BISON SIZE:
Bison are 5 to 6½ feet long and weigh 900 to 2,200 pounds. Males are larger than females on average.
BISON POPULATION:
Historically, bison numbered an estimated TWENTY MILLION to SIXTY MILLION as recently as the early 1800s. In less than a century (most of the killing occured during a twenty year period), this number was reduced to FOUR documented wild bison.
Today, approximately 250,000 bison remain in the United States. Of those, only 16,000 roam in the wild. Yellowstone National Park has the only population of free-roaming bison.
BISON LIFESPAN:
Bison typically live between 12 to 15 years, but some bison have been known to live as long as 25 years.
BISON RANGE:
In the wild, bison are found in parts of Canada and the western United States inside Yellowstone National Park.
BISON HABITAT:
The Great Plains, prairies, and forests.
BISON DIET:
Bison eat grasses and sedges, moving continuously as they eat so that they rarely overgraze an area.
BISON BEHAVIOR:
Bison today live in herds of 20 to 50 animals. The females, or cows, lead family groups. Bulls (males) remain either solitary or in small groups for most of the year. Bison travel as a group and roam great distances in the wild. They can reach speeds of up to 30 mph.
BISON BREEDING HABITS:
Females produce one calf after a gestation period of nine and a half months. Calves are born in late April to mid-May. The cow protects the young. The offspring may remain with the mother for as long as three years after birth.
THREATS TO BISON:
