Carpathian Wisent
Encyclopedia
The Carpathian wisent was a subspecies
of European bison that inhabited the Carpathian Mountains
, Moldavia
, and Transylvania
. It may also have lived in modern-day Ukraine
and Hungary
.
It began to die out about a hundred years earlier than its very close cousin, the Caucasian wisent
, probably because it lived nearer to Central Europe
. The last Carpathian wisent was shot in Transylvania in 1790, and the subspecies is now entirely extinct.
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
of European bison that inhabited the Carpathian Mountains
Carpathian Mountains
The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians are a range of mountains forming an arc roughly long across Central and Eastern Europe, making them the second-longest mountain range in Europe...
, Moldavia
Moldavia
Moldavia is a geographic and historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester river...
, and Transylvania
Transylvania
Transylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
. It may also have lived in modern-day Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
and Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
.
It began to die out about a hundred years earlier than its very close cousin, the Caucasian wisent
Caucasian Wisent
The Caucasian Wisent was a subspecies of Wisent that inhabited the Caucasus Mountains of Eastern Europe.It was hunted by the Caspian Tiger and the Asiatic Lion in the Caucasus, as well as other predators such as wolves and bears.-Decline and extinction:In the 17th century, the Caucasian wisent...
, probably because it lived nearer to Central Europe
Central Europe
Central Europe or alternatively Middle Europe is a region of the European continent lying between the variously defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe...
. The last Carpathian wisent was shot in Transylvania in 1790, and the subspecies is now entirely extinct.