Who Lives in the Park?

All desert birds, animals and reptiles have special adaptations that help them not just live, but thrive in the desert ecosystem. The desert can seem like a harsh environment marked by hot dry summers and cold winters and yet it’s teeming with life. Activity may mostly be in the cool nights and mornings, and with limited plant life and water, desert dwellers need more space to maximize resources. Canyonlands National Park protects 527 square miles of desert habitat, including sections of the Green and Colorado rivers.

Use the image sliders and animal biographies below to learn about some of the animals that live within Canyonlands National Park! As you think about the different adaptations that wildlife have in order to live here, think about how you have adapted to your environment.

Animal 1

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I am so well adapted to the dry desert that I never have to drink water. Who am I?

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A bighorn sheep, rattlesnake, beaver or kangaroo rat?

Like many desert dwelling animals, I like to go underground during the hot, sunny days. I wait inside for the cooler temperatures of night. To help keep more moisture inside my hole, I push dirt into the opening. That way all the moisture from my breathe stays in my hole with me. I’m so well adapted to the dry desert that I never have to drink water. I eat seeds, grasses and sometimes insects. I have big eyes that take in more light to help me see at night. I also hop around on my two big back feet, which is why people call me by another animal’s name. Who am I?

Animal 2

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Am I a bighorn sheep, rattlesnake, beaver or kangaroo rat?

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I use rocky areas to hide from the heat of the day but love to warm my body and my blood on the warm rocks in the morning. Who am I?

The colors on my skin help me to blend in with all the surrounding rocks. I use rocky areas to hide from the heat of the day but love to warm my body and my blood on the warm rocks in the morning. I’m pretty small and my only defense is a painful and dangerous bite. Thankfully I can sound off a warning sound to ask you to please leave me alone. It’s important to watch where you put your hands and feet when walking in the desert because I get scared easily when people come too close. I’m cold blooded and need to hibernate in the winter months. The same rocky spots that help keep me from getting too hot in the summer help keep me from getting too cold in the winter. Who might be hiding in the rocks

Animal 3

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I have specially adapted hooves that help me jump and run along places where other animals cannot. Who am I?

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A bighorn sheep, rattlesnake, beaver or kangaroo rat?

The steep canyon wall and rocky cliffs are where I feel the safest. I have specially adapted hooves that help me jump and run along places where other animals cannot. Like all the other animals here, I am well adapted to desert life. Even in the heat of the summer, I can go two or three days without drinking water. When I do get thirsty, it is important that I have good and safe access to water. In order to walk to water I have to come down from the safety of the cliffs. Getting water and eating plants where there are no people are around is important to me because I am very shy. Can you guess who I am?

Animal 4

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Am I a bighorn sheep, rattlesnake, beaver or kangaroo rat?

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I am called nature's engineer, who am I?

I’m a water loving mammal that eats the wood of trees. I prefer to eat the nutritious willow and cottonwood growing along the banks of the Colorado and Green rivers that flow through Canyonlands National Park. Because of the desert landscape, I have adapted to digging my home into the banks of the rivers where my food grows. I dig a hole that I can swim into from under the water and, inside, the den slopes up to dry ground for my family and I to stay warm. My ability to build dams and dens is why my nickname is “Nature’s Engineer”. Who am I?