This hulking beast just joined the bald eagle as a national animal

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The oak tree, the rose, and the bald eagle have some new company as official symbols of the US.

On May 9th, President Barack Obama signed into law a bill that honors the country's largest land mammal, the American bison, as the national mammal.

It's the perfect choice.

More than 100 years ago, the bison - one of the most majestic, if smelly, creatures on Earth - rebounded from near-extinction. Today, they happily roam all across the country.

Here are some amazing facts about America's most prized animal.