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The American bison, commonly referred to as buffaloes, are North America's largest land-mammals. Bison once roamed all of North America and had an estimated population of over 60 million. Bison were once symbolic of the Great Plains and crucially important to native Americans, who would use their meat, skin, fur and even the bones for their ways of life. Today, only a few hundred thousand remain and can be found in national parks, preserves and private ranches.
Bison are herbivores and spend the majority of their day eating grasses, shrubs, twigs and sagebrush. They can reach a height of 6 feet and weigh 2000 pounds, but despite their enormous size, bison are quite agile and very fast, they can reach speeds of around 35 mph.
