Bison Are the National Mammal of the United States

Do you know what the national mammal of the United States is?

It’s the American Bison!

These animals are one of several species that were endangered and we’ve successfully brought back. Historically, bison populations reached numbers in the tens of millions throughout the United States. Overhunting put a stop to that and we ended up with only around 1,000.^1&2

Thanks to combined efforts from the National Park Service, Native American tribes, zoos, wildlife management agencies, and more, bison became one of the first huge success stories of conservation.^1&2

However, recovery hasn’t been perfect. Only 11% of the bison population we have in the United States is connected to population recovery. The rest are raised as livestock. Other problems they face are lack of habitat and low genetic diversity – this means they don’t have a functional role in ecosystems and they’re not as healthy as they could be.²

Check out some other fun facts about the national mammal:³

They’re the largest mammal on the continent – they can weigh between 1,000 and 2,000 pounds!
Bison have lived in the region of Yellowstone National Park since prehistoric times
They can run up to 35 miles per hour
In the wild, they can live to be up to 20 years old

We have a ton of interesting information about wildlife on our blog. Check out some of our latest: