Bison
Bison are massive, hump-shouldered grazers that once roamed North America and Europe in enormous herds. The American bison's near-extinction and subsequent recovery is one of the most dramatic conservation stories in history.
Scientific name
Bison bison (American); Bison bonasus (European)
Animal group
Mammal
Diet
Herbivore
Habitat
Grasslands, plains, and open woodlands
Range
North America (American) and Europe (European)
Conservation status
Near threatened (American); Vulnerable (European)
Explained facts
Anatomy
The hump is supported by long vertebrae and consists of strong muscles that help bison use their heads to clear snow from grass in winter. This adaptation is essential for winter survival on the plains.
Adaptation
Bison have a dense woolly undercoat for insulation and a coarser outer coat. In winter, the fur grows thicker, and bison can withstand blizzards by facing into the wind.
Behavior
Wallowing helps bison shed loose fur, deter biting insects, and cool off. The shallow depressions they create can persist in the landscape for years and provide microhabitats for other species.
Record
Despite weighing up to 900 kilograms, bison can sprint at speeds over 55 kilometers per hour. They are also agile and can turn quickly, making them surprisingly athletic for their size.
Behavior
Before the 1800s, an estimated 30 to 60 million bison roamed North America. Their seasonal movements shaped the Great Plains ecosystem, and herds still migrate today in protected areas.
Conservation
By 1889, fewer than 1,100 American bison remained after systematic slaughter. Through the efforts of ranchers, conservationists, and government programs, the population has recovered to about 500,000, mostly in commercial herds.
Bison are large, hump-shouldered bovines that once dominated the grasslands of North America and Europe. Two species survive today: the American bison and the European bison, also called wisent.
Both species were nearly driven to extinction in the 19th and 20th centuries, but conservation programs have helped them recover, especially in protected reserves and national parks.
Bison have a massive head, a distinctive shoulder hump, a thick neck, and a heavy beard of long hair under the chin. Both sexes have short, curved horns that are not shed.
Their winter coat is thick and dark, shedding in spring to reveal a lighter summer coat. Calves are born a reddish-brown color that darkens as they mature.
American bison live on grasslands, prairies, and open woodlands. European bison inhabit temperate forests. Both species are grazers that primarily eat grasses and sedges.
Bison grazing shapes the prairie ecosystem: their heavy hooves disturb the soil, their grazing stimulates plant growth, and their manure fertilizes the land. Many grassland species depend on this dynamic.
The near-extinction of the American bison was driven by overhunting, habitat loss, and deliberate government policy to weaken Native American tribes who depended on bison for food and materials.
Today, bison are protected in national parks and reserves, and many are raised on private ranches. Wild herds in Yellowstone National Park and other protected areas represent the only continuously wild bison populations.
True buffalo (Asian water buffalo and African Cape buffalo) are different animals from American bison. Bison have a shoulder hump, a large head, and a beard, while buffalo do not.
Bison can sprint at over 55 kilometers per hour, faster than a horse over short distances, despite weighing up to 900 kilograms.
About 500,000 American bison exist today, mostly on commercial ranches. Only about 20,000 live in conservation herds, with fewer than 5,000 in the wildest populations.
