Bison Royalty-Free Stock Photo

Once, great herds of this wonderful animal roamed from northern Mexico to Alaska. Today, wild Bison herds are found in national parks and refuges in only six US states Montana, Wyoming, Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota and North Dakota and one Canadian province Northwest Territory. Wild herds occupy less than 1% of their original range and the species is classed as Near Threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources on the IUCN red list. Bison means ‘ox-like’ in Greek. They belong to the bovidae family just like cattle, buffalo, antelope, gazelles, sheep and goats. The American Bison, commonly known as the American Buffalo, is not to be confused with its African Cape Buffalo and Asian Water Buffalo cousins. A large shoulder hump and thick winter coat are two things that distinguish a Bison from a buffalo. American Bison live, feed and move in herds which include cows and calves. Adult bulls are solitary animals and only join a herd during the mating season called the rut.