The organization that he, President Theodore Roosevelt and others formed in 1905 to help save the animal from extinction was named the American Bison Association. But still, the usage of ...

Not only is the bison one of the most iconic animals in North America, but it's actually the United States' national mammal.

The American bison, or American buffalo as they are commonly called, were once close to extinction. Their numbers dropped from 30-60 million to around 500 because of overhunting in the 19th century.

James Bailey, retired professor of wildlife biology at Colorado State University, considers the past, present and future of bison in his forthcoming book, American Plains Bison: Rewilding an Icon.