Animals

Many animal species make Jewel Cave National Monument their home. Most live in the ponderosa pine forest and open meadows on the surface above the cave, but some also live in the cave itself. Jewel Cave National Monument hosts one of the largest bat hibernations in the western United States with ten species found at Jewel Cave National Monument and seven species making the cave their winter home. Many bird species migrate annually through Jewel Cave National Monument including birds of prey, several species of woodpecker and multiple varieties of small seedeaters. Mammals are among the more exciting animals to see; we are home to bighorn sheep, mule deer, mountain lions and many more. Reptiles, mostly snakes, thrive on the rocky surface of Jewel Cave National Monument. We are home to nine species of snakes, but don’t worry: only one is venomous and the prairie rattlesnake is rarely seen.