WASHINGTON — (CNN) The North American bison is officially the national mammal of the United States, after President Obama signed the National Bison Legacy Act into law Monday.

The law, H.R. 2908, honors the historical and contemporary significance of the majestic animal, and the President’s signature affirms the bison’s recognition many groups have pushed for.

“No other indigenous species tells America’s story better than this noble creature,” Rep. William Lacy Clay, D-Missouri, one of the bill’s co-authors, said in a statement.

Both the House and the Senate passed the bill at the end of April.

The-CNN-Wire ™ & © 2016 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved. (PHOTO: )