Bison
In the United States the Bison is commonly called the Buffalo, however this is not the case. Buffalo are extinct, and although the bison belongs to the same family, they are not the same animal.
The Bison is one of the largest land animals in the United States. They are wandering grazing animals that usually travel in small herd groups except for the males who are not dominant and travel alone.
The American Bison was at one point endangered nearly to the point of extinction however has recovered very well and is now no longer in danger of extinction.
Bison
American Bison live on the Great Plains areas of Colorado, Nebraska, Wyoming, and are migratory as they search for grass to eat. Wild herds of the Bison exist on Antelope Island, Yellowestone National Park and Custer Park and in northern Canada.
Bison can live to be about twenty years old in the wild.
They have a huge hump which is their trademark; however they are born without it.
Female Bison usually produce one calf after about 13 month’s gestation. Very rarely twins are born.
They are born able to stand and walk, albeit shakily. They nurse for about 3 months, and will continue to nurse while learning to graze.
As their long curved horns develop, so too does the fat deposit that will become their hump.
Bison are deep brown or reddish brown in color with a dark brown or black mane of sorts. Male bison are mature about seven years; while females are mature at age 3 or 4. During mating males are very aggressive and display dominance readily.
They were once a vast sea of animals in the United States prairies, and are making a comeback due to their hardiness on the range.
Indian Bison
In March of 2007, 15 American bison were re-introduced to the wilds of Colorado to roam where they did over a century ago, which is a remarkable feat.
A herd of 15 bison has been established in the 17,000-acre (69 km²) Rocky Mountain Arsenal which is a former chemical weapons plant.
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Hi, going by Wikipedia and other sites I can find, the species of bison that exists in the USA now was called ‘buffalo’ before it was ever called ‘bison’, and continues to be so today. There was once another species, the long-horned buffalo, which has been extinct for a long time now, but it’s not clear why anyone would identify this as the only North American species worthy of being called a buffalo, or whether that is what you mean to do when you say ‘Buffalo are extinct’ – but I can’t come up with any other plausible interpretation.
It is true, though, that the American bison is not very closely related to the other animals standardly called ‘buffalo’ – the African buffalo and the water buffalo – whereas it is a cousin of the European bison, or wisent. So it’s legitimate to make a distinction – but questionable to dismiss the common name for the animal as being flat-out wrong.