Common snapping turtles, monarch butterflies, and pallid sturgeon all call the national park home.
Photo Credits: Common snapping turtle by Laura Dixon. NPS photo of monarch. Pallid Sturgeon photo by Sam Stukel.
Wildlife is abundant in and along the three waterways - the Missouri River, lower 20 miles of the lower Niobrara River, and 8 miles of lower Verdigre Creek - primarily because of the varied habitat. The river and island complexes provide feeding, resting, and breeding areas for water birds and furbearers. The types of wildlife, however, have undergone dramatic changes since the Lewis and Clark Expedition and the later settling of the West.
Amphibians
Ten species are found within the park including frogs, toads, and one species of salamander.
Birds
The Missouri River ecosystem is a significant pathway for migratory birds. Migrating species benefit from bottomland, which serves as wintering, feeding, breeding, and staging grounds. The most notable of the MNRR's bird species are the threatened Piping Plover, endangered Interior Tern, and the magnificent American Bald Eagle.
Fish
Fisheries are significant but different in species composition and total number from the pre-dam Missouri River. Both reaches of the park are recovery priority areas for the endangered pallid sturgeon. Native fish have declined in the park because of migration blockage, loss and change in habitat, decreased turbidity, and competition from new species, all primarily due to the river regulation effect of the mainstem dams.
Mammals
At one time a magnificent array of charismatic mammalian species were found along the Missouri River. Most notable among these were the majestic American Bison and Grizzly Bear. The settling of the west changed this landscape and its species in ways still being studied. Today small mammals, including mice, bats, rats, and ground squirrels make up the bulk of the species within the park.
Reptiles
Even with all the changes that have occurred along the Missouri over the past two centuries, 12 different types of snakes and several species of turtles exist.
Wildlife Watching Tips and How You Can Protect the Park's Wildlife
Watching wildlife is one of the few ways in which we can enjoy the animals that depend upon our public lands without impacting or disturbing them. However, many visitors--often in an attempt to connect more personally with an animal--attempt to enjoy wildlife at arm's reach, offering food. But once you consider the almost entirely negative impacts feeding animals has upon them, it becomes clear that it is far from an act of love or appreciation, but instead an act of cruelty.
Come and drive our parks! Whether you are enjoying the fall foliage in Blue Ridge Parkway, taking in the breathtaking scenery of Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park, or watching the sunrise from Summit Road in Acadia National Park, you should always be aware of your surroundings and drive safely.
Sites:Urban Ecology Research Learning Alliance, Catoctin Mountain Park, Rock Creek Park
Climate change has produced a number of threats to wildlife throughout our parks. Rising temperatures lower many species survival rates due to changes that lead to less food, less successful reproduction, and interfering with the environment for native wildlife. These detrimental changes are already apparent in our National Capital Area parks.
