American Bison
    Image: Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0

    American Bison

    Bison bison

    Big Herbivores
    Near Threatened

    Quick Facts

    Mass1.3 tonnes
    Gestation~289 days

    Facts sourced from Wikidata (CC0).

    Best Months to Spot

    JFMAMJJASOND

    Most sightings recorded in Jun, Jul, Aug, Oct. Data from GBIF - a global database of verified wildlife observations by researchers and citizen scientists.

    Conservation Status

    Conservation hub
    NT - Near ThreatenedIncreasing population

    Close to qualifying as threatened in the near future.

    While the American bison faced near extinction due to overhunting, conservation efforts have led to a significant recovery. Today, the primary threats are habitat loss and fragmentation, and limited genetic diversity in some populations. Responsible safari tourism plays a vital role by generating revenue for conservation initiatives and supporting protected areas, which in turn helps safeguard bison habitats and populations.

    The American bison, commonly known as the American buffalo, or simply buffalo, is a species of bison that is endemic to North America. It is one of two extant species of bison, along with the European bison. Its historical range circa 9000 BC is referred to as the great bison belt, a tract of rich grassland spanning from Alaska south to the Gulf of Mexico, and east to the Atlantic Seaboard, as far north as New York, south to Georgia, and according to some sources, further south to northern Florida, with sightings in North Carolina near Buffalo Ford on the Catawba River as late as 1750.

    Description adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

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