Where’s Wildlife · Mammal Field Guide
Bison bison
Pronounced (approx.): BY-sun BY-sun
A powerful prairie grazer with a shaggy coat and an unmistakable shoulder hump.
American Bison. Select the image to browse all 6 photographs.
NATIVE TO NORTH AMERICA
Massive shoulder hump
Shaggy head and beard
Short, curved horns
Compare views, markings and body shapes in the photographs below.
The heavy front end, broad head and beard make a bison recognizable even at a distance. Both sexes have horns; adult males are generally larger and more heavily built. The long winter coat sheds unevenly, so spring animals can look patchy.
Watch the whole silhouette rather than relying on coat color. A bison carries its head low beneath a high shoulder hump. Young calves have a much lighter, reddish coat before developing the darker adult appearance.
Bison feed mainly on grasses and sedges, moving through open country as they graze. In winter, they can sweep snow aside with the head to uncover vegetation. Their grazing and wallowing create a patchwork of different conditions in grassland habitats.
Females and calves commonly gather in herds, while adult males may form smaller groups or spend time alone. Breeding is concentrated in late summer, and calves are generally born the following spring. A calf can stand and follow its mother soon after birth.
The dense winter coat is shed as temperatures warm.
Grazing and wallowing help shape grassland habitat.
Newborn calves soon follow their mothers.
Bison once occupied a much larger part of North America. Today, herds occur in particular parks, reserves, tribal lands and other managed areas; a sighting does not necessarily represent an uninterrupted wild range.
Explore reported sightings on iNaturalist. Observation records are not a complete range map.