American bison
Shaggy plains dweller
The American bison is a large, shaggy-haired bovine native to North America, once numbering in the tens of millions across the Great Plains before near-extinction through hunting in the 19th century.
Also called buffalo, though true buffalo are different animals found in Africa and Asia.
The bison appears on the U.S. nickel and is the national mammal.
Large North American bovine
hooves · fur · shaggy · stampede · grazing · roam · wallows · mammal
Treeless herb-covered ecosystem
- plainsBroad, level grasslands
- Great PlainsCentral North American grassland
- rangeExtent of variation
- habitatOrganism's natural environment
steppe · savanna · bluestem · sagebrush · badlands · meadowlark · pronghorn · wildflowers
At risk of extinction
- extinctionComplete vanishing of a species
- recoveryRegaining what was lost
- protectionGuarding against harm
- habitat lossElimination of living spaces
overhunting · poaching · preservation · breeding programs · wildlife management · repopulation · genetic diversity · reintroduction
Impressive splendor and scale
- imposingImpressively grand in scale
- massiveExtremely large and heavy
- toweringOf imposing height
- nobleTitled or virtuous
dignified · powerful · dominant · proud · iconic · awe-inspiring · magnificent · formidable
Edge of settlement
- Old WestAmerican cowboy era
- tribalOf a clan
- totemSpiritual clan symbol
- iconicWidely recognized, enduring
emblem · strength · resilience · coinage · restoration · Great Seal
buffalo
Large North American bovine
calves · hooves · fur · shaggy · stampede · grazing · roam · wallows · mammal · bovine
grassland
Treeless herb-covered ecosystem
- plainsBroad, level grasslands
- Great PlainsCentral North American grassland
- rangeExtent of variation
habitat · steppe · savanna · bluestem · sagebrush · badlands · meadowlark · pronghorn · wildflowers · pasture
endangered
At risk of extinction
- extinctionComplete vanishing of a species
- recoveryRegaining what was lost
- protectionGuarding against harm
habitat loss · overhunting · poaching · preservation · breeding programs · wildlife management · repopulation · genetic diversity · reintroduction · protected
grandeur
Impressive splendor and scale
noble · dignified · powerful · dominant · proud · iconic · awe-inspiring · magnificent · formidable
frontier
Edge of settlement
iconic · emblem · strength · resilience · coinage · restoration · Great Seal
- North American Naturebald eagle, grizzly bear, raccoon, beaver, white-tailed deer
- wild cattleAfrican buffalo, aurochs, water buffalo, wisent, yak
- zooelephant, giraffe, lion, tiger, monkey
- state symbolsstate flag, state bird, state flower, state tree, state animal
American bisonpassenger pigeon
Extinct migratory North American dove
dodo · woolly mammoth · Tasmanian tiger · white rhinoceros · great auk
American bisondomestic cattle
Farmed bovine animals
dairy cow · beef cattle · ox · yak