The American Bison is a large mammal found outdoors on the North American grasslands.
An adult male is called a bull, an adult female is called a cow, and young bison are called calves. A group of buffalo is known as a herd or a gang.
The bison has been almost extinct in the 20th century but with active conservation effort their population has rebounded to 500,000 worldwide.
There are two subspecies: the Plains Bison and the Wood Bison (which is smaller and has darker fur).
Bison once occupied much of North America, from Canada to Mexico and from coast to coast. They lived in herds that included up to several thousand individuals! Bisons were such an important part of the Native American culture that they are even in their language. Some words used by the Sioux for example, have 'bison' somewhere within them.
Although many think of bison as being slow or clumsy animals, they can run up to speeds of 30 miles per hour and jump up to 6 feet vertically! These drastic movements may look funny but they enable bison to elude predators such as wolves and bears from a very early age.
In addition to running fast, bison have been known to have great stamina.
530,000
Near Threatened (NT)
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