The establishment of Wind Cave National Game Preserve in 1912 brought the reintroduction of bison, elk, and pronghorn to the park. That legacy of wildlife protection continues to this day with the recent reintroduction of the black-footed ferret. Some of the park's wildlife includes:
Amphibians & Reptiles
- Blotched Tiger Salamander - Ambystoma tigrinum
- Woodhouse's Toad - Anaxyrus woodhousii
- Great Plains Toad - Anaxyrus cognatus
- Upland Chorus Frog - Pseudacris triseriata
- Common Snapping Turtle - Chelydra serpentina
- Bullsnake - Pituophis melanoleucus
- Prairie Rattlesnake - Crotalus viridis
- Wandering Garter Snake - Thamnophis elegans
Birds
- Mallard - Anas platyrhynchos
- Sharp-tailed Grouse - Pedioecetes phasianellus
- Wild Turkey - Meleagris gallopavo, merriami
- Red-tailed Hawk - Buteo jamaicensis
- Turkey Vulture - Cathartes aura
- Prairie Falcon - Falco mexicanus
- Killdeer - Charadrius vociferus
- Mourning Dove - Zenaida macroura
- Burrowing Owl - Athene cunicularia
- Common Nighthawk - Chordeiles minor
- Northern Flicker - Colaptes auratus
- Eastern Kingbird - Tyrannus tyrannus
- Cliff Swallow - Petrochelidon pyrrhonota
- Black-capped Chickadee - Parus atricapillus
- Yellow Warbler - Dendroica petechia
- Western Tanager - Piranga ludoviciana
- Western Meadowlark - Sturnella neglecta
- Brewer's Blackbird - Euphagus cyanocephalus
Mammals
- Black-footed ferret - Mustela nigripes
- American Badger - Taxidea taxus
- Coyote - Canis latrans
- Mountain Lion - Felis concolor
- Black-tailed prairie dog - Cynomys ludovicianus
- Desert Cottontail - Sylviagus audubonii
- Little Brown Bat - Myotis lucifigus
- Townsend's Big-eared Bat - Corynorhinus townsendii
- Bison - Bison bison
- Elk - Cervus elaphus
- Mule Deer - Odocoileus hemionus
- Pronghorn (Antelope) - Antilocapra americana
- Red Squirrel - Tamiasciurus hudsonicus
- Least Chipmunk - Tamias minimus
View the YouTube video Restoring the Thunder: Bison Conservation in the Great Plains National Parks about the restoration of the American bison to the Great Plains.
Explore the Time Line of the American Bison created by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Click here for more information about reintroducing wildlife to Wind Cave National Park.
