American Bison

High school (ages 12+)
Animals & Nature

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/american-bison

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the scientific name?Bison bison
2. What is the subspecies?Plains bison (Bison bison bison) and Wood bison (Bison bison athabascae)
3. How did bison help the grasslands?Bison grazing and moving kept forests from taking over the prairies, keeping the grasslands open for many other animals. They also made wallows that collect water, creating special homes for insects and plants.
4. Why did the bison population drop so much in the 1800s?European settlers hunted bison for hides and meat, and the growth of railroads and farms killed almost all of them. By the 1880s fewer than 1,000 bison were left.

Symbiosis: A close, long-term interaction between two different biological species.
Keystone Species: A species that has a disproportionately large effect on its environment relative to its abundance.
Conservation Biology: The scientific study of the nature and status of Earth's biodiversity with the aim of protecting species, their habitats, and ecosystems.