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This article iswritten inAmerican English, which has its own spelling conventions (color,defense,traveled) and some terms that are used in it may be different or absent from othervarieties of English. According to therelevant style guide, this should not be changed withoutbroad consensus.

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Section sizes Section size forAmerican bison (32 sections) Section name Byte count Section total (Top) 9,236 9,236 Etymology 3,443 3,443 Description 7,958 7,958 Evolution 4,918 9,338 Differences from European bison 1,739 1,739 Crossbreeding with cattle 2,681 2,681 Range and population 1,978 10,426 Habitat and trails 3,649 3,649 Mexico 2,340 2,340 Introductions to Siberia 2,459 2,459 Behavior and ecology 2,576 19,241 Social behavior and reproduction 5,191 5,191 Horning 972 972 Wallowing behavior 1,707 1,707 Predation 5,940 5,940 Dangers to humans 2,855 2,855 Genetics 8,938 8,938 Population bottleneck and near extinction 1,943 8,998 Texas State Bison Herd 5,016 5,016 Yellowstone National Park Bison Herd 1,422 1,422 Population recovery 617 617 Hunting 7,330 7,330 As livestock 6,546 9,178 Domestication 2,632 2,632 As a symbol 17 6,841 Native Americans 1,698 1,698 North America 5,126 5,126 See also 347 347 Notes 26 26 References 42 42 Further reading 3,507 3,507 External links 1,648 1,648 Total 106,497 106,497

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Although a minor issue, the picture on the left currently states "wild bison and calf" when it is plain to someone who can identify sex that the two bison in question are an adult male, and and adult female bison.

The main reference for the older census sizes of bison are from reference 95 (Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife (January 1965). "The American Buffalo". Conservation Note. 12.).I think it is slightly miscited since it is (from what I can tell) from 1977 and can be linked in full text here:https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.31822016984015&view=1up&seq=1Further is is not a good reference or source for this number - at least not stated as a fact in this wiki article. The text reads: "At their peak (probably before the discovery of America) it is though that they may have numbered 60 or 70 millions."Rasmus.87 (talk)10:50, 9 December 2022 (UTC)[reply]

...the logic behind "400,000-500,000 [in 2010]" transitioning into "31,000 [9 years later in 2019]" yet that's not critically endangered or endangered in reference to the original "[double digit] millions"?173.80.7.142 (talk)01:37, 29 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]

The 400,000–500,000 was the total number of bison, both wild and commercial, in 2010. The 31,000 is referring to just wild bison in 2019. In the 2010 paragraph, a little further down, it reads that there are approximately 15,000 wild bison. I assume that that number refers to the 2010 population. That should probably be made clear.pillowcrow17:57, 29 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]

And the double digit millions being brought down to a 5 digit number doesn't make it endangered...?173.80.7.142 (talk)01:35, 11 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Okay, I understand now. I'm guessing you're talking about the "estimated population of 60 million in the late 18th century". While I don't know all the factors that play into the conservation status of a species, I would assume that it's not necessarily based on the number of individuals still extant as a percentage of a past number. I think it's more based on (or maybe entirely based on) the likelihood of the species becoming extinct. When the population went from 60 million to a few hundred individuals in the late 18th century, they were critically endangered (by modern standards), being just a few hundred reckless slaughters away from extinction. But then conservation efforts were introduced, and despite the still comparatively low numbers (500,000 vs 60 million) the American bison is nevertheless in no danger of becoming extinct. The wild bison are well protected (and so is their environment), and of course, the same would be said for the commercial herds. Therefore the bison is not endangered because it's notin danger of becoming extinct. In contrast, tigers are endangered because the likelihood of their extinction is high. There are fewer than 6,000 individuals in the wild (according to experts), their habitat is threatened, and there are only so many captive tigers in the world. And of course, we can't breed them like bison and make herds out of them. Hope that helps.pillowcrow19:37, 11 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

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