Bison Toy

Bison are the largest land mammal in North America. There are two subspecies of American bison, the plains and woods bison, though the plains bison is more numerous and well-known. The European bison, a separate species, is similar, but has longer legs and a less hairy body. Both species of bison were brought to the brink of extinction in the early 20^th century, but recovery efforts have helped them to bounce back.

• History: Bison are also popularly known as buffalo, though they are not closely related to the buffaloes of Asia and Africa. Though hunted nearly to extinction, they have since recovered and their status has been upgraded to “Near Threatened”. There are two types of currently living bison: the American bison and the European bison (or wisent).