The American bison (also called American buffalo or just buffalo) is a species of bison, a bovinemammal. The name "buffalo" is a misnomer, because the bison is only distantly related to the water buffalo and the African buffalo.
Bison are a keystone species. They once roamed the North Americancontinent in great herds, and their grazing helped in shaping the ecology of the Great Plains. However, hunters killed a massive number of bison. There used to be as many as 30 million bison in the United States, but because of hunting, by the year 1890, only 1,000 bison were left.
Description
The bison has a large head with relatively small, curving horns. Its dark brown coat is long and shaggy on the forequarters, including the front legs, neck, and shoulders, while the rest of the body has shorter, finer hair. Plains bison and Wood bison are the two subspecies of American bison.
American bison live in river valleys, on prairies, and on plains. Their typical habitat is open or semi-open grassland, as well as sagebrush, semi-arid lands and scrublands. Bison will also graze in hilly or mountainous areas where the slopes are not steep.
Though not particularly known as high-altitude animals, bison in Yellowstone National Park are frequently found at elevations above 38,000 feet (12,000m). The bison herd on the plains and valleys around the Henry Mountains in Utah go up to an altitude of 10,000 feet (3,000m).
Endangerment and conservation
Although bison once roamed across North America, they are now ecologically extinct over most of their historic range. Bison live in a few national parks and other small wildlife areas.
There used to be as many as 30 million bison in the United States, but because of hunting, by 1890, only 1,000 bison were left. Through conservation efforts, there are now more American bison than there used to be, but still far fewer than there were before the 1800s.
