The bison of the genus bison in North America are large and toed.

Two living species and six extinct species were identified. Five of the six species were extinct in the Quaternary extinction event. Bison palaeosinensis originated from the early Pleistocene in South Asia. It is the evolutionary ancestor of B. priscus, and bison is the ancestor of all other bison species. From 2 million years ago to 6000 B.C., the prairie bison were distributed in the whole mengoth grassland, living in B. schoetensacki (Woodland bison) in Europe and North Asia, and B. antiquus, B. in North America. Latifrons and B. occidentalis. The last species to die out was B. occidentalis, which was inherited by Bacillus bison in 3000 BC.

Among the two remaining species, B. bison was found in large numbers only in North America. Although commonly known as Buffalo in the United States and Canada, it is only remotely related to real buffalo. The North American species consists of two subspecies: plain bison B. B. Bison and bison B. B. Athabascae, with the same name as Canada's woodbuffalo National Park. Third subspecies, Eastern bison (B.B. Pennsylvanicus) is no longer regarded as an effective taxon, it is B. B. A primary synonym for. Bison. [3] The term "forest bison" or "forest bison" from the eastern United States refers confusedly to the subspecies, not to B. Athabascae, not found in the region. European bison, B. Bonasus, or wise men, was found in Europe and the Caucasus and reintroduced after extinction in the wild.

Although all bison species belong to their own genera, sometimes they breed with domestic cattle (BOS) and sometimes produce fertile offspring called bifaro or zubrun.