Bison latifrons

Overview

The broad-horned bison, Bison latifrons, is an ice-age bison known for a wide skull and enormous horns. Institutional sources compare it as larger-bodied than living bison. The structures spreading to either side of the head are striking.^[1][2]

Key facts

The geological survey states that the span between the horn cores exceeds 2 m. Recognizing that this is the width between the horns, not body length, helps explain the broad arrangement of the head.^[2]

Time and place

It is introduced as a bison of the Pleistocene and the last ice age. The Pleistocene as a whole spanned approximately 2.6 million to 12,000 years ago. A particular fossil discussed by the institution is also given a minimum age of more than 47,500 years.^[2][3]

The time range describes source context, not the complete duration of this species.

Size, form and skeleton

The institutional description conveys a bison-like body with a wide skull and large horns. The lateral span of the horn cores shows size in a different direction from the head. Large horns, skull, and body outline can be examined separately.^[1][2]

Habitat and reproduction

Are broad horn spans and body size compared in the same way? The tips of the horn cores, skull, and trunk are different regions. Examining exactly which points were measured makes several features of this large bison clearer.^[2]

Fossil discovery

An Idaho fossil digitization record introduces a specimen nicknamed “Howie” as a skull with 77 associated skeletal elements. Bones from several regions are known together, providing evidence for comparing head and body.^[1]

References

1. Idaho Museum of Natural History — Digitization of Bison latifrons fossils
2. Bison latifrons
3. International Commission on Stratigraphy (2024) — Geological time chart
4. American Museum of Natural History — Bony armor of glyptodonts
5. 2018 study — Comparison and history of descriptions of Glyptodon and Glyptotherium

Research questions

What more can be examined when several skeletal elements are assembled? Horns on the skull can be compared with other body bones. The Howie specimen illustrates how a fossil’s name and inventory become starting points for understanding the body.^[1]

Observation

Move your gaze from the wide skull to the large horn cores on either side. Picturing horn span and front-to-back body length in different directions helps examine the striking head structure.^[1][2]