A bison (pl.: bison) is a large bovine in the genus Bison (Greek: "wild ox" (bison) [1]) within the tribe Bovini. Two extant and numerous extinct species are recognised. Of the two surviving species, the American bison, B. bison, found only in North America, is the more numerous.

On May 9, 2016, President Obama signed the National Bison Legacy Act into law, officially making the American bison the national mammal of the United States. This majestic animal joins the ranks of the bald eagle as the official symbol of our country—and much like the eagle, it's one of the greatest conservation success stories of all time.

The American bison (Bison bison; pl.: bison), commonly known as the American buffalo, or simply buffalo (not to be confused with true buffalo), is a species of bison that is endemic (or native) to North America. It is one of two extant species of bison, along with the European bison.

Mar 28, 2025 · Bison, either of two species of oxlike grazing mammals that constitute the genus Bison. Hunting drastically reduced the populations of the American bison (B. bison), or buffalo, and the European bison (B. bonasus), or wisent, and now these animals occupy only small fractions of their former ranges.

Sep 25, 2023 · Bison, or North American Buffalo (Bison bison), are the largest land mammal in North America. Prior to European settlement, millions of bison ranged more widely across the landscape than any other native large herbivore.

Mar 4, 2025 · Bison like those in Yellowstone once suffered a population crisis that conservationists call the “population bottleneck” of the 19th century. By the early 1900s, American bison numbers had been reduced by 99.9% across North America and only 23 wild bison were known to have survived poaching in Yellowstone.

Nov 2, 2023 · Bison are much more than America's largest land mammal. They are an essential part of American history and embody the strong and resilient characteristics of the American people - so much so that they were designated as our National Mammal in 2016.

Bison are the largest native grazers of America’s Northern Great Plains. Take a look at why bison are unique to our landscape and what WWF is doing to help.

American Bison and European Bison are very similar in appearance. Bison are huge, powerful, aggressive bovine mammals with solid muscular heads and necks which are covered with brown shaggy fur. They use their very strong heads to shove and head-butt each other to win females during breeding season.

Bison are the largest terrestrial animal in North America. They can stand up to six feet (1.8 meters) tall. A male can weigh upwards of a ton (900 kilograms), and a female can weigh about 900 pounds (400 kilograms).