A buffalo wallow or bison wallow is a natural topographical depression in flat

prairie Prairies are ecosystems considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and a composition of grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the ...

land that holds rain water and

runoff Runoff, run-off or RUNOFF may refer to: * RUNOFF, the first computer text-formatting program * Runoff or run-off, another name for bleed, printing that lies beyond the edges to which a printed sheet is trimmed * Runoff or run-off, a stock marke ...

. Though thriving bison herds roamed and grazed the great prairies of North America for thousands of years, they left few permanent markings on the landscape. Exceptions are the somewhat rare yet still visible ancient buffalo wallows found occasionally on the North American prairie flatlands. Originally these naturally-occurring depressions would have served as temporary watering holes for wildlife, including the

American bison The American bison (''Bison bison'') is a species of bison native to North America. Sometimes colloquially referred to as American buffalo or simply Bubalina, buffalo (a different clade of bovine), it is one of two extant species of bison, alongs ...

(buffalo).

Wallowing Wallowing in animals is comfort behaviour during which an animal rolls about or lies in mud, water or snow. Some definitions include rolling about in dust, however, in ethology this is usually referred to as dust bathing. Wallowing is often com ...

bison that drank from and bathed in these shallow water holes gradually altered their pristine nature. Each time they went away, they carried mud with them from the hole, thus enlarging the wallow. Furthermore, the wallowing action caused abrasion of hair, natural body oils and cellular debris from their hides, leaving the debris in the water and in the soil after the water evaporated. Every year debris accumulated in the soil in increasing concentration, forming a water-impenetrable layer that prevented rain water and runoff from percolating into the lower layers of the soil. Ultimately the water remained for long periods, which attracted more wildlife. Even when stagnant, the water would be eagerly drunk by thirsty animals. Buffalo wallows are also made by the Asian

water buffalo The water buffalo (''Bubalus bubalis''), also called the domestic water buffalo or Asian water buffalo, is a large bovid originating in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. Today, it is also found in Europe, Australia, North America, So ...

and the African buffalo.

In popular culture

In 1953, the writer Charles Tenney Jackson (1874–1955) published ''The Buffalo Wallow: A Prairie Childhood'',Jackson, Charles Tenney (1953). ''The Buffalo Wallow: A Prairie Childhood''. New York:

Bobbs-Merrill Company The Bobbs-Merrill Company was a book publisher located in Indianapolis, Indiana. Company history The company began in 1850 October 3 when Samuel Merrill bought an Indianapolis bookstore and entered the publishing business. After his death in ...

. Republished by

University of Nebraska Press The University of Nebraska Press, also known as UNP, was founded in 1941 and is an academic publisher of scholarly and general-interest books. The press is under the auspices of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, the main campus of the Unive ...

, 1967. an autobiographical novel about two boys (cousins) growing up during pioneer days in an almost empty stretch of

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...

, where their favorite hideaway is a buffalo wallow.

References

{{Reflist Depressions (geology) Ethology Bison hunting