For a landscape as dry- and desolate-looking as Badlands National Park, there are 49 species of mammals, 9 species of reptiles (including the prairie rattlesnake), and 6 species of amphibians calling the park their home. Of these species, four have been reintroduced to the park after having been nearly exterminated from the landscape: bison, black-footed ferret, bighorn sheep, and swift fox. Will you be fortunate enough to see at least one of those four species? Maybe.

Badlands bison, Badlands National Park / Rebecca Latson

The very first thing you might see upon passing through the Pinnacles Entrance at Badlands National Park are bison grazing the mixed-grass prairie. You’ll also see a prairie dog town right next to the road at that entrance. Arrive or leave by that same entrance early in the morning and you might spy a bighorn ram resting in the grass as it watches over its harem.

A prairie dog at a prairie dog town, Badlands National Park / Rebecca Latson

Bighorn ram in the prairie grass wearing quite the fancy collar, Badlands National Park / Rebecca Latson

Of all these species, probably the two most emblematic of Badlands are bison and prairie dogs.

Bison

There are more than 1,000 bison roaming the 244,000 acres (98,743.3 hectares) of landscape in Badlands National Park. Bison have historically lived in the area, but after a devastating loss in the 19^th century, the species was reintroduced to Badlands in 1963, thanks to a herd transferred from Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota.

According to park staff:

These bison are part of the metapopulation of federal bison. A metapopulation is a group of individual populations that are separated spatially, but consist of the same species. For example, the bison at Sully's Hill National Game Preserve, Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge, and Badlands are separated by geographic location, but all make up a large federal herd (a metapopulation) of plains bison.

Metapopulation management allows managers to relocate bison between federal, non-federal, and Tribal herds to help increase genetic diversity and viability of the species … Since 1969, Badlands National Park has provided 4,782 live bison to over 29 Tribes from their annual roundup events. The Park collaborates with the Inter Tribal Bison Council to help restore bison on the Tribal lands.

Bison do not migrate during the winter. They stay in Badlands year-round. Their fur coats are made up of a main coat of coarse fibers called guard hair over an undercoat of very fine, very soft hair next to the skin which serves as warm insulation during the cold months of the year. When it gets warmer, that undercoat is shed.

Bison are behemoths, growing up to 6.5 feet (a little over 2 m) tall and weighing in around 2,000 pounds (1 ton) – a little below half the weight of a small car. Bison can run up to 25 mph (40 kph) and have a vertical leap of 6 feet (1.8 m). So, you don’t want to get close to these “fluffy cows,” not even for a selfie. You should maintain a distance of at least 100 feet (30 m) and use your telephoto lens or smartphone’s telephoto setting for a close-up shot of these unpredictable creatures.

Bison fun fact: You can tell what a bison is feeling by looking at its tail. Truth! If the bison is lifting its tail for anything other than pooping, that means it’s anxious or angry and getting ready to charge. 

To learn more about bison in general and bison at Badlands, click here.

Prairie Dogs

The black-tailed prairie dogs found at Badlands are pip squeaks in comparison. Members of the squirrel family, and related to ground squirrels and chipmunks, prairie dogs measure 14-17 inches (35.6 - 43.2 cm) long and weigh between 1 – 3 pounds (0.45 - 1.4 kg). Almost every piece of level land within the park is populated with underground prairie dog colonies called “towns.” Most colonies cover around 1 square mile (1.6 km) or less, with many rooms used for different purposes such as nurseries, bathrooms, and sleeping areas. At Badlands, you can tell a prairie dog colony by its light mounds of soil atop a darker flat area (or dark mounds of soil over a lighter flat area). There will be always be at least one prairie dog above ground, keeping watch against predators and anything else unusual. If they sense danger, they warn their “townsfolk” with a loud squeal or yip.

Prairie dog fun fact: If you’ve ever watched prairie dogs, have you noticed them randomly jump up, arch their backs and pipe out a weeee-oooo sound? That’s called “jump-yip behavior". The theory is they are testing the responsiveness and alertness of their fellow prairie dog townsfolk, to see if they are also on the lookout for predators. If the others are alert, they too, will stand up and repeat that weee-oooo. If they ignore the jump-yip, then the prairie dog initiating the behavior knows he/she will need to continue being wary on behalf of his/her fellow "townfolk".

Scolding the photographer and sounding the alarm, Badlands National Park / Rebecca Latson

Black-Footed Ferret

Now, here’s an animal species you may not normally see, unless you are out at night near a prairie dog town with your flashlight. Black-footed ferrets are solitary, nocturnal creatures, meaning they are most active at night. You might not think of ferrets as being emblematic of Badlands, but they are a very important part of the park’s ecosystem by keeping the prairie dog population in check, since their favorite food is the prairie dog. You'll find them near, or even living within abandoned prairie dog burrows.

Black-footed ferrets live in abandoned prairie dog burrows and hunt at night, Badlands National Park / NPS file

According to Badlands National Park staff:

Ferrets evolved in Europe between 3 and 4 million years ago, and scientists estimate that black-footed ferrets have been present in North America for at least 100,000 years. Their historic range stretched through the Great Plains, reaching from Canada to Mexico. In the early 1900s, it is likely that the US contained more than 5 million ferrets – a population of great size that didn’t last long.

As European expansion changed the landscape of the American West from wilderness to agricultural lands, different members of the plains ecosystem faced new challenges. In particular, prairie dogs were hit hard, often exterminated on farms and ranches by rodent poisons. Because about 90% of a black-footed ferret’s diet is prairie dog, the ferrets also suffered in great numbers. In 1980, the black-footed ferret was declared extinct.

From 1996-1999, a total of 147 Black-Footed Ferrets were released into the Conata Basin area of Badlands National Park. The population did well, and in 2007, the park was able to capture and transfer 33 ferrets to a new home at Wind Cave National Park, where a population of about 60 ferrets also thrives today.

In 2008, 2009, and 2024, sylvatic plague (known as the Black Death when found in humans) was discovered in Conata Basin. Sylvatic plague is carried by fleas and can be extremely dangerous for ferrets when it infects prairie dogs; since prairie dogs are the majority of a ferret’s diet, if prairie dogs get the plague, it is likely that ferrets will too. In order to minimize this risk, research crews were able to vaccinate some ferrets in addition to dusting prairie dog holes with insecticide to prevent the spread of fleas.

Scientists currently estimate that there are about 120 Black-Footed Ferrets living in Badlands National Park, with Nature Conservancy estimating that about 80 of them remain in the Conata Basin area. Wildlife biology crews still monitor and spotlight for ferrets yearly, keeping close tabs on the health of the populations here. The Badlands is home to one of the only self-sustaining Black-Footed Ferret populations in the world, meaning that the population here doesn’t need to be supplemented by ferrets raised in captivity.

Click here to read more about the wildlife you may see at Badlands (including amphibians and reptiles) and to download and print out a species checklist to help you keep track of your wildlife sightings.