A century after the American Bison Society, organized in 1905 when only a few hundred buffalo remained, began working to save the species from extinction, bison are an environmental success story. Numbers are up to about 400,000 across North America, mostly on private ranches. bison roam freely on the range »»
Bison / Buffalo
Commonly called the buffalo, the animal of the romantic old west that once populated the great plains, is actually a bison, which is not the same thing as a buffalo. Still a symbol of the wild west, the American bison is the heaviest land mammal in North America. Buffalo Articles IndexBison Description: American Bison VariationGeorge ShawBuy this American Bison fine art printAlso called the American buffalo, the bison has a large head with relatively small, curving horns. It has a shaggy coat of brown hair on its shoulders and legs, while its body has shorter, finer hair. Bison have very poor eyesight, but a keen sense of smell.BISON SIZE: American Bison or Buffalo (Male)John James AudubonBuy this American Bison Art PrintBison 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: American Bison (AP)Edward AldrichBuy This American Bison Fine Art PrintIn 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: Mother Buffalo (Canvas)Sheri Greves-NeilsonBuy this Mother Buffalo Fine Art CanvasHumans and loss of habitat are the biggest threats to the bison. Shooting bison for their hides was a favorite frontier sport. Some people made a career of this occupation. During the Indian Wars, the US government paid a bounty on buffalo, trying to remove the American Indians' primary food source to force them into surrender or facing starvation. They were hugely successful in this objective. This is the only time in recorded history that an entire species was driven to the brink of extinction due to war policy. BuffaloGreg BeechamBuy This Buffalo Art PrintThat bounty, the demand for buffalo robes in the East, and sport hunters practically eliminated the bison by 1890. In 1893, when the first efforts were made to protect the animals, only four bison were known to exist. Today, the bison of Yellowstone National Park face the threat of slaughter when they exit the park and enter the state of Montana. The Montana Department of Agriculture fears the contamination of cattle by bison carrying the disease brucellosis, although there are no known cases of brucellosis passed by bison in the wild to domestic cattle. Bison / Buffalo Articles:
Another white buffalo born on the Heider farm
Twelve years later, nearly to the day, another extraordinary miracle has occurred on the Heider family farm. During or shortly after a severe lightning storm, another white buffalo calf, this time a male, was born in the early morning hours to the Heider herd. Like Miracle, he is not an albino. Another white buffalo born on the Heider farm »»

Miracle, the white buffalo, has passed on to the spirit world
Miracle the buffalo, the symbol of peace, died at 11:07 p.m. Sunday on the Dave and Valerie Heider farm in Janesville. Miracle, the white buffalo, has passed on to the spirit world »»
Montana Department of Livestock Shoots First Wild Buffalo of New Killing Season
A majestic bull buffalo was shot today on Forest Service land (Red Canyon) outside of West Yellowstone, Montana.
Montana Department of Livestock Shoots First Wild Buffalo of New Killing Season »»
The Buffalo War is Coming to PBS
This is more than a story about livestock disease, animal management or a range war. The bison conflict has stirred people from vastly different backgrounds, offering a fascinating cross section of life in the Rocky Mountains today.
Where the Buffalo Roam — in Missouri
Prairie State Park in Liberal, MO is a 3,700-acre spread of southwest Missouri land where a lost heritage is recaptured and a rare ecosystem preserved. Open year-round.
Antelope Island Children’s Bison Roundup
It was the 8th annual Children's Bison Roundup on Wednesday at Antelope Island State Park.
Bison Herd Changing Ecosystem
The famous and often controversial Yellowstone bison herds are changing the ecosystem around them as they move steadily to the west, according to Mary Meagher, a retired National Park Service biologist who has studied the bison for 40 years.
Bison Herd Changing Ecosystem
The famous and often controversial Yellowstone bison herds are changing the ecosystem around them as they move steadily to the west, according to Mary Meagher, a retired National Park Service biologist who has studied the bison for 40 years.
Buffalo to be moved from Catalina Island to South Dakota
Buffalo to be moved from Catalina Island to South Dakota.. KEYWORDS: buffalo bison american bison bufflo the animal buffalo habitat saving the buffalo South Dakota Catalina Island buffalo California Tongva tribe Morongo tribe Lakota tribe +buffalo
AUTHOR: Pat Brennen, The Orange County Register
Nearly half the buffalo herd that runs free on Santa Catalina Island will be rounded up and shipped to an Indian reservation in South Dakota next month, returning the animals to their ancestral home and easing ecological pressure on the island. Buffalo to be moved from Catalina Island to South Dakota »»
Tribes gain say in wild bison debate
KEYWORDS: bison debate buffalo habitat management indian tribes and buffalo brucellosis Yellowstone Buffalo restoring bison wild elk yellowstone bison herd
After a decade of knocking on the door, American Indians have been let in on formal talks that help shape the fate of the nation's last genetically pure wild herd of bison. Tribes gain say in wild bison debate »»