Though the natural quiet of Canyonlands often creates the impression of lifelessness, many animals live here. Birds, lizards and some rodents are seen most frequently, though seasons and weather play a large role in determining what animals are active.
Desert animals have a variety of adaptations for dealing with the temperature and moisture stresses present in Canyonlands. Most desert animals are nocturnal, being most active at night. This can be an adaptation to both predation and hot summer daytime temperatures. Mostly nocturnal animals include kangaroo rats, woodrats (also called packrats) and most other small desert rodents, skunks, ringtails, foxes, bobcats, mountain lions, bats and owls.
Animals that are most active at dawn and dusk are called “crepuscular.” These times of day are cooler than mid-day. The half-dark makes prey animals less visible, yet visibility is good enough to locate food. Some animals are crepuscular mostly because their prey is crepuscular. Crepuscular animals include mule deer, coyotes, porcupines, desert cottontails, black-tailed jackrabbits, and many songbirds.
A few desert animals are primarily active during the day, or “diurnal.” These include rock squirrels, antelope squirrels, chipmunks, lizards, snakes, hawks, and eagles. Many animals have a temperature range in which they are active, so alter their active times of day depending on the season. Snakes and lizards go into an inactive state of torpor during the winter, are active during the day during the late spring and early fall, and become crepuscular during the heat of summer. Many insects alter their times of activity. For example, mosquitoes may be out all night, all day, or at dawn or dusk, depending on temperature.
Locations:Arches National Park, Black Canyon Of The Gunnison National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Capitol Reef National Park, Curecanti National Recreation Area, Dinosaur National Monument, Fossil Butte National Monument, Natural Bridges National Monument, Pipe Spring National Monument, Zion National Parkmore »
Offices:Inventory and Monitoring Division, Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Directorate, Northern Colorado Plateau Inventory & Monitoring Network
Because birds can be sensitive to habitat change, they are good indicators of ecosystem integrity. The Northern Colorado Plateau Network partners with the University of Delaware to assess breeding-bird species trends in three different habitats: low-elevation riparian, pinyon-juniper, and sage shrubland. Find out which species were increasing and declining at network parks as of 2023.
Locations:Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park, Acadia National Park, Agate Fossil Beds National Monument, Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument, Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site, American Memorial Park, Amistad National Recreation Area, Anacostia Park, Aniakchak National Monument & Preserve, Antietam National Battlefield, Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, Appalachian National Scenic Trail, Appomattox Court House National Historical Park, Arches National Park, Arkansas Post National Memorial, Assateague Island National Seashore, Aztec Ruins National Monument, Badlands National Park, Bandelier National Monument, Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site, Big Bend National Park, Big Cypress National Preserve, Big Hole National Battlefield, Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area, Big Thicket National Preserve, Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area, Biscayne National Park, Black Canyon Of The Gunnison National Park, Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park, Blue Ridge Parkway, Bluestone National Scenic River, Booker T Washington National Monument, Bryce Canyon National Park, Buffalo National River, Cabrillo National Monument, Canaveral National Seashore, Cane River Creole National Historical Park, Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Canyonlands National Park, Cape Cod National Seashore, Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Cape Lookout National Seashore, Capitol Reef National Park, Capulin Volcano National Monument, Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site, Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Casa Grande Ruins National Monument, Catoctin Mountain Park, Cedar Breaks National Monument, Chaco Culture National Historical Park, Channel Islands National Park, Charles Pinckney National Historic Site, Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park, Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park, Chickasaw National Recreation Area, Chiricahua National Monument, City Of Rocks National Reserve, Colonial National Historical Park, Colorado National Monument, Congaree National Park, Coronado National Memorial, Cowpens National Battlefield, Crater Lake National Park, Craters Of The Moon National Monument & Preserve, Cumberland Gap National Historical Park, Cumberland Island National Seashore, Curecanti National Recreation Area, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Death Valley National Park, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, Denali National Park & Preserve, Devils Postpile National Monument, Devils Tower National Monument, Dinosaur National Monument, Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve, Effigy Mounds National Monument, Eisenhower National Historic Site, El Malpais National Monument, El Morro National Monument, Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site, Eugene O'Neill National Historic Site, Everglades National Park, Fire Island National Seashore, Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, Fort Bowie National Historic Site, Fort Caroline National Memorial, Fort Davis National Historic Site, Fort Donelson National Battlefield, Fort Frederica National Monument, Fort Laramie National Historic Site, Fort Larned National Historic Site, Fort Matanzas National Monument, Fort Necessity National Battlefield, Fort Pulaski National Monument, Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park, Fort Union National Monument, Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site, Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, Fort Washington Park, Fossil Butte National Monument, Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park, Friendship Hill National Historic Site, Gates Of The Arctic National Park & Preserve, Gateway Arch National Park, Gauley River National Recreation Area, George Washington Memorial Parkway, George Washington Birthplace National Monument, George Washington Carver National Monument, Gettysburg National Military Park, Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument, Glacier National Park, Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Golden Spike National Historical Park, Grand Canyon National Park, Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument, Grand Portage National Monument, Grand Teton National Park, Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site, Great Basin National Park, Great Falls Park, Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Greenbelt Park, Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Guilford Courthouse National Military Park, Gulf Islands National Seashore, Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument, Haleakalā National Park, Harmony Hall, Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, Herbert Hoover National Historic Site, Home Of Franklin D Roosevelt National Historic Site, Homestead National Historical Parkmore »
Offices:Inventory and Monitoring Division, Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Directorate, Northeast Coastal and Barrier Inventory & Monitoring Network, Northeast Temperate Inventory & Monitoring Network, Northern Colorado Plateau Inventory & Monitoring Network, Northern Great Plains Inventory & Monitoring Network, Pacific Island Inventory & Monitoring Network, Rocky Mountain Inventory & Monitoring Network, San Francisco Bay Area Inventory & Monitoring Network, Sierra Nevada Inventory & Monitoring Network, Sonoran Desert Inventory & Monitoring Network, South Florida Caribbean Inventory & Monitoring Network, Southeast Alaska Inventory & Monitoring Network, Southeast Coast Inventory & Monitoring Network, Southern Colorado Plateau Inventory & Monitoring Network, Southern Plains Inventory & Monitoring Network, Southwest Alaska Inventory & Monitoring Network, Upper Columbia Basin Inventory & Monitoring Networkmore »
To steward amphibians effectively, managers need basic information about which species live in parks. But species lists need constant maintenance to remain accurate. Due to recent efforts, the National Park Service now has an up-to-date amphibian species checklist for almost 300 parks. This information can serve as the basis for innumerable conservation efforts across the nation.
Locations:Arches National Park, Black Canyon Of The Gunnison National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Capitol Reef National Park, Colorado National Monument, Curecanti National Recreation Area, Dinosaur National Monument, Fossil Butte National Monument, Natural Bridges National Monument, Pipe Spring National Monument, Zion National Parkmore »
Offices:Inventory and Monitoring Division, Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Directorate, Northern Colorado Plateau Inventory & Monitoring Network
Because birds can be sensitive to habitat change, they are good indicators of ecosystem integrity. The Northern Colorado Plateau Network partners with the University of Delaware to assess breeding-bird species trends in three different habitats: low-elevation riparian, pinyon-juniper, and sage shrubland. Find out which species were increasing and declining at network parks as of 2022.
Locations:Arches National Park, Black Canyon Of The Gunnison National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Capitol Reef National Park, Colorado National Monument, Curecanti National Recreation Area, Dinosaur National Monument, Fossil Butte National Monument, Natural Bridges National Monument, Pipe Spring National Monument, Zion National Parkmore »
Offices:Inventory and Monitoring Division, Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Directorate, Northern Colorado Plateau Inventory & Monitoring Network
Because birds can be sensitive to habitat change, they are good indicators of ecosystem integrity. The Northern Colorado Plateau Network partners with the University of Delaware to assess breeding-bird species trends in three different habitats: low-elevation riparian, pinyon-juniper, and sage shrubland. Find out which species were increasing and declining at network parks as of 2021.
Locations:Canyonlands National Park, Capitol Reef National Park
Capitol Reef National Park’s bighorn sheep herd grew almost fourfold since being introduced from Canyonlands over two decades ago. Now the herd is at risk from a debilitating disease.
The author describes what he saw in the weeks he spent informally observing desert bighorn sheep during the 2020 pandemic closure in Canyonlands National Park.
