African buffalo vs American bison

Syncerus caffer compared with Bison bison

Key Differences

• African buffalo is Near Threatened while American bison is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	African buffalo	American bison
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Mammalia (Mammals)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order same	Artiodactyla (Even-toed Ungulates)	Artiodactyla (Even-toed Ungulates)
Family same	Bovidae (Bovids)	Bovidae (Bovids)
Genus	Syncerus	Bison
Species	Syncerus caffer	Bison bison

Evolutionary Relationship

African buffalo and American bison share a common ancestor at the Family level: Bovidae. (Bovids)

Conservation Status

African buffalo

NT — Near Threatened

American bison

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	African buffalo	American bison
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

African buffalo

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

American bison

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (4 countries), North America (United States), and South America (Colombia).

African buffalo

The African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) is a species in the genus Syncerus. It is currently classified as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List. This species inhabits Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

American bison

The American bison (Bison bison) is a species in the genus Bison. Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.