The wisent Bison bonasus, also known as the European bison or European wood bison, is a species

Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...

 of Eurasia

Eurasia

Eurasia is a continent or supercontinent comprising the traditional continents of Europe and Asia ; covering about 52,990,000 km2 or about 10.6% of the Earth's surface located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres...

n bison

Bison

Members of the genus Bison are large, even-toed ungulates within the subfamily Bovinae. Two extant and four extinct species are recognized...

. It is the heaviest surviving land animal

Terrestrial animal

Terrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land , as compared with aquatic animals, which live predominantly or entirely in the water , or amphibians, which rely on a combination of aquatic and terrestrial habitats...

 in Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

; a typical wisent is about 2.1 to 3.5 m (6.9 to 11.5 ft) long, not counting a tail of 30 to 60 cm (11.8 to 23.6 in) long, and 1.6 to 2 m (5.2 to 6.6 ft) tall. Weight typically can range from 300 to 920 kg (661.4 to 2,028.3 lb), with an occasional big bull to 1000 kg (2,204.6 lb) or more.