US President Barack Obama has signed National Bison Legacy Act into law officially making the American bison the country’s first national mammal. With this, Bison, the animal that once roamed North America, joins the ranks of the Bald Eagle as the official symbol of the country. Its designation as national mammal do not hampers bald eagle’s position as the national animal because eagle that is birthed through eggs in not a mammal.

Millions of bison once roamed the Great Plains. About 500,000 now live in the U.S. but most of those have been cross-bred with cattle, and are semi-domesticated. About 30,000 wild bison roam the country, with the largest population in Yellowstone National Park.

Did You Know?

• Male bison (called bulls) weigh up to 2,000 pounds and stand 6 feet tall, while females (called cows) weigh up to 1,000 pounds and reach a height of 4-5 feet.
• Bison made their way to America by crossing the ancient land bridge that once connected Asia with North America during the Pliocene Epoch, some 400,000 years ago.
• While bison have poor eyesight, they have excellent senses of smell and hearing.
• Bison claves are nicknamed as Red Dogs because the orange-red colour that it carries at the time of birth.
• In late 1800s, the animal was hunted by the European settlers to few hundred and also reduced its habitat.