Wildlife
Below and above ground, many animals call the park home ... and some live nowhere else on Earth.
Plan Around Wildlife
A good stop is not just something to read about. Once it belongs on the day, move into a saved trip and build the route around it.
Use this detail page to confirm that the stop is worth it, then carry that decision into a trip draft while the park context is still fresh.
Wildlife Details
Wildlife in the park is diverse and, in many cases, fragile. More than 130 species regularly inhabit the cave alone. Species are called troglobites if they live exclusively in the cave, troglophiles if they can complete their life cycle in or out of caves, and trogloxenes if they use the cave for refuge. The converging of many ecosystems, the influence of different climates, and a tremendous range of physical features combine to make the caves in this area some of the most diverse communities in the world. Many cave-dwelling creatures, especially troglobites, have evolved to be so adapted to cave life that they have no pigmentation, no eyes, or have specialized sensory organs for life without light. No large bat colonies currently inhabit the cave, but there are 12 species of bats found here, including two endangered species. Crickets play an important role in supplying the underground inhabitants of the cave as prey and with their droppings, eggs, and carcasses. Above ground, animal inhabitants of the park include white-tailed deer, fox, raccoons, opossum, woodchucks, beavers, rabbits, squirrels, mice, and chipmunks, as well as many amphibians, reptiles (including rattlesnakes and copperheads), birds, and fish. The park's Green River is home to more species of freshwater mussels than any other river in the country, and seven of those species are endangered.
Difficulty
Open
Distance
N/A
Estimated time
N/A
Region
Learn About the Park
Nearby Parks Around Wildlife
Compare nearby parks around Wildlife when deciding whether to expand the route after this stop.
Nearby Points of Interest Around Wildlife
Use nearby POIs to quickly expand your options beyond Wildlife while the map context is still fresh.
0.0 mi away
Jessie Benton Fremont
An early advocate of the Park, without her work behind the scenes, Yosemite might not exist today.
0.0 mi away
ZERO LANDFILL IN THE PARKS:
THE YOSEMITE, GRAND TETON AND DENALI PROGRAM
0.0 mi away
30-Minute Helicopter Ride
Fly rim-to-rim in a half-hour.
0.0 mi away
50-Minute Airplane Tour
The ultimate Canyon airplane tour.
0.0 mi away
50-Minute Helicopter Tour
Offering aerial tours of the North and South Rims as well as the Grand Canyon's East Rim.
