ASYNCHRONOUS PARTURITION IN BISON - IMPLICATIONS FOR THE HIDER-FOLLOWER DICHOTOMY

Birth dates were examined for bison (Bison bison) at Wind Cave Nationa l Park, South Dakota, over a 3-year period (1982-1984) to determine th e degree of synchrony. Duration and timing of birth seasons varied amo ng years. Parturition was substantially less synchronized than previou sly reported for bison. Length of birth season did not fit the pattern typical of ungulates exhibiting a follower strategy of mother-young s patial relations, being longer than expected. These results are consis tent with species-specific patterns of mother-young spatial relations, and provide further evidence that bison differ from typical follower species. Thus, these findings reflect the limitations of the hider-fol lower dichotomy.