There’s a lot to know about our American Bison

Let’s find out!

The American Bison is often referred to as a buffalo, which just isn’t true! Buffalo are completely different animals, who don’t actually live in North America.

At one time, large herds of bison once roamed almost the entire landmass of the United States. In the 1700s, there were an estimated 60 million bison roaming the plains of North America. Today, there is between 350,000 and 500,000, a stable number, yet significantly less than before they were hunted to near extinction.

They are the largest land animal in North America, reaching up to six feet tall, 10 feet long, and 2,000 pounds. Wow—that’s one large animal!

Bison have long, fuzzy, dark brown fur in the winter, and light brown, fluffy fur during the summer. All bison—males and females—have large heads and front-ends, and short, curved horns.

Cool Bison fact: If the herd is being hunted by wolves, which does happen from time to time, the males (bulls) will run in the back of the stampede, allowing the females (cows) and the calves to stay at the front where it is safer.

They are herbivores, meaning they eat grass and plants. They typically graze in the mornings and evenings while taking the mid-day hours to rest.

Baby bison, called calves, are born each spring, and will nurse for a year before leaving their mothers. In the wild, bison have a life expectancy of about 15 years.

Bison enjoy a nice wallow every now and then! They will find shallow depressions in the ground—filled with water, or maybe not—and roll in them, coating their fur with a light covering of dust or mud. This will keep bugs off their skin, and also helps with shedding.