Great bison belt

Great bison belt

The Great Bison Belt is a tract of rich grassland that ran from Alaska to the Gulf of Mexico around 9000 B.C.E. The Great Bison Belt was supported by spring and early summer rainfall that allowed short grasses to grow. These grasses retain their moisture at the roots which allowed for grazing ungulates such as bison to find high-quality nutritious food in autumn. These grasses are what allowed the bison population to thrive, as they were able to receive all of their nutrients from the short grasses, unlike other Ice Age animals which expanded in the postglacial period. This area was important to the Plains Paleo-Indians, who around 8500 B.C.E. turned to bison hunting instead of hunting a broader range of food.

References

Fagan, Brian. 2005. "Ancient North America." Thames & Hudson, Ltd.: London


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Great Plains — For other uses, see Great Plains (disambiguation). Coordinates: 37°N 97°W / 37°N 97°W / 37; 97 …   Wikipedia

  • American bison — B. b. bison Alternate image Historic drawing …   Wikipedia

  • Great Falls (Missouri River) — Great Falls of the Missouri River Black Eagle Falls and Dam in 1988 Location Cascade County, Montana, USA Coordinates …   Wikipedia

  • Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve — IUCN Category II (National Park) …   Wikipedia

  • Missouri River — Coordinates: 38°48′49″N 90°07′11″W / 38.81361°N 90.11972°W / 38.81361; 90.11972 …   Wikipedia

  • Himalayas — Himalayan, adj. /him euh lay euhz, hi mahl yeuhz/, n. the, a mountain range extending about 1500 mi. (2400 km) along the border between India and Tibet. Highest peak, Mt. Everest, 29,028 ft. (8848 m). Also called the Himalaya, Himalaya Mountains …   Universalium

  • North America — North American. the northern continent of the Western Hemisphere, extending from Central America to the Arctic Ocean. Highest point, Mt. McKinley, 20,300 ft. (6187 m); lowest, Death Valley, 276 ft. (84 m) below sea level. 400,000,000 including… …   Universalium

  • Midwestern United States — Midwest redirects here. For other uses, see Midwest (disambiguation). Midwest as defined by U.S. Census Bureau The Midwestern United States is one of the four U.S. geographic regions defined by the United States Census Bureau, providing an… …   Wikipedia

  • Europe — /yoor euhp, yerr / for 1; /yoo roh pee, yeuh / for 2, n. 1. a continent in the W part of the landmass lying between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, separated from Asia by the Ural Mountains on the E and the Caucasus Mountains and the Black and… …   Universalium

  • United States — a republic in the N Western Hemisphere comprising 48 conterminous states, the District of Columbia, and Alaska in North America, and Hawaii in the N Pacific. 267,954,767; conterminous United States, 3,022,387 sq. mi. (7,827,982 sq. km); with… …   Universalium

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”