Animals

Explore the Animals of Lake Roosevelt

 

Wildlife is never far away when visiting visit Lake Roosevelt. From the fish leaping in the waves, the cries of red-tailed hawks echoing through the trees, yellow-bellied marmots whistling as they spy a bald eagle searching for lunch, turkeys gobbling and displaying in the roadway, to deer watching from the pine shadows. The lives of all these animals are interconnected and they relate to and shape the environment where they live.

There are nearly 60 mammal species, over 230 varieties of birds, 45 species of fish, and 20 different types of reptiles and amphibians. From scablands to ponderosa pine forest to freshwater aquatic, the park showcases a diverse group of wildlife. The lake is the important life source for all animals in the area. The lakeshore is their shelter, drink, and hunting grounds, and for some, their home.

The National Park Service strives to maintain the natural processes that keep these animal habitats protected. While monitoring and studying changes taking place in animal populations, biologists learn what is changing in the animals environment. Knowing what animals live here help keep them and everyone safe and healthy.

 

Birds

From eagles to geese, finches to woodpeckers; Lake Roosevelt is bursting with bird diversity.

Mammals

Ungulates, carnivores, and rodents are just a few of the many types of mammals at Lake Roosevelt.

Fish

Half the park is underwater. Native, non-native, and invasive fish of many kinds can be found swimming in the lake.

Reptiles

The lake is home to snakes, lizards, and even skinks, slithering around in the brush on the water's edge.

Amphibians

These water and land dwelling animals can be found in and around the lake.

 

Watching Wildlife Safely

Wildlife sightings can be exciting and memorable experiences, but it is important to keep both people and animals safe during any potential encounter. Keep as much distance as possible between yourself and the animal; the larger the animal, the more distance you must maintain. Even if they appear calm and non-threatening, animals can react very quickly and cause damage. Respect wildlife for an enjoyable and safe visit to the park.

 

Stay about 75 feet, or two bus-lengths, from wildlife in national parks.

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Species List

Want a list of most of the species found at Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area? Select a species category below and download a list of all the wildlife found at the lake before you visit the park. Note that the lists are not comprehensive, but updates are added when possible.

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Species Attribute Definitions

Definitions

Occurrence

Occurrence values are defined below. One or more Occurrence Tags may be associated with each Occurrence value.

Present: Species occurs in park; current, reliable evidence available.

Probably Present: High confidence species occurs in park but current, verified evidence needed.

Unconfirmed: Species is attributed to park but evidence is weak or absent.

Not In Park: Species is not known to occur in park.

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Occurrence Tags

Adjacent: Species is known to occur in areas near to or contiguous with park boundaries.

False Report: Species was reported to occur within the park, but current evidence indicates the report was based on misidentification, a taxonomic concept no longer accepted, or other similar problem of error or interpretation.

Historical: Species' historical occurrence in park is documented. Assigned based on judgment as opposed to determination based on age of the most recent evidence.

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Abundance

Abundant:

• Animals: May be seen daily, in suitable habitat and season, and counted in relatively large numbers.
• Plants: Large number of individuals; wide ecological amplitude or occurring in habitats covering a large portion of the park.

Common:

• Animals: May be seen daily, in suitable habitat and season, but not in large numbers.
• Plants: Large numbers of individuals predictably occurring in commonly encountered habitats but not those covering a large portion of the park.

Uncommon:

• Animals: Likely to be seen monthly in appropriate habitat and season. May be locally common.
• Plants: Few to moderate numbers of individuals; occurring either sporadically in commonly encountered habitats or in uncommon habitats.

Rare:

• Animals: Present, but usually seen only a few times each year.
• Plants: Few individuals, usually restricted to small areas of rare habitat.

Occasional:

• Animals: Occurs in the park at least once every few years, varying in numbers, but not necessarily every year.
• Plants: Abundance variable from year to year (e.g., desert plants).

Unknown: Abundance unknown

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Nativeness

Native: Species naturally occurs in park or region.

Non-native: Species occurs on park lands as a result of deliberate or accidental human activities.

Unknown: Nativeness status is unknown or ambiguous.

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List Differences

The Checklist contains only those species that are designated as "present" or "probably present" in the park.

The Full List includes all the checklist species in addition to species that are unconfirmed, historically detected, or incorrectly reported as being found in the park. The full list also contains species that are "in review" because their status in the park hasn't been fully determined. Additional details about the status of each species is included in the full list.

The checklist will almost always contain fewer species than the full list.

Select a Park:

Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area

Select a Species Category (optional):

All Amphibians Birds Fish Mammals Reptiles Vascular Plants

Get Checklist Get Full List List Differences

Species attribute definitions

Search results will be displayed here.

Visit NPSpecies for more comprehensive information and advanced search capability. Have a suggestion or comment on this list? Let us know.