Despite their hefty size, bison are quick on their feet. Despite their size, bison are very fast creatures, able to run up to 55 kilometres per hour! It grows to 7 to 11.5 feet (2.1 meters to 3.5) long from head to rump, and its tail adds an extra 20 to 23.5 inches. Their curved, sharp horns can grow to be 2 feet (61 centimeters) long. Bison are large, even-toed ungulates in the genus Bison within the subfamily Bovinae.. Two extant and six extinct species are recognised. Did you know? Today bison are only wild in national parks, state parks, and reserves. Wild plains bison (Bison bison bison) The plains bison (Bison bison bison) is a subspecies of the American bison that was historically found from central Canada to northern Mexico and nearly from coast to coast. They are massive, shaggy beasts and the heaviest land animals in North America. Bison are symbolic of the Great Plains, and once thousands of them thundered across North America. Your best chance of seeing wild bison are to visit Yellowstone National Park or Wood Buffalo National Park of Canada. The North American Bison (Bison bison) was designated the official National Mammal of the United States on May 9, 2016.The Plains Bison (Bison bison bison) once roamed the majority of the open grasslands across the United States to northern Mexico.Their historically massive herds are now significantly smaller and mostly found in geographically isolated populations within parks and … Now their numbers have severely diminished. Bison are the iconic image of the Great Plains and the Old West. Bison on the Great Plains faced grazing competition from such animals as elk, deer, and pronghorn. Size The American bison is the largest mammal in North America. Physiology. Of the six extinct species, five became extinct in the Quaternary extinction event. It may weigh as much as a ton. Moreover, prairie dogs, whose colonies might be … It was most abundant on the Great Plains. Plains bison species name: Bison bison Average weight: 725 kilograms Life expectancy: 20-40 years. Plains, grazed by bison, were inhabited by prairie dogs, protecting them against predators due to being shorter and thus providing a better view to the surrounding area. Typically, the Plains Bison cow is about 10 to 15 percent smaller than the bull. Corpses of bison were delicacy for scavengers while their meat was the main source of food for local population of wolves and humans. Bison, also known as buffalo, are very large animals with a shaggy dark brown mane. Furthermore, the plains bison has been suggested to consist of a northern plains (B. b. montanae) and a southern plains (B. b. bison) subspecies, bringing the total to three. Bison are known for their shaggy brown fur, weighing up to one ton, and massive size. The two recognized subspecies--Plains Bison (Bison bison bison) and Wood Bison (B. b. athabascae)--have distinct morphology, body shape, size, and pelage patterns. Size and Weight: Among the largest land animals in North America, the Plains Bison bull may measure some 6 1/2 feet at the shoulder and 11 or 12 feet from the head to the rump. When the need arises they can run at speeds up to 40 miles (65 kilometers) an hour. American bison like open plains, savannas, and grasslands. They were eliminated west of the Rocky Mountains and east of the Mississippi River by the early 1800s. Two subspecies or ecotypes have been described: the plains bison (B. b. bison), smaller in size and with a more rounded hump, and the wood bison (B. b. athabascae)—the larger of the two and having a taller, square hump. Despite their immense size, bison still …