Mammals

Wind Cave National Park is home to North America's heaviest mammal, the bison, and many other iconic prairie mammals. Follow the links below to find more information on some of Wind Cave's common mammal species. A complete mammal list can be found below, as well as park-specific research and news articles.

 

Bison

Learn about the park's most iconic animal, the American Bison.

Black-Footed Ferret

Black-footed ferrets were reintroduced to the park in 2007.

American Badger

Two badger cubs above their burrow.

Prairie Dog

Prairie dogs are the most common rodent in Wind Cave National Park.

Elk

Rocky Mountain elk are one of the park's most elusive residents.

Pronghorn

Pronghorns are the fastest land mammal in North America.

Mule Deer

Mule deer are commonly observed around the visitor center. Learn more about these deer.

Coyote

Coyotes are the most commonly spotted predator in Wind Cave National Park.

Bats

Bats found in Wind Cave are very small and about the size of a mouse. Bats in the park prefer to roost in trees and rocky overhangs.

Felines

Bobcats and mountain lions are rarely seen in the park.

 

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Species Attribute Definitions

Definitions

Occurrence

Occurrence values are defined below. One or more Occurrence Tags may be associated with each Occurrence value.

Present: Species occurs in park; current, reliable evidence available.

Probably Present: High confidence species occurs in park but current, verified evidence needed.

Unconfirmed: Species is attributed to park but evidence is weak or absent.

Not In Park: Species is not known to occur in park.

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Occurrence Tags

Adjacent: Species is known to occur in areas near to or contiguous with park boundaries.

False Report: Species was reported to occur within the park, but current evidence indicates the report was based on misidentification, a taxonomic concept no longer accepted, or other similar problem of error or interpretation.

Historical: Species' historical occurrence in park is documented. Assigned based on judgment as opposed to determination based on age of the most recent evidence.

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Abundance

Abundant:

• Animals: May be seen daily, in suitable habitat and season, and counted in relatively large numbers.
• Plants: Large number of individuals; wide ecological amplitude or occurring in habitats covering a large portion of the park.

Common:

• Animals: May be seen daily, in suitable habitat and season, but not in large numbers.
• Plants: Large numbers of individuals predictably occurring in commonly encountered habitats but not those covering a large portion of the park.

Uncommon:

• Animals: Likely to be seen monthly in appropriate habitat and season. May be locally common.
• Plants: Few to moderate numbers of individuals; occurring either sporadically in commonly encountered habitats or in uncommon habitats.

Rare:

• Animals: Present, but usually seen only a few times each year.
• Plants: Few individuals, usually restricted to small areas of rare habitat.

Occasional:

• Animals: Occurs in the park at least once every few years, varying in numbers, but not necessarily every year.
• Plants: Abundance variable from year to year (e.g., desert plants).

Unknown: Abundance unknown

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Nativeness

Native: Species naturally occurs in park or region.

Non-native: Species occurs on park lands as a result of deliberate or accidental human activities.

Unknown: Nativeness status is unknown or ambiguous.

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List Differences

The Checklist contains only those species that are designated as "present" or "probably present" in the park.

The Full List includes all the checklist species in addition to species that are unconfirmed, historically detected, or incorrectly reported as being found in the park. The full list also contains species that are "in review" because their status in the park hasn't been fully determined. Additional details about the status of each species is included in the full list.

The checklist will almost always contain fewer species than the full list.

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Species attribute definitions

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