Buffalo (or bison)
Crossing the Great Plains, Lewis and Clark saw "immense herds of buffalo in every direction, feeding on the hills and plains."  "I sincerely believe there were not less than 10,000 buffalo within a circle of two miles," wrote Lewis.  Later, in 1850, it was estimated that there were about 20 million buffalo on the western plains.

However, millions of buffalo were killed by American hunters during the late 1800s.  By 1889, only 541 could be found alive in the United States.  After that, buffalo became a protected species, and today there are about 250,000 in the United States, living in game preserves, national parks, and private ranches.

Today a few ranches raise buffalo to sell as meat. When allowed to live naturally, some buffalo may live to be 30 to 40 years old.

Buffalo live in herds.  Like cattle, they are called bulls, cows, and calves, and eat grass. A full-grown bull usually weighs between 1,600 and 2,000 pounds, and measures 10 or 12 feet from its nose to the tip of his tail. The cow is much smaller at about 900 pounds.

The buffalo is brownish black on its front half and lighter brown on its rear half.  It has a large head and neck, with humped shoulders. The hair on its chin looks like a beard.