How do bison utilize their massive heads and thick skulls when foraging in deep snow?
They swing their heads from side to side, effectively plowing the snow away to uncover forage
When snow depths exceed a few inches, the primary challenge for the bison becomes accessing the dormant, cured grasses underneath. This task requires specialized tools, which the bison possesses in its anatomy: its massive head and thick skull structure. The strategy involves significant physical exertion where the bison uses its powerful neck muscles to swing its entire head laterally across the snowpack. This sweeping motion acts like a natural plow, pushing the snow aside horizontally to reveal the vegetation lying on the ground beneath. This technique is so powerful that bison can successfully clear snowdrifts reaching depths of up to three feet in areas common to the Rockies. However, this method is metabolically costly, forcing the bison to constantly assess if the caloric value of the exposed grass justifies the energy expended in the plowing effort.
