Fernandina Beach, founded by the French in 1562, is the oldest European settlement in the continental United States. Saint Augustine, also in Florida was founded in 1565 by the Spanish and is the second oldest. Both cities were established almost fifty years before Jamestown, Virginia, the first English settlement.
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Bison bison - The American bison has 14 pairs of ribs instead of the 13 found in true buffaloes. Great herds of bison once roamed over the vast North American grasslands. The bison was the primary food source for the Native American tribes living in the central plains area. By 1889, the bison herds had been exploited to the brink of extinct, only 541 remained alive in the United States. Through conservation efforts, the American bison has successfully recovered and is now thriving in national parks and protected reserves.
