By H A R I N I
The Northern American Bison and the Bald Eagle are both good choices to be the national symbol, as to this, I say that there can be two national symbols, because the American Bison is a mammal and the Bald Eagle is a bird so, they will have to share the spotlight. In other cases, they are two different (symbols) animals and, there will not be such a fuss about who likes the North American Bison or the Bald Eagle because they are two different species and they are both magnificent American Symbols.
The Bison helped the ecosystem by grazing on the grasslands like a lawnmower by cutting the grass so it wouldn’t get too big. Another is that settlers in the mid-1800 hunted bison, some hunted them for sport, but it didn’t matter how they hunted the Bison, the Bison were getting extinct! Finally, in 1894 it became illegal to kill Bison. It was almost too late because sadly, the population of the Northern American Bison decreased to less than 1,000. Vice President Pat Thomas states that “naming the Bison the National Mammal was an important step in making sure the animal is protected for future generations”.
The Northern American Bison has many good reasons and so does the Bald Eagle. Here are some interesting facts for why the Bison should be a national symbol. The Northern American Bison can run up to 35 MPH. It is also extremely agile, another is that the Bison can spin fast, jump over high fences and they are strong swimmers. An extraordinary fact is that they can live up to 20-25 years or more. The Bison was so famous that in 1898 the American Bison was on a $4 and $10 bill. A female bison weighs about 350 lb. and a male weight about 425 lb.
Source:
1. Times for kids Magazine Edition 3-4. November
11, 2016.vol. 7. No.9
By Harini, Grade IV
