Territorial Claims Wayside

The Territorial Claims wayside provides a brief introduction to the native wildlife at the park.

NPS Photo

Quick Facts

Location:

Brownsville, TX

Main Text

US and Mexican soldiers fought for control of this prairie, but other creatures have long claimed this field as their own. As development in the Rio Grande delta reduces the amount of open lands, animals wage fierce battles for a place in the shrinking habitat.

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Animals like the bobcat and the jackrabbit once were common sights in the Rio Grande Valley. Today, land where these animals can roam freely is rapidly giving way to houses and highways.

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Fiddler crabs thrive on the coastal plain, digging burrows deep down to the salty ground water below. Often, they become prey to the curlew, which has a bill that can reach deep into those  tunnels.

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Many modern residents of this site are descendants of animals that roamed the brush and prairie of 1846. Like their ancestors, they fight to carve out a niche in which to live.

Image descriptions 

Background
View of the coastal prairie.

Bottom leftmost
Adult black-tailed jackrabbit.

Bottom left
Close up of adult bobcat.

Center rear
Long-billed curlew walking on the coastal prairie.

Center forward
Fiddler crab

Bottom right
Adult coyote near the edge of a pond.

Bottom rightmost
Ground squirrel on a branch.