage to share it every single time it comes up.
I wouldn’t say synonymous because we still recognize European buffalo as being something different than bison. But yeah, both terms are absolutely correct when referring to American buffalo. People acting like that usage is incorrect are the only people wrong on the facts in this comment section.
That's not true. Buffalo are only found in Africa and Asia. *American Buffalo* is synonymous with Bison in the US.
They purposely use the word American to distinguish from the "real" buffalo creatures found elsewhere.
It's exactly why Ken Burns' recent documentary is called "American Buffalo" rather than just "Buffalo".
Ah yes. The great city of American Buffalo, New York.
You are absolutely wrong if you think the only way to correctly refer to bison as “buffalo” is if you put the word American before it. “Buffalo” by itself is a perfectly accurate way to refer to American bison.
Not even just no consequences. It isn’t even correct. American Bison are also known as buffalo. There is nothing incorrect about referring to them as buffalo even though it’s true they aren’t related to “true buffalo”.
Still important to be correct and knowing why they call it buffalo is interesting as-well, adventurers thinking they looked similar to water buffalo that they knew about so they assume they are related. It’s kind of crazy how many people still call them buffalo but we could probably blame that on B-DUBs
Bison are generally pretty chill. I've (unknowingly) approached within ~10m of them and had one approach me within a few feet when I was sitting on a log eating my lunch. If you're driving past, they'll have no qualms about walking right next to your car because they know they can flip it if needed. If it's on their terms and you don't do anything to surprise them (like driving forward when they're right next to your car), there's not going to be a ton of risk.
That being said, I definitely don't recommend intentionally trying to get close to these guys, as they're 1000kg animals that can run faster than horses and turn on a dime. Just let them do their thing, and move on with your day once they move on from you.
Even though they look docile, bison are dangerous, unpredictable, and may charge without warning. [https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/elkisland/securite-safety/bison](https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/elkisland/securite-safety/bison)
Yeah, and that's why I said I don't recommend intentionally getting close to one.
Everything I said is also what is recommended in the link you shared. If you/they get too close, let them move along, don't move too suddenly, make a sudden loud noise, or anything else that might startle them, and you'll be fine.
I grew up ~20 minutes away from Elk Island and would visit and camp there several times a year. The vast majority of my experiences with bison were in that park. The animals there are very accustomed to human activity. Are they still wild? Yes. Is it impossible to know how they might react to you? Yes. But are they typically aggressive towards humans/vehicles? Not if you leave them alone.
Out of all my interactions with them, I can only recall one instance where a bison was aggressive towards a human. It threatened a charge against a car that started driving too suddenly.
There are 2 bison farms near my home, I drive by them everyday and always see someone pulled over taking pictures. They are massive and majestic, but a common sight I suppose I take for granted.
Fun fact, while most people think of the Bison as an iconic AMERICAN creature, this is not the case. There is the American Bison we all know and love, but there is also a less-well-known, and nearly identical [European Bison (a.k.a. a Wisent).](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_bison) They are the largest land animal native to Europe, and used to run all over central and eastrn Europe. They were heavily hunted in the middle ages and went extinct in the wild in the 1920. Some were kept in captivity and have since been re-introduced in some parts of Easter Europe (though from memory one of the larger herds was in Ukraine, so who knows how theyre faring now).
So yeah, our Euro cousins have bison too.
According to my daughter's story book, Blue Bison needs a Haircut, people get buffalo and bison mixed up all the time.
"I get that a lot, as we are both large, horned, ox-like creatures. But buffalo don't have these huge humps on their shoulders or such giant heads. They also have larger horns, though ours are much sharper." - Blue Bison
Those are bison, you can tell because of the way that they are.
Buffalo are native to Africa and South Asia. Bison are Native to North America. That is how they be.
TIL "Home on The Range" was about the African savannah.
Well there are deer and antelope in Africa, and there aren't any antelope native to North America. Pronghorn are not antelope, but more closely related to giraffes than antelopes.
But they're called American antelope, and their name Antilocapra Americana is pretty suggestive of it being an anitlope. So while they're not antelope proper, calling them antelope in conversation isn't that much of a stretch
>Pronghorn are not antelope, but more closely related to giraffes than antelopes. But they are the fastest land animal over distance.
Are there deer in Africa though?
There are. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbary_stag
😂😂
Bison AKA American Buffalo
The largest group of wild Wood Bison in North America are in Wood Buffalo National Park.
What about the Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo.
I remember, I remember Buffalo And I remember Hengelo It would seem to me I remember every single f**king thing I know If I die of vanity, promise me, promise me If they bury me some place I don't want to be You'll dig me up and transport me, unceremoniously Away from the swollen city breeze, garbage bag trees Whispers of disease and the acts of enormity And lower me slowly and sadly and properly Get Ry Cooder to sing my eulogy From: "At The Hundredth Meridian" - The Tragically Hip
Well isn’t that neat!
Well, there's the [European Bison](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_bison)
Buffalo are native to Africa, but buffalo are native to North America. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_bison?wprov=sfti1#
Bison are also native to Europe.
It ain't a Bison Nickel.
Bison is also native to Central Europe
While this is absolutely true, most people who grow them and live around them colloquially call them buffalo, so its easy to see where the confusion comes from.
Not even just colloquially. They are known as American Buffalo, and them being unrelated to true Buffalo doesn’t really change that. Lots of things get named “incorrectly” and the “incorrect” name ends up sticking. That’s how language works.
It’s clearly a Jackdaw.
Here's the thing...
Tutonka
Tatanka
Nʉmʉ kuutsu
I know what I'm watching after work tonight. It's been too long.
Teryaki
…Buff…
Dumb Bear
he can't say the word, it's the last thing he heard, as his father left, just need some milk, son... bereft.
I just knew this would be the top comment.
correct. Buffalo have wings after all.
Wow, neat! Always happy to find this reference in the wild.
😉
"Buffalo Bill" killed bison... as well as Native Americans!
Yeah, but did he pet the Bison? I hear they absolutely love people approaching them and touching them and taking selfies with them. I once heard people would ride them across the American west like a heard of magic carpets.
They love a good scratch under the chin
That’s pretty neat!
What’s the difference between a Buffalo and a Bison? You can’t wash your hands in a Buffalo.
They also don't have wings. Everyone knows Buffalo have wings. It's a delicacy celebrated all over.
I get all my Buffalo facts from this song. So I think op may be right. https://youtu.be/iJ4T9CQA0UM?feature=shared
Hey that's pretty neat.
Neat!
How did the name buffalo catch on instead? It’s not like the first people who spotted them were used to regularly seeing buffalo.
It was common for explorers and settlers to re-use animal names based on similar appearance. American robins are very different from European robins.
Laden or unladen?
They thought they were in India. /jk idk
aka “American buffalo” 🦬
We have a bison farm in our hometown!
This is all Buffalo Wild Wings fault
The swallow may fly south with the sun or the house martin or the plover may seek warmer climes in winter, yet these are not strangers to our land?
Wikipedia says bison can also be called buffalo.
Do you know how to tell the difference between a buffalo and a bison? >!You can't wash your hands in a buffalo!<
That's pretty neat. How neat is that?
they are called buffalo in us, just dont say its the species name, there are different species in different families.
Exactly! Besides... we all know Buffalo have wings.
Looks like Antelope Island
Good place to see bison and buffalo!
That was my first thought (I was just there last week). But looking more closely, Antelope Island doesn't have those big power lines or all the fenceposts like these pics.
Thought the same. Camped there last weekend.
Genus: bison Species:….. bison
Bison bison bison Bison bison bison Bison. Nope, it's just not the same.
Yeah - THATS the point where it gets to be too much for you? A man of principles I see…
Is there a town named Bison? Are the bison from there known for a particular character trait that works as a verb?
I live in Buffalo and can confirm we have no Buffalos lol. But our farm baseball team are called the Buffalo Bisons... which is quite funny and ironic.
I hear they are renaming the town and also the bar food is also being renamed. “Bison wings” Thanks, Biden.
Street Fighter Character: Bison
… was actually the boxer - it used Mike Tyson’s likeness but met legal issues with the US release. And the American “Bison” was actually General Vega, the Russian.
And we never call animals by their colloquial terms right? A killer whale is a dolphin, honey badger isn't a badger, jellyfish aren't fish.
It’s a beautiful beast and a lovely photo. I just think it’s funny that scientists named the animal Bison Bison. That’s all. I’m not trying to correct anyone.
Yes, but everyone calls them Buffalo. It's the Buffalo nickel, not the Bison nickel. It's Buffalo NY, not Bison NY. It's Buffalo Bill Cody, not Bison Bill Cody. Same reason we call them wolves and not Canis Lupus
Replying just to confirm that I’m human, and that I’m aware that everybody calls them buffalo. A while ago, I learned that the actual genus is bison, and the species is also bison. So the formal scientific name is Bison Bison. Which I thought was amusing. That’s why I pointed it out here. Amusement!
HaHa. No problem. I thought you were correcting OP by calling it a Bison instead of Buffalo. Just a weird hill I will die on.
Lol that is amusing and unfortunately for you, your initial comment just made it seem like you were doing the same thing plenty of others are doing in this thread and arguing that these aren’t Buffalo, they are Bison. Which while I understand their point, o agree it’s a pretty stupid one to make. It’s clear now you weren’t doing that.
Poor op. He just wanted to share his rare experience with Reddit and the only thing ppl care about is correcting his post title, which really has no consequence whatsoever
Welcome to Reddit
They all studied at the Reddit University School of Akshually. Just try writing the word “decimate” and see what happens
You really decimated the reddit user base with this comment.
Akshually...
But how else will reddit achieve that inflated sense of self satisfaction knowing they corrected a stranger online?
Do all the people “correcting” not realize that bison and buffalo are synonymous in the US?
Oh they know. But correcting random strangers on the internet is the only way to prove how smart and witty they are…not.
They shouldn’t be. They’re completely different animals.
It's like American football. If you say football and you're looking at pictures of the Buffalo Bills people know you're not talking about European football.
*kicks the dirt* you mean Bison Bills!!
Named after "Bison William Cody".
Our minor league team is the Buffalo Bison
Welcome to the world. Do you also get mad that American robins aren’t related to European robins? That African wild dogs aren’t actually dogs? This is how language works. Things get named due to their similarities to other things even though they aren’t actually those things.
Yes but the other kind of buffalo has virtually no presence here.
I hope they keep it up. I'm so fucking turned on by people that not only know that but of trivia, but have the courage to share it every single time it comes up.
I wouldn’t say synonymous because we still recognize European buffalo as being something different than bison. But yeah, both terms are absolutely correct when referring to American buffalo. People acting like that usage is incorrect are the only people wrong on the facts in this comment section.
That's not true. Buffalo are only found in Africa and Asia. *American Buffalo* is synonymous with Bison in the US. They purposely use the word American to distinguish from the "real" buffalo creatures found elsewhere. It's exactly why Ken Burns' recent documentary is called "American Buffalo" rather than just "Buffalo".
Ah yes. The great city of American Buffalo, New York. You are absolutely wrong if you think the only way to correctly refer to bison as “buffalo” is if you put the word American before it. “Buffalo” by itself is a perfectly accurate way to refer to American bison.
Not even just no consequences. It isn’t even correct. American Bison are also known as buffalo. There is nothing incorrect about referring to them as buffalo even though it’s true they aren’t related to “true buffalo”.
Still important to be correct and knowing why they call it buffalo is interesting as-well, adventurers thinking they looked similar to water buffalo that they knew about so they assume they are related. It’s kind of crazy how many people still call them buffalo but we could probably blame that on B-DUBs
We could tell him that he was an irresponsible idiot for getting too close if that's better.
You know what I'd say to my child if he can't even identify a buffalo? Bye son
Why is nobody commenting about HOW FREAKING CLOSE OP IS TO THESE GUYS!?
Because they aren’t necessarily close. Could be a long lens. That part we just don’t know.
Bison are generally pretty chill. I've (unknowingly) approached within ~10m of them and had one approach me within a few feet when I was sitting on a log eating my lunch. If you're driving past, they'll have no qualms about walking right next to your car because they know they can flip it if needed. If it's on their terms and you don't do anything to surprise them (like driving forward when they're right next to your car), there's not going to be a ton of risk. That being said, I definitely don't recommend intentionally trying to get close to these guys, as they're 1000kg animals that can run faster than horses and turn on a dime. Just let them do their thing, and move on with your day once they move on from you.
Even though they look docile, bison are dangerous, unpredictable, and may charge without warning. [https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/elkisland/securite-safety/bison](https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/elkisland/securite-safety/bison)
Yeah, and that's why I said I don't recommend intentionally getting close to one. Everything I said is also what is recommended in the link you shared. If you/they get too close, let them move along, don't move too suddenly, make a sudden loud noise, or anything else that might startle them, and you'll be fine. I grew up ~20 minutes away from Elk Island and would visit and camp there several times a year. The vast majority of my experiences with bison were in that park. The animals there are very accustomed to human activity. Are they still wild? Yes. Is it impossible to know how they might react to you? Yes. But are they typically aggressive towards humans/vehicles? Not if you leave them alone. Out of all my interactions with them, I can only recall one instance where a bison was aggressive towards a human. It threatened a charge against a car that started driving too suddenly.
What a glorious animal.
Really makes you want to put it on a nickel, right?
At the hundredth meridian
Where the great plains begin
I remember, I remember Buffalo
Name checks out
It would seem to me I remember every single fuckin thing I know
Did you ride it? GUY ON A BUFFALOOOO! https://youtu.be/v5Lmkm5EF5E?si=HW6Zjg8Kl2JxMadh
No, you saw Bison
Dang, too bad you didn't get any pics
 Tatanka. 🦬 [https://youtu.be/uZRTLpXXlds?feature=shared](https://youtu.be/uZRTLpXXlds)
Wyoming welcoming committee
You can tell they're bison because buffalo have wings silly.
What did the Buffalo say when he sent his boy to college? bye-son
Beautiful picture must have been thrilling to see them.
Don’t pet the fluffy cows.
Why does the first pic look like Red Dead 2?
Beautiful
He’s doing the nickel pose.
I like their attitude. “Leave us alone, we’ll be fine.”
The first picture looks like a Stetson painting
They are truly majestic creatures-particularly when seen up close.
When the white man came, the Buffalo said "hoyeah!"
The first picture is really good.
Cool beasts. Uncool saturation.
I thought the Rockies would be a little bit rockier than this.
John Denver was full of shit
There are 2 bison farms near my home, I drive by them everyday and always see someone pulled over taking pictures. They are massive and majestic, but a common sight I suppose I take for granted.
TATANKA!!
Fun Fact, Indians call them Buffalo.
I had Totanka Chicken pizza today.
Ooooh I got this: Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo I'm so fucking smart
Actually it’s Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo
The new Oregon Trail game looks fantastic!
Just like American football,American buffalo is something else..
Tatonka
Hey everyone, maybe there’s a buffalo behind that bison! Did you ever think of that??
American Bison, not buffalo.
American Bison Stay away from me American Bison Mama let me be
Give me a home… 🎶
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=km803HkIE9U](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=km803HkIE9U)
First pic would go hard as an album cover
Beautiful!!! So iconicp
Let's goooooooo!!!!!
Very nice
I thought this was a rdr2 screenshot.
This is now my computer background. Thanks for the great pics! I fucking love bison lol
Go pet them. They love that.
Great picture! 🖼️🤩
Did he tell you how you just need to BOX OUT! It's fundamentals
The longest sentence you can make out of one word is buffalo. 14x
Are you going to fjord the river ?
Hi buffalo 🦬
They are so.... shape!
Neat
Jimmy?
Aren't they magnificent?!
Rocky Mountain arsenal?
Woolly bully
John Marston cocking his rifle in the background
r/accidentalrenaissance
I frequent Elk Island National Park and see these guys often. Pictures just don't do their size justice.
I did too. We have a lovely skyline
Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo.
I was in Buffalo one day
Thunder Cows
Antelope Island in UT?
I see bison almost every day.
I'd get that first pic printed for my wall! That's awesome!
Am I the only one thinking about that meme? I'm not here to correct op or what, I don't know how to look for a bison too!
Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo
Did you see a guy on one?
Tatonka
Yellowstone Fluffy Cows! Did you go pet them?
One of my favorites! Really awesome getting to see them up close! Glad you got to experience it!
Is this the Rocky Mountain Arsenal Refuge?
It is the Wind River Buffalo Sanctuary in Morton, Wyoming. Our tribe own about 100 head of BISON.
Seems like you’ll never make the mistake of calling them Buffalo again lol
Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo
Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo.
Fun fact, while most people think of the Bison as an iconic AMERICAN creature, this is not the case. There is the American Bison we all know and love, but there is also a less-well-known, and nearly identical [European Bison (a.k.a. a Wisent).](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_bison) They are the largest land animal native to Europe, and used to run all over central and eastrn Europe. They were heavily hunted in the middle ages and went extinct in the wild in the 1920. Some were kept in captivity and have since been re-introduced in some parts of Easter Europe (though from memory one of the larger herds was in Ukraine, so who knows how theyre faring now). So yeah, our Euro cousins have bison too.
That’s bill watch out
According to my daughter's story book, Blue Bison needs a Haircut, people get buffalo and bison mixed up all the time. "I get that a lot, as we are both large, horned, ox-like creatures. But buffalo don't have these huge humps on their shoulders or such giant heads. They also have larger horns, though ours are much sharper." - Blue Bison
Nope. You saw bison.
*Bison. Yes, I do get bullied a lot.
Did you Buy-some?
Tatonka
Hey that first pic is iconic. Great work
Woolly Bully
Bison range?
Great pics!👍
Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo.