American bison
North America's largest land animal, with wild herds on Antelope Island, in the Henry Mountains and in the Book Cliffs.
Bison, also called buffalo, are the largest land animal in North America. Bulls can top 2,000 pounds and stand more than 7 feet at the shoulder, and both sexes have horns. The hump is muscle, which lets a bison swing its head to push snow off the grass.
Millions once roamed Utah's grasslands before hunting nearly wiped them out in the 1800s. Wild bison now live in three parts of the state: Antelope Island in Great Salt Lake, the Henry Mountains, where the herd descends from animals reintroduced in the 1940s, and the Book Cliffs, reintroduced in 2008. They graze year-round, mostly on grasses.
Watching and staying safe
Bison can look docile but react quickly and charge, and a startled herd can stampede at up to 35 miles per hour. If one stops what it is doing to watch you, you are too close. If a bison is on the road, stay in your vehicle and wait for it to pass. Antelope Island State Park posts its own wildlife rules.
Places the sources name
- Antelope Island
- Henry Mountains
- Book Cliffs