President Obama should crown this beast as America's national mammal
Lee Prince/Shutterstock
Step aside, bald eagle.
The US House of Representatives and the Senate just passed a bill that would honor the country's largest land mammal, the American bison, as our national mammal (joining the bird of prey as an official national symbol). The bipartisan legislation now awaits consideration by President Obama.
The National Bison Legacy Act is long overdue.
More than 100 years ago, the bison — one of the most majestic, if smelly, creatures on Earth — rebounded from near-extinction. Today, they happily roam all across the country.
Here are some facts about what should become America's most prized animal.
The bison is more American than apple pie.
Flickr/lsmith2010Often mistaken for the buffalo, the bison features one defining characteristic: its hump.
Rick Wilking/ReutersThe muscular hump acts as the bison's snowplow, allowing the beast to swing its head from side to side, pave a path through drifts of snow, and reach grasses hidden below.
Gary Guisinger/APSource: National Park Service
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