Wildlife in Canyonlands National Park

Animals Making Canyonlands Home

The desert animals that live in the park are mostly nocturnal and include Kangaroo Rat, woodrats (also called packrats) and most other small desert rodents, spotted and Striped Skunks, Ringtail, Red Fox, Kit Fox, Gray Fox, Bobcat, Mountain Lion, bats and owls.

Other animals are most active during dawn and dusk hours and include Mule Deer, Desert Bighorn Sheep, Coyote, Badger, Beaver, Muskrat, Porcupine, Desert Cottontail, Black-tailed Jackrabbit and many songbirds.

The handful of animals likely to be seen during the day include Rock Squirrel, antelope squirrels, Colorado Chipmunk, lizards, snakes, hawks and eagles.

Amphibians and Reptiles of Canyonlands NP

Several spiecies of Toad (Spadefoot, Red-spotted, and Woodhouse's), and leopard frogs and Tiger salamanders can be seen. Snakes include black-necked garter, Coachwhip, Gopher, Western Rattlesnake, and the relatively shy Midget-Faded Rattlesnake. Rounding out the reptiles and amphipians are lizards leopard, tree, side-blotched, Eastern Fence, whiptail and Western Collard Lizard.

Birds that Visit Canyonlands

Gambel's Quail, Scrub and Pinyon Jay, Peregrine Falcon and Prairie Falcon, Mallard, Great Blue Heron, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's, Red-tailed Hawk, Golden Eagle, Turkey Vulture, Great Horned Owl, nighthawk, Mourning Dove, Loggerhead Shrike, Black-chinned Hummingbird, Raven, Ash-throated Flycatcher, Black-billed Magpie, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Mountain Bluebird, Blue Grosbeak, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Gray Flycatcher, Bushtit, dark-eyed junco, house finch, Red-winged Blackbird and many kinds of Sparrows Black-throated, Chipping, Cliff.

Tough love for our furry and feathered friends

When visiting, do not, under any circumstances, feed the wildlife or allow wildlife to obtain human food. Animals which obtain food from humans often become aggressive, will sometimes get ill or even die due to a change in diet, and most seriously stop foraging for natural foods and frequently starve to death in winter months when human food is no longer available.

Plantlife that Endures

Plants in the park include drought escapers (those which make use of favorable conditions when they exist) and drought resistors (those capable of growing with little water). Drought escapers are usually annuals that grow only when enough water is available. Seeds may lie dormant for years if conditions are not favorable. Most grasses are escapers, as are wildflowers that bloom after seasonal rains during spring or late summer. Drought resistors are typically perennials. Many have small, spiny leaves that reduce the impact of solar radiation, and some may drop their leaves if water is unavailable. Spines and hairy leaves act to reduce exposure to air currents and solar radiation, limiting the amount of water lost to evaporation. Cacti, yuccas and mosses are examples of drought resistors. Yuccas have extensive taproots that are able to use water beyond the reach of other plants. Moss, a plant not commonly associated with deserts, thrives because it can tolerate complete dehydration: when rains finally return, mosses green up immediately.