Bison priscus Bojanus, 1827

This giant was one of the most successful and widespread large mammals of the Pleistocene ice ages, roaming the expansive mammoth steppe that once covered northern Europe. Reaching nearly two meters in height at the shoulder with massive, sweeping horns, their heavy bones and teeth are classic markers found within regional river deposits and base gravels. Comparing their fossil distribution to modern conservation data for the surviving European bison highlights a dramatic evolutionary story of survival, extinction, and habitat shifting over the last ten thousand years.