Animals

Close up of a cave cricket

NPS

Timpanogos Cave National Monument is a small park; however, within its 250 acres there is a surprising amount of biological diversity. The monument is found nestled within the steeply-walled American Fork Canyon. The elevation ranges from 5,000 feet to 8,000 feet. The American Fork River flows down the center of the monument.

These extreme conditions create desirable habitats for large mammals such as mountain goats, big horn sheep, mountain lion, moose, mule deer, and black bear. The canyon also supports small mammals such as ringtail cats, longtail weasels, raccoons, squirrels, chipmunks, packrats, and bats.

During the canyon's hot summers you may see reptiles such as the great basin rattlesnake, gopher snake, rubber boa, and sagebrush lizard.

The American Fork River supports two species of introduced fish, brown trout and rainbow trout.

The canyon supports commonly seen birds such as the american dipper, broad-tailed hummingbird, canyon wren, orange-crowned warbler, western tanager, violet-green swallow, and stellers jay. Occassional visits are seen from larger birds such as wild turkeys, red-tailed hawks, peregrine falcon, and bald eagles.

For such a small park, the ranging elevations and various vegetation types allow for a large variety of animals.