We saw quite a few bison at the Theodore Roosevelt NP. Even when not seeing them, we encountered plenty of evidence of bison. Lots of dung. Many downed posts – the bison like to rub against them. And an occasional circular bare spot in the vegetation as seen in this photo. This is where the bison roll on the ground, or wallow. It’s hard to believe an animal rolling on the ground could make such a large divot, even a large animal. We saw a few days later that many bison will wallow in the exact same spot, one right after another. From my reading, it seems that it is not entirely clear why bison do this. For pigs, it is a way to combat the heat (since pigs do not sweat). For bison, it may just be a way to remove bugs. Do bison know why they do it? Are they just “following the herd?”

How often do I do what others are doing without asking “why?”