American Bison (Bison bison) lives in open grasslands across North America. It feeds on grasses and plants. Its conservation status is Near Threatened.
Fascinating facts about the American Bison
- American bison once thundered across a grass-belt that stretched from Alaska to the Gulf of Mexico, a range so vast that sightings were still recorded in North Carolina as late as 1750. Their historic numbers swelled to about 60 million in the late 1700s, yet relentless hunting and disease drove them down to just 541 individuals by 1889. This collapse erased a keystone grazer that shaped prairie ecosystems for millennia, showing how quickly a dominant species can vanish when humans intervene.
- The wood bison, the larger of the two North American subspecies, can tip the scales at 1,270 kg (2,800 lb), making it one of the heaviest land mammals in the continent, surpassed only by the Asian gaur. Even captive bison have broken the 1,700 kg (3,800 lb) barrier, illustrating the species' capacity for massive growth when food is abundant. Such size gives them a defensive edge against predators and a profound impact on vegetation through their grazing pressure.
- A single adult bison can consume roughly 1.6 % of its body weight in dry vegetation each day, and must drink water daily. This relentless feeding helps maintain grassland health by trimming dominant species and promoting plant diversity, reinforcing the bison's role as a keystone ecosystem engineer across the prairies.
- During the rut, dominant bulls guard a small harem and use their massive horns, up to 60 cm (2 ft) long and 90-124 cm (3-4 ft) wide, to fight rivals, while a subordinate bull may bellow to attract a cow. This hierarchy means the strongest bulls sire most calves.
- Bison can sprint up to 62 km/h (38 mph), quickly cover the 3 km (2 mi) they typically travel each day in Yellowstone's Hayden Valley.
Sources
Every fact above was checked against these pages, and kept only where one of them states it.
At a glance
RangeNorth America
HabitatOpen grasslands
DietGrasses and plants
About the American Bison
Across the vast, sweeping plains of North America, the American Bison roams with a quiet majesty, its shaggy coat and curved horns a testament to its unyielding resilience in the face of a rapidly changing world. As it moves through the landscape, its deliberate, lumbering gait belies a deep-seated power, its hooves pounding out a primal rhythm on the earth that has been its home for millennia. With its very existence a poignant reminder of the delicate balance between nature and human endeavour, the American Bison remains an awe-inspiring symbol of the wild beauty that still persists in this fragile, near-threatened state.
Hear the American Bison, and 4,400+ more
Real recorded sounds, 11 nature games and a free Daily 5, 1v1 quiz duels, conservation wins and a safe Kids mode. Free on Feravox.
