bison

The North American bison Bison bison was hunted almost to extinction for food and sport by the European colonials. At one time the population of bison numbered up to 50 million, living in massive herds of thousands of individual animals. By 1889 there were only 540 left. Today they live in protected reserves.

Large, hoofed mammal of the bovine family. There are two species, both brown. The European bison or wisent Bison bonasus, of which only a few protected herds survive, is about 2 m/7 ft high and weighs up to 1,100 kg/2,500 lb. The North American bison (also known historically as the North American buffalo) Bison bison is slightly smaller, with a heavier mane and more sloping hindquarters. Formerly roaming the prairies in vast numbers, it was almost exterminated in the 19th century, but survives in protected areas. There were about 14,000 bison in North American reserves in 1994.

Crossed with domestic cattle, the North American bison has produced a hardy hybrid, the ‘beefalo’, producing a lean carcass on an economical grass diet.