American bison Facts for Kids
Bison bison · BY-sun BY-sun
The biggest land animal in North America, and it can run fast.
- 🏃 35 mph56 km/h1
- ⚖️ 1,000 to 2,000 lb454 to 907 kg1
- 📏 10 to 13 ft3.1 to 3.8 m2 long
- 🎂 12 to 20 years12 to 20 years2
- 🍽️ plants
- Doing fine, for now (Near Threatened)
Bison are big, shaggy animals with horns. They eat grass on the wide prairie. Baby bison are reddish-orange.
A bison's hump is made of strong muscle. It helps the bison swing its big head from side to side like a snowplow to push snow aside and reach the grass underneath. Bison live in herds and roll in dusty patches of dirt to keep bugs off their thick fur.
Bison once covered the Great Plains in huge herds, and their grazing and rolling helped many kinds of plants and animals thrive on the prairie. Hunting left almost none, but ranchers, parks and conservation groups saved them. Today herds live in national parks such as Yellowstone and on prairie reserves. Bison look slow and heavy, but they can run faster than any person.
How big is a American bison?
American bison in numbers
| Length | 10 to 13 ft3.1 to 3.8 m2typical adult |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | 6 to 6.5 ft1.8 to 2 m2typical adult, at the hump |
| Weight | 1,000 to 2,000 lb454 to 907 kg1 |
| Top speed (running) | 35 mph56 km/h1running |
| How long it lives | 12 to 20 years12 to 20 years2in the wild |
| What it eats | grasses and other prairie plants |
| Where it lives | the prairies of the Great Plains in North America |
| What kind | Mammals |
| Is it in danger? | Doing fine, for now (Near Threatened)3 |
A number we couldn’t find on a page we trust says so, instead of guessing.
Wow!
- A bison's shoulder hump is a big muscle that works like a snowplow.
- Both male and female bison have horns.
- Bison roll in dust to keep bugs away.
Compare the American bison
Friends and neighbours
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Gray wolfThree questions
Books about the American bison, free at the library
Ask a grown-up to tap the button: it shows where to borrow a book about the American bison for free.
Where these numbers come from
- National Park Service, Wind Cave, checked 30 October 2026.
- National Park Service, Bison subject page, checked 30 October 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 30 October 2026.
- Wikidata, American bison (Q82728), checked 30 October 2026.