Did you know, according to Great Basin National Park’s staff, 70 percent of all mammal species occurring in North America call Great Basin home?
Kangaroo rat / Wickipedia Commons
Staff at the park will tell you:
From the kangaroo rat, which can survive without ever drinking water, to the mountain lion that slips through the forest on silent paws, the variety of wildlife is astounding. Don't expect to observe all of these animals at once, as many are secretive and have a low population density. With a little luck, good timing, and patience, a wide variety of mammals may be seen as you hike or drive across the area.
Ok, so what might you see, if you have the patience, a keen eye, and/or the ability to stay awake past your bedtime?
Of the larger mammals, there’s the possibility of spotting mountain lions, coyotes, bobcats, and badgers. You might also see smaller species, such as the black-tailed jack rabbit, kangaroo rat, pack rat, or yellow-bellied marmot. Larger ungulates (hoofed mammals) roaming the Great Basin area are mule deer, pronghorn, and elk.
Kangaroo rat fun fact: they can live their entire lives without ever directly drinking water. Oh, they need water, just as all living things do, but kangaroo rats can get moisture by secondary methods rather than drinking straight from the source. For instance, these little guys store food in cool, damp areas, which allows the grains to collect moisture. They eat the food and get water, too.
Bats are found in Great Basin National Park, too. As a matter of fact, at least 10 species of bats have been found in the vicinity of the park, including the Townsend’s big-eared bat.
Bat fun facts: most bats eat insects and can consume up to one-half their body weight in insects every night. A colony of 10,000 bats (sounds big, but is actually a modest number, according to the National Park service), can consume over 300 pounds of insects in one evening. Even one Little Brown Bat can catch 600 or more mosquitos in one hour! Most insectivorous bats catch their food in flight, often using their wings like a catcher's mitt to capture their prey.
You can read more about Great Basin bats here.
A hummingbird sampling beeweed nectar, Great Basin National Park / Rebecca Latson
Birds are wildlife, too. And Great Basin is home to 98 bird species, according to Audubon.org. Other sites list a higher species count, but this may include birds migrating through on their way to somewhere else that don’t necessarily live within the park. Suffice to say, there’s a lot of birds you might spot with your binoculars, telephoto lens, or just your own two eyes, unaided.
Click here to read more about the bird species you may see while visiting the five different habitats in which they live at Great Basin.
Whatever wildlife you see, remember to not feed it. Yes, some of those cute animals may opportunistically approach you for a handout, but the tidbits you may wish to feed them are not found naturally in their habitat, are not good for their digestive systems, and will make them aggressive toward humans in an effort to get more of those yummy corn chips.
You also want to keep your distance from the wildlife – especially the larger species. Elk, for instance, are not only larger than you, but also dangerous during the rut. The National Park Service cautions remaining a distance of at least 300 feet from the wildlife. If they are affected by your presence, then you are too close. Use your binoculars or your telephoto lens / telephoto setting to get a nice close-up. If you can’t get a close-up, then snap a shot of the wildlife with the landscape to show your viewers the environment in which the wildlife roams and lives.
