Kinds of Bison

Plains Bison

• Plains bison are a subspecies of the American bison. They once roamed across the continent in numbers estimated at 20 to 30 million, grazing in herds. In the late 1800s, bison were hunted to near extinction with only about 1,000 animals remaining. Today, approximately 500,000 bison live in North America, with the majority cross-bred with cattle and fewer than 30,000 contained in conservation herds -- very few bison are found in free-range, disease-free herds.

Wood Bison

• The wood bison is the second surviving subspecies of American bison. It is larger and heavier than the plains bison and has darker coloring. Wood bison are found in Canada and Alaska, mainly in wooded areas. The American wood bison is the largest land mammal in North America, weighing in at over 2,000 lbs. in some cases, yet they can reach speeds up to 30 mph.

European Bison

• The European bison is a separate species of bison with one surviving subspecies, the lowland bison. Also known as wisents, European bison live in wooded areas of eastern Europe. While still the largest land mammal on the continent, they are smaller than American bison, with longer legs and shorter manes. Like their North American counterparts, European bison were hunted nearly to extinction by the late 1800s. Conservation efforts have led to reintroduction of herds in limited numbers.

Extinct Bison

• Other species and subspecies of bison have become extinct. The species steppe bison, long-horned bison and ancient bison are all extinct, in addition to the subspecies Caucasian bison and Hungarian bison of the European bison species.