Snow Movers - The Bison Hump

This informative sign is located at Old Faithful in Yellowstone Park. It explains why the bison has such a large, prominent hump, giving this animal its distinctive profile. Bison live where there is very deep snow in the winter, so to reach the grasses that they eat, they must move a lot of snow. They do this by putting their heads down and swinging them from side to side to push the snow away. If you have ever tried to lift too large a shovelful of snow, then you know how difficult this task is. The buffalo needs massive muscles attached to his head and neck. The large hump is there to provide a big anchoring area for those muscles.