Bison: The Mighty Giants of the Plains!

Bison are super big, furry animals that look a bit like cows but are much wilder! They have a giant hump on their shoulders and a big, shaggy head with short horns. Imagine a furry mountain with legs! They are the largest land animals in North America. There are two main kinds: the American bison, which lives in North America, and the European bison, which lives in Europe.

American bison love to live in wide-open grassy places called prairies and plains. Think of huge fields where they can run and munch on grass all day long. They used to live all over North America, but now they mostly live in special parks and reserves in places like the United States and Canada. The European bison, also called a wisent, lives in forests in Europe.

Bison are herbivores, which means they only eat plants! Their favorite food is grass, but they'll also munch on flowers, leaves, and twigs if they can find them. They spend a lot of their day just grazing, which is a fancy word for eating grass. They need to eat a lot to keep their big bodies strong and healthy.

Bison are very social animals and like to live in big groups called herds. This helps them stay safe from predators. Baby bison are called calves, and they are usually born in the spring. A mother bison will take good care of her calf, keeping it close and protecting it. The herds can be so big, they look like a moving carpet of fur!