Near extinction in the 19th century

Gary recounts how hunting, railroads, and policy reduced tens of millions to under a thousand.

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For thousands of years, one animal shaped the ecology, culture, and history of an entire continent.

In vast herds that once numbered in the tens of millions, the North American bison dominated the Great Plains, sustaining Indigenous societies and transforming the landscape itself.

Yet within a single human lifetime, they were driven to the brink of extinction. Their story is one of abundance, destruction, and survival against extraordinary odds.

Learn more about the North American bison on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.

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