Big Bend Digital Junior Ranger

Have you wanted to explore Big Bend from home? Now you can!
Learn about the park's geology, paleontology, ecology, human history, and night skies with our online Digital Junior Ranger program.

To begin, scroll down to the button below and click "Let's Go!" From there you can start reading and enjoying the images, videos, and maps in any section that you'd like. Afterwards, you can scroll down to the quizzes below and see what you learned by answering the questions. To see if you're right, click on the question to reveal the answers.

Once you've finished the quiz, you can claim your prize!
Each section has its own official certificate.

 

Your Online Expedition!

Big Bend Digital Junior Ranger Let's Go!

 

Junior Ranger Quizzes

Geology, Fossils, Animals, Plants...
See how much you learned about Big Bend National Park!

• Earn your official certificates

 

Geology

 

True or False: Volcanoes make sedimentary rocks

False! Volcanoes make igneous rocks.

True or False: The Big Bend area has always been a desert

False! What we now call the Big Bend was once under a large inland sea.

What is plate tectonics?

Plate tectonics is a term used to describe the movement of plates on the Earth's crust. 

Big Bend has the southern-most expression of which mountain chain?

The southern-most expression of the Ouachitas, the Appalachians, and the Rockies can be found inside the park!

What made the Chisos Mountains?

Volcanic activity.

 

Big Bend Digital Junior Geology Ranger certificate

NPS/MDolan

To claim your certificate, right click on the image and select "Save image as."

 

Fossils

What was the largest flying animal to take to the skies?

Quetzalcoatlus, named for the Aztec flying serpent god Quetzalcoatl.

How far back does Big Bend's fossil record go?

130 million years.

True or False: The Big Bend area still had dinosaurs 10,000 years ago.

False! By 10,000 years ago mammals had taken over after the dinosaurs went extinct. 

What kind of animal was Deinosuchus?

A large, early crocodile.

What types of fossils do we have in the Big Bend?

Coprolites, permineralized bone, and impression fossils are examples of what we find in the park.

 

Big Bend Digital Junior Fossil Ranger certificate

NPS/MDolan

To claim your certificate, right click on the image and select "Save image as."

 

Ecology

Is the Chihuahuan Desert an example of a biome, habitat, or ecosystem?

A biome.

What river is the lifeblood of the Chihuahuan Desert?

The Rio Grande.

What animal is called the paisano, or "countryman"?

The roadrunner.

Why is it important to protect the Big Bend Gambusia?

Because there are so few of them left in the wild with limited places they can survive. 

Why are the park's black bears important?

Because they are an example of how a species that has been pushed out can return to their natural habitats. 

 

Big Bend Digital Junior Ecology Ranger certificate

NPS/MDolan

To claim your certificate, right click on the image and choose "Save image as."

 

Human History

How long have humans lived in the Big Bend area?

13,000 years.

Quicksilver is another name for ______?

Mercury.

What group of people came to the Big Bend area in the 1500s and set up colonies?

The Spanish.

Quicksilver and wax were important resources during which war?

World War 1.

Which indigenous groups lived in the Big Bend before the Spanish arrived?

The Concha, the Jumano, and the Patarubueyes. 

 

Big Bend Digital Junior Human History Ranger certificate

NPS/MDolan

To claim your certificate, right click on the image and select "Save image as."

 

Dark Skies

What groups of plants and animals are dark skies important to?

All of them! Plants and animals need darkness to bloom on time, for migration, and to stay healthy.

True or False: There's nothing we can do to protect our dark skies.

False! There are many ways we can protect our night skies, including using night sky friendly lighting.

What bat found in the park is an important nocturnal pollinator?

The Mexican Long-Nosed Bat.

What roles have the stars played in human clutures?

They've been used as navigation aides, been markers for important dates, and have inspired many stories.

What part or our eyes allows us to see in the dark?

The rods.

 

Big Bend Digital Junior Night Sky Ranger certificate

NPS/MDolan

To claim your certificate, right click the image and select "Save image as."