Listen to the American bison
Tip: press play to see the sound's live frequency spectrum in blue over the waveform.
About the American bison
The American bison is a mammal in the family Bovidae (order Artiodactyla). Wikidata describes it as “North American species of even-toed ungulates”. Its conservation status on the IUCN Red List is “near threatened”. Adults weigh around 1.3 t.
What does the American bison sound like?
Mammals produce sound with their larynx, from deep roars and rumbles to squeaks, barks, howls and – in bats, whales and dolphins – ultrasonic clicks used for echolocation.
The recordings here are labelled as bison and grazing. Listen for differences in rhythm, pitch and repetition – the spectrum display makes it easy to see whether a sound is a pure whistle (a thin line), a harsh call (a broad band) or a trill (rapid repeated marks).
From Wikipedia
The American bison (Bison bison; pl.: bison), commonly known as the American buffalo, or simply buffalo (not to be confused with true buffalo), is a species of bison that is endemic to North America. It is one of two extant species of bison, along with the European bison. Its historical range circa 9000 BC is referred to as the great bison belt, a tract of rich grassland spanning from Alaska south to the Gulf of Mexico, and east to the Atlantic Seaboard (nearly to the Atlantic tidewater in some areas), as far north as New York, south to Georgia, and according to some sources, further south to northern Florida, with sightings in North Carolina near Buffalo Ford on the Catawba River as late as 1750.
More from the family Bovidae
Frequently asked questions
What does an American bison sound like?
You can hear 2 recordings of the American bison on this page, including its bison and grazing. Mammals produce sound with their larynx, from deep roars and rumbles to squeaks, barks, howls and – in bats, whales and dolphins – ultrasonic clicks used for echolocation.
Is the American bison endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the American bison as “near threatened”.
What family does the American bison belong to?
The American bison (Bison bison) belongs to the family Bovidae in the order Artiodactyla.
Sources & credits
- Bison by National Park Service – Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
- Grazing · Blue Bell Campground, Custer State Park, South Dakota… by Jonathon Jongsma – CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Wikidata Q82728 – CC0
- Wikipedia: American bison – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo by Jack Dykinga – Public domain