--- description: For more than two centuries, the bald eagle has symbolized the U.S. in feathered form. Now, the bird is getting some emblematic company title: Meet Your New National Mammal, the American Bison image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc0cc2311b311fd86/6988927d3c16390acb45d318/american-bison.jpeg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [U.S.](/section/us/) ## U.S. Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [animals](/tag/animals/) ## animals Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Meet Your New National Mammal, the American Bison by [Sarah Begley](/author/sarah-begley/) ## Sarah Begley Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 9, 2016 7:41 PM CUT  Bison seen at the Bronx Zoo on January 25, 2016 in New York City. Bison seen at the Bronx Zoo on January 25, 2016 in New York City.James Devaney—WireImage/Getty Images by [Sarah Begley](/author/sarah-begley/) ## Sarah Begley Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 9, 2016 7:41 PM CUT For more than two centuries, the bald eagle has symbolized the U.S. in feathered form. Now, the bird of prey is getting some emblematic company: The [American bison](https://www.doi.gov/blog/15-facts-about-our-national-mammal-american-bison "undefined") has become the country’s official National Mammal. President Obama signed the National Bison Legacy Act into law on Monday, honoring the role the enormous animal has played in American history. In addition to the species’ importance in many Native American cultures, the bison has also served as a [symbol of conservation success](http://time.com/4311574/bison-national-mammal/ "undefined"), coming back from the brink of extinction with an assist from Teddy Roosevelt. ### See Majestic Historical Photos of the U.S.’s New National Mammal  Lithograph of an American Indian on horseback killing a bison. Circa 1850-1860. Library of Congress  Stereoscopic view of a Bison. Circa 1875. From the New York Public Library  A postcard illustrating Bison at water. Circa 1898-1931. From the New York Public Library  Herd of American Bison, browsing in safety, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. Circa 1895-1920. From the New York Public Library  American bison, circa 1906. Library of Congress  Bison in the Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. Circa 1907. Library of Congress  An American bison, circa 1930. Hulton Archive—Getty Images  A herd of bison migrating south from Yukon. Circa 1930. Fox Photos—Getty Images  Bison herd in Arizona. 1935. Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone—Getty Images  On a ranch in southern Michigan; there are several hundred wild bison snorting and pawing the ground and ready to toss all intruders. 1945. Toronto Star Archives—Getty Images  A North American Bison, circa 1950s. Paul Popper—Popperfoto/Getty Images  Bison in the Witchita Mountains wildlife refuge. 1952. Bettman—Getty Images  Bison crowded together in a corner of one of their enclosures at Daniels Park. Ira Gay Sealy—The Denver Post/Getty Images  Well into his 20s, this white bull is one of the most photographed animals on the bison range at Moiese, Montana. 1957. The Denver Post—Getty Images  Herd of bison roaming across National Bison Range in Montana. 1961. George Silk—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images According to a [2012 census](http://www.politico.com/story/2016/05/north-american-bison-national-mammal-us-222975 "undefined") taken by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, there were more than 180,000 bison roaming public and private lands in the U.S. and Canada, Politico reports. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4323443/bison-new-american-national-mammal/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4323443/bison-new-american-national-mammal/"},"headline":"Meet Your New National Mammal, the American Bison","datePublished":"2016-05-09T19:41:05.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:00:01.183Z","description":"The enormous beast joins the bald eagle as an official symbol of the U.S.","url":"https://time.com/4323443/bison-new-american-national-mammal/","keywords":["animals"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc0cc2311b311fd86/6988927d3c16390acb45d318/american-bison.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Sarah Begley","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/sarah-begley/"}],"articleSection":"U.S.","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc0cc2311b311fd86/6988927d3c16390acb45d318/american-bison.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Snow Storm Blankets Bronx Zoo","caption":"Snow Storm Blankets Bronx Zoo","creditText":"James Devaney—WireImage/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/us/","name":"U.S."}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/animals/","name":"animals"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4323443/bison-new-american-national-mammal/","name":"Meet Your New National Mammal, the American Bison"}}]}] ```