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The American bison, commonly know as the buffalo, has a massive head and forequarters covered with long, dark brown, woolly hair. Some stand six feet at the shoulder and weigh as much as a ton. An estimated 30 to 75 million bison roamed North America and provided critical meat, hides, and other materials to Native Americans. Wanton slaughter after the Civil War nearly exterminated the species in the United States, but small herds have been established in many areas from remnant populations that found refuge in Yellowstone National Park and Canada.