American Bison
Bison bison
Despite their massive bulk, bison are surprisingly agile; they can jump over fences six feet high and swim across wide rivers.
- Scientific name
- Bison bison
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Chordata › Mammalia › Artiodactyla › Bovidae › Bison
- IUCN Red List status
- Near Threatened
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- grassland
- Habitat
- Open prairies, grasslands, and scrublands; occasionally found in lightly wooded areas.
- Diet
- Herbivore, primarily consuming grasses, sedges, and occasionally woody plant material or lichens.
- Range
- Yellowstone National Park, USA, Wood Buffalo National Park, Canada, Antelope Island, USA, Janos Biosphere Reserve, Mexico
- Size
- Height: 5 to 6.5 feet at the shoulder; Weight: 1,000 to 2,200 lbs.
- Lifespan
- 15 to 25 years in the wild.
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Habitat loss, genetic bottlenecking, disease transmission from livestock, and loss of historical migration routes.
- Safe to approach?
- Dangerous and highly defensive. Maintain a minimum distance of 25 yards (75 feet) at all times. If a bison stops grazing and stares, shakes its head, or raises its tail, you are too close; move away slowly. If charged, seek cover behind a tree or vehicle. In the event of a goring or trampling, seek immediate emergency medical services.
The American bison ( Bison bison ), also commonly known as the American buffalo or simply buffalo , is a North American species of bison that once roamed the grasslands of North America in massive herds. They became nearly extinct by a combination of commercial hunting and slaughter in the 19th century and introduction of bovine diseases from domestic cattle, and have made a recent resurgence largely restricted to a few national parks and reserves. Their historical range roughly...
Photo: Kathlin Simpkins, CC0, via iNaturalist
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