Clue Watch: Our Official National Mammal

On May 9, 2016, President Obama signed the National Bison Legacy Act into law, giving the United States of America its first official national mammal.

In its report, ABC News noted that the bison was already the official mammal of three states: Kansas, Oklahoma and Wyoming and appears on the state flags of Wyoming and Kansas.

None of the 2015 ToC players knew that about one of those states in the 11/10/2015 quarterfinal match:

OKLAHOMA! ($1000) It’s the state animal & its first national preserve was founded in Oklahoma in 1907

This one from 4/28/2011 covered one of the state flags with a bison:

STATE FLAGS: A white silhouette of a bison bearing the state seal appears on a blue field on its state flag

Among its many bison clues, Jeopardy! has covered the nickel, state quarters, sports teams, city nicknames and the seal of the U.S. Department of the Interior.

6/9/2014 AMERICAN CITIES ($400) The Bisons are a Triple-A minor league baseball team from this New York city. (They’ve heard the news already

2/16/2011 U.S. GEOGRAPHIC NICKNAMES ($800) Appropriately enough, this New York metropolis is “Bison City”

10/28/2009 STATE QUARTERS ($1200) A bison skull above a diverse landscape & the words “Big Sky Country”

01/15/2008 LOOSE CHANGE ($600) The bison depicted on this coin, 1913 to 1938, was Black Diamond, an animal on exhibit at the N.Y. Zoological Gardens

12/28/2006 FARGO ($1200) Also known as a plains buffalo, it’s the logo & nickname of North Dakota State’s athletic teams

3/27/2001 THE CABINET ($200) Now protected, this huge animal of the plains graces the seal of the Department of the Interior

They even had a clue on the number of ribs the bison has:

11/8/2000 WILD THINGS ($400) While true buffaloes have 13 pairs of ribs, this American counterpart has 14

So we fully expect to see a clue commemorating the new official status of the bison… well, probably not this season. Maybe in Season 33.