Bison Versus Buffalo

Never mind what the unofficial anthem of the American West says about buffalo roaming—this type of bovid is not found on U.S. soil. What we have stateside, making up the best-known herds in Yellowstone National Park and on Catalina Island, are bison.

Though bison are sometimes colloquially called buffalo, the two are biologically different, unconnected in their ranges, and can be told apart by a few distinguishing physical features. Here's everything you need to know about the two oft-confused families of ancient grazing giants.

Buffalo and Bison Classification
Buffalo and bison belong to the tribe Bovini, which includes medium to massive animals of the Bovidae family. The Bovidae family also includes antelopes, gazelles, goats, and sheep.

While a number of Bovini species are commonly called buffalo or bison (the anoa a "dwarf buffalo" and the gaur "Indian bison," for example), there are only four true bison and buffalo species.

American bison (Bison bison) roam in Yellowstone and are portrayed on the National Park Service's arrowhead emblem and the U.S. Department of the Interior's seal. They're the heaviest land animals in North America and, since 2016, the U.S.'s national mammal, joining the patriotic ranks of its national bird, the bald eagle.  READ MORE...