American Bison (Bison bison)

American bison (Bison bison) are among the largest members of the Family Bovidae, the group of animals that also includes domestic cattle, sheep, and goats as well as wild species such as antelope, and mountain goats.

American bison are majestic looking animals, with dark chestnut brown hair. They have longer, darker hair around their head, shoulders, and chest. They have a pair of upward-curved horns and a large shoulder hump. Within herds, individual bulls form and defend a group of females and will chase away any rival bulls who challenge them. Bison breed during the summer (June - September). Females can give birth to one calf per year and provide care for the young, males do not protect or care for the young.

Millions of bison used to roam North America's grasslands, boreal regions, and scrublands but the relentless slaughter of bison for meat, hides, and sport drove the species to the brink of extinction. During the last few decades of the 1800s, over 30 million animals were destroyed. By 1900, only 800 bison remained in the wild. This mass killing not only gravely endangered the bison, but also brought an end to a way of life for many Native Americans, whose entire subsistence was integrated with the lives of bison herds.

Where to See: Grasslands, boreal regions, scrubland. Formerly found from Alaska to northern Mexico but now restricted to herds within protected areas such as Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, and Wood Buffalo Park, Northwest Territory, Canada.