what is the difference between a bison and an ox?

Answer 1

These are two completely different animals and bisons are wild animals, while actually oxen are domesticated. Contrary to what some people say here you can find bisons also in Europe, in Poland (National Parks: Wolinski and Bialowieski) and Belarus. You can read on:

BISON - a taxonomic genus containing six species of large even-toed ungulates within the subfamily Bovinae. Only two of these species still exist: the American Bison, which is the species commonly referred to as "buffalo" in American Western culture, and the European Bison, or Wisent. Gaur, a large, thick-coated ox found in Asia, is also known as the Indian Bison. Although common, it is technically incorrect to refer to bison as "buffalo," as true buffalo are native only to Asia (see Water Buffalo) and Africa (see African Buffalo).

The American and European Bison are the largest terrestrial mammals in North America and Europe. Like their cattle relatives, Bison are nomadic grazers and travel in herds. Both species were hunted close to extinction during the 19th and 20th centuries but have since rebounded, although the European Bison is still endangered.

OXEN - (plural of ox) are large and heavy set breeds of Bos Taurus cattle trained as draft animals. Often they are adult, castrated males. Usually an ox is over four years old due to the need for training and to allow it to grow to full size. Oxen are used for plowing, transport, hauling cargo, grain-grinding by trampling or by powering machines, irrigation by powering pumps, and wagon drawing. Oxen were commonly used to skid logs in forests, and sometimes still are, in low-impact select-cut logging. Oxen are most often used in teams of two, paired, for light work such as carting. In the past, teams might have been larger, with some teams exceeding twenty animals when used for logging.

An ox is nothing more than a mature bovine with an "education." The education consists of the animal's learning to respond appropriately to the teamster's (ox driver's) signals. These signals are given by verbal commands or by noise (whip cracks) and many teamsters were known for their voices and language. In North America, the commands are (1) get up, (2) whoa, (3) back up, (4) gee (turn to the right) and (5) haw (turn to the left). Oxen must be painstakingly trained from a young age. Their teamster must make or buy as many as a dozen yokes of different sizes as the animals grow. A wooden yoke is fastened about the neck of each pair so that the force of draft is distributed across their shoulders. From calves, oxen are chosen with horns since the horns hold the yoke in place when the oxen lower their heads, back up, or slow down (particularly with a wheeled vehicle going downhill). Yoked oxen cannot slow a load like harnessed horses can; the load has to be controlled downhill by other means. The gait of the ox is often important to ox trainers, since the speed the animal walks should roughly match the gait of the ox driver who must work with it.

American ox trainers favored larger breeds for their ability to do more work and for their intelligence. Because they are larger animals, the typical ox is the male of a breed, rather than the smaller female. Females are potentially more useful producing calves and milk.

Oxen can pull harder and longer than horses, particularly on obstinate or almost un-movable loads. This is one of the reasons that teams were dragging logs from forests long after horses had taken over most other draught uses in Europe and the New World. Though not as fast as horses, they are less prone to injury because they are more sure-footed and do not try to jerk the load.

Contrary to popular American lore, an "ox" is not a unique breed of bovine, nor have any "blue" oxen lived outside the folk tales surrounding Paul Bunyan, the mythical American logger.

The difference is very obvious if you check out the pictures in the links below.

A.

Answer 2

The word ox refers to domestic cattle, usually male and usually those involved in ploughing. Cattle were domesticated from a wild ancestor the Aurochs, plural aurochsen which is probably where the words ox and oxen came from. At least two types of aurochs were domesticated and in Europe these have given us taurine cattle with Latin name Bos taurus. In central Asia and to the east are zebu cattle, the ones with a hump on their back, called Bos indicus. Oxen are any individuals which belong to either of these two groups of domestic cattle. Sadly the wild aurochs is now extinct.

Bison are members of the same family as domestic cattle (Bovidae, sub family Bovinae), but are wild animals. There are two species still extant today. The North American Bison, Bison bison, is the species that was hunted by Native Americans during the bison migration. They were nearly wiped out when hunting with guns was introduced by Europeans. As well as a small wild population, some have been crossed with domestic stock. There is also a European bison Bison bonasus which is an endangered species and is found in the wild in Bialowice forest in Poland.

There are some really good pictures of bison and oxen on the web, have a good search and look at the characteristic differences between the two.

Answer 3

The buffalo is the common name given to several kinds of large, wild oxen whereas bison are North American ungulates with small horns. Unless you mean a musk ox which is actually more closely related to goats than oxen. Bovinae is a subfamily of about 24 animals that are considered bovines or oxen. A musk ox differs from a bison in having a thicker, shaggier coat and larger horns than a bison. The Cambodian forest ox, also called a gray ox or kouprey, looks more like a bull than a bison.

The word ox has two accepted definitions: 1. An adult, castrated bull of the genus Bos, especially Bos Taurus (everyday bulls); 2. Any bovine mammal.

Answer 4

Bison belong to the Ox Family. Bison incorrectly called Buffalo. Buffalo do not have humps on their backs. Buffalo have horns much longer and curved more than Bisons. Buffalo do not have as much hair or such large shoulders as the Bison.

Answer 5

An ox is a mature castrated male of the genus Bos.

A bison is the scientific name of the buffalo

Answer 6

Actually, the bison will join you for a beer. But the ox is far too stubborn.

Answer 7

Bison-A large animal of the cow family with long hairs on its body.There are two types of bison-NorthAmerican(also called buffalo) and European.
Ox-A male cow or a male animal of the cow family.

Answer 8

you wash your hands in a bison and chop wood with an ox.

Answer 9

a bison is from north america, and an ox is not. that's a major difference anyway...

Answer 10

an oxen is a large cow type. A bison is a Buffalo