Lone Bison

This lone Bison was near Gardiner, MT near the north entrance of Yellowstone Park.

Yellowstone is the only place in the United States where bison have lived continuously since prehistoric times. Fossils, oral histories from Indian tribes, and the stories of the earliest travelers to this region support this hypothesis. Yellowstone bison historically occupied approximately 7,720 square miles in the headwaters of the Yellowstone and Madison rivers. Today, this range is restricted to primarily Yellowstone National Park and some adjacent areas of Montana. The bison population fluctuates from 2,300 to 5,000 animals.