Abstract

Longevity has become of great interest to researchers in past years. In genus Bison, only limited and statistically not relevant data concerning longevity has been presented until today. The objective of this study was to describe the longevity of American bison and lowland and lowland-Caucasian line of European bison. The median lifespan of European bison is 3.54 years (n=1206) and American bison 3.31 years (n=2912). The median lifespan of female European bison 6.01 years (n=600) exceeds more than two times the median lifespan of male 2.71 years (n=606). Similarly, the median lifespan of female American bison 6.64 years (n=1612) exceeds more than three times the median lifespan of male 2.12 years (n=1300). These differences represent the biggest sex-related differences in the longevity among mammals. The reason for the huge sex-related difference is associated with high mortality of young male calves under the age of 2 years in American bison and under the age of 4 years in European bison. This study can serve as a base for further research in longevity and its genetic background.

Keywords:American bison; European bison; Median longevity; Lifespan; Sex differences

Abbreviations:L: Lowland Line of European Bison; LC: Lowland-Caucasian Line of European Bison