Colorado River > Grand Canyon - National Park Desert Gazette
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Wildlife in the Grand Canyon

Coniferous Forest Habitat

Amphibians
The Utah tiger salamander and the Great Basin spadefoot toad are two amphibians that are common in the rim forests. They live in the North Rim's moist grasslands near ponds or stock tanks and in more mesic habitats on the South Rim. The Arizona tiger salamander and the Great Plains toad are more rare and are seldom seen.

Birds
Of the approximately 90 bird species that breed in the coniferous forests, 51 are summer residents and at least 15 of these are known to be neotropical migrants. Impacts to bird populations from natural and prescribed fire activities are largely unknown, but forest fires undoubtedly affect species distributions and population levels. Goshawks and spotted owls are threatened elsewhere in the southwest from logging activities. Goshawks in particular, and to a lesser extent spotted owls, find refuge in the park primarily in the conifer forests and upper side canyons along the North and South rims.

Insects, Spiders, Centipedes, Millipedes
Numerous insects and arachnids live in Grand Canyon National Park's desert scrub and coniferous forest habitats. Some of the common insects found at elevations above 2,000 feet are orange paper wasps, honey bees, black flies, tarantula hawks, stink bugs, beetles, black ants, and monarch and swallowtail butterflies. While scorpions are found mostly in the lower elevations, solpugids, wood spiders, garden spiders, black widow spiders and tarantulas can be found crawling around in the higher elevations.

Mammals
The conifer forests provide habitat for 52 mammal species. Porcupines, shrews, red squirrels, tassel eared Kaibab and Abert squirrels, black bear, mule deer, and elk are found at the park's higher elevations on the Kaibab Plateau.

Reptiles
Reptiles can also be found in Grand Canyon's rim forests. There are a variety of snakes and lizards here, but one species of reptile, the mountain short-horned lizard, is a particularly abundant inhabitant of the piņon-juniper and ponderosa pine forests.

Mammals
Reptiles
Birds
Insects
Amphibians
Crustaceans
Fish
Mollusks

Riparian
Desert Scrub
Coniferous Forest
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These items are historical in scope and are intended for educational purposes only; they are not meant as an aid for travel planning.
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