Counterfeit Bison!
The herd of bison that roam about on Catalina Island of the coast of Southern California have just undergone genetic testing to determine whether they were authentic or not. Sadly, it turns out that the bison aren't exactly bison.
LOS ANGELES – Long thought to be purebred, the wild bison of Santa Catalina Island in fact have a little bit of cow in them, the first DNA analysis of the animals found. Nearly half of the 98 American bison shipped off the island in 2004 have cattle genes that were passed on through the mother. Catalina bison were believed to be purer than those on the mainland because they lived in isolation on the island since the 1920s.
"We were surprised because there's nothing cattle about them. They look like bison," said biologist Dennis Hedgecock of the University of Southern California, who co-authored the study.
The research done at USC and Texas A&M University appears in the latest issue of the journal Animal Genetics.
Scientists believe the crossbreeding occurred long before the bison were brought to Catalina Island. Hedgecock said the Catalina herd likely descended from animals on the famous Goodnight Ranch in Texas where cattle ranchers mated bison, also called buffalo, with cows to create a better beef animal. The ranch called the offspring of the union "cataloes."
Actually, we here at Blue Crab Boulevard have discovered the Real Truth® about the bison. Don't be buffaloed by those scientistical types. The knock-off bison were actually manufactured in China. We urge that they be tested to determine how much lead paint they contain.
By Lars Walker, September 21, 2007 @ 8:57 pm
Counterfeit bison are frequently seen on wooden nickels.
Wooden nickels! Get it?
I kill myself sometimes.