4 Types of Bison in South Dakota

4 types of bison have a verified observation record in South Dakota. The most frequently recorded are American Bison, Bighorn Sheep and Mountain Goat. Here is the full list, ranked by how often each is reported on iNaturalist.

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4 types of bison have a verified observation record in South Dakota. The most frequently recorded are American Bison, Bighorn Sheep and Mountain Goat. Here is the full list, ranked by how often each is reported on iNaturalist.

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Real sighting data, source iNaturalist

5,441 verified observations on iNaturalist of bison have been recorded in South Dakota, most often in July, June, August.

Species recorded in South DakotaVerified observations
American Bison3,010
Bighorn Sheep2,005
Mountain Goat403
Domestic Cattle13

When bison are recorded in South Dakota

Verified species, source iNaturalist

4 types of bison recorded in South Dakota

4 bison species have a verified observation record in South Dakota, each with at least 10 confirmed sightings. The full list, ranked by how often each is recorded, is below.

#SpeciesScientific nameVerified records
1American BisonBison bison3,015
2Bighorn SheepOvis canadensis2,008
3Mountain GoatOreamnos americanus405
4Domestic CattleBos taurus13

Counts from verified iNaturalist observations.

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Top South Dakota Bison Gifts

The American Bison (Bison bison) is the most commonly recorded, with 3,015 verified observations — about 55% of all bison reported in South Dakota. If you spot a bison here, it is statistically most likely to be this one.