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Only two species of amphibians have been positively identified in the southern Snake Range and adjacent portions of Snake and Spring valleys--the spadefoot toad (Scaphiopus hammondi) and the leopard frog (Rana pipiens). The current status of these species in this area is unknown. The following list includes these species as well as species that potentially could occur in this area, based on their wider distribution and habitat requirements.
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sighting |
| Tiger Salamander | Ambystoma tigrinum nebulosum Holowell | Expected to occur in or near the park |
| Great Basin Spadefoot Toad | Scaphiopus hammondi intermontanus Cope | Expected to occur in or near the park |
| Western Toad | Bufo boreas boreas Baird and Girard | Occurs throughout most of Nevada, except Amargosa and Colorado River Basins, Reportedly collected in White Pine Co. but not near the park |
| Woodhouse Toad | Bufo woodhousei woodhousei Girard | Expected to occur in or near the park |
| Pacific Treefrog | Hyla regilla Baird and Girard | Occurs in most counties in Nevada |
| Western Leopard Frog | Rana pipiens brachycephala Cope | Expected to occur in or near the park |
| Spotted Frog | Rana pretiosa | Possibly occurs in or near the park |
| Bullfrog | Rana catesbeiana Shaw | Non-native but introduced in many parts of Nevada, Not reported in or near the Snake Range |
Explanatory Notes:
Local amphibian populations have received almost no scientific study. They have not been inventoried, are not being monitored, and are rarely reported. Please report any sitings to the Resource Management Branch of the park.
The left tibio-fibula of a "small toad" was identified in the vertebrate fauna (Recent) from the Lehman Caves Entrance archeological site (Zeigler 1964). The species was not determined.
REFERENCES
Baggs, J.E. 1993. Annotated bibliography of biological collections from Great Basin National Park. Volume II: Fauna. Cooperative Park Studies Unit, University of Nevada; Las Vegas.
Banta, B.H. 1965a. A distributional checklist of the Recent amphibians inhabiting the state of Nevada. Biological Society of Nevada Occasional Papers No. 7. 4 pp.
Banta, B.H. 1965b. An annotated chronological bibliography of the herpetology of the state of Nevada. The Wasmann Journal of Biology 23(1-2):1-224.
BLM. 1971. Annotated list of the amphibians and reptiles of the Ely BLM District. Bureau of Land Management; Ely, NV.
BLM. 1980. Nongame species literature search in support of wildlife inventories in the Elko, Ely, and Battle Mountain BLM Districts of Nevada. Bureau of Land Management; Reno, NV.
Gomez, D. 1994. Conservation assessment for the spotted frog (Rana pretiosa) in the Intermountain Region, USFS. U.S. Forest Service; Ogden, UT.
Linsdale, J.M. 1940. Amphibians and reptiles in Nevada. Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences 73(8):197-257.
Stebbins, R.C. 1985. A field guide to Western reptiles and amphibians. Houghton Mifflin; Boston.
Stebbins, R.C. 1954. Amphibians and reptiles of western North America. McGraw-Hill; New York.
Tanner, W.W. 1978. Zoogeography of reptiles and amphibians in the Intermountain Region. Great Basin Naturalist Memoirs No. 2:43-53.
Tanner, W.W. 1989. Draft list of amphibians and reptiles expected to occur in Great Basin National Park. Personal correspondence on file in GRBA office.
USFWS. 1996. Proposed and Candidate animal and plant species. Federal Register; February 28, 1996.
Ziegler, A. 1964. Animal bones from Lehman Caves National Monument. pp. 42-66 in Rozaire, C. 1964. The archeology at Lehman Caves National Monument. Nevada State Museum; Carson City.
Bats fill a variety of roles in natural ecosystems. Yet despite their uses, they are often poorly understood by humans.
What are bats? Bats are mammals. Bats have fur, give live birth, and feed milk to their young. They are, however, the only mammals capable of true flight. Although the German word for bat, "fledermaus," translates to "flying mouse," bats are not rodents. They are more closely related to primates than they are to mice. Biologists place bats in their own order, Chiroptera, which means "hand-wing" because their wings are supported by the bones in their hands.
Chiroptera is a large order with over 900 species. Bats account for 20% of the world's mammals! They are marvels of evolution and adaptation.
Bats are not blind, despite popular belief. They can see, but also use a "high-tech" system of high frequency sound to "see" with their ears. This natural form of sonar is called echolocation and it is also used by whales, dolphins, and shrews.
Bats are found on every continent except Antartica and fill a wide variety of niches in the ecosystem. They range in size from the world's smallest mammal, a bat the size of a bumblebee, to bats with six foot wing spans, known as flying foxes.
The majority of bats eat insects and are the only major predator of night flying insects such as moths, mosquitos, and beetles. There is nothing else that fills this niche in the ecosystem. Due to their high metabolism they have huge appetites and can consume up to one half their body weight in insects every night. A colony of 10,000 bats, a modest number as bat colonies go, 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 mit to capture their prey.
Not all bats eat insects. Fruit bats, found in tropical and subtropical regions, often roost in trees and can be seen during the day. They are the most important seed dispersing animals in the tropics. Few fruit bats use echolocation. They rely on their sense of smell and eyesight.
Also in the tropics and subtropics, countless species of trees and shrubs are pollinated by nectar and pollen eating bats. Three species in the southwestern United States are responsible for pollinating such plants as the Organ Pipe Cactus and Saguaro cacti. Plants pollinated by bats give us such products as avocados, bananas, cashews, dates, figs, peaches, and tequilla.
Other bat species have different dietary needs. There are bats that eat rodents, birds, lizards, frogs, and other bats. There are fishing bats that use their sonar to detect ripples on the surface of a pond caused by fish. And, of course, vampire bats, the only mammals that live entirely on blood. There are three species and they are found only in Latin America. The amount of blood these bats consume can be measured in tablespoons rather than in pints. They do not suck blood, but lap it up after inflicting a small wound. Small mammals and birds are their natural prey, but with the introduction of ranching in Latin America, cattle have become an easy and plentiful source of food. This has increased the vampire bat population to artificially high levels.
Another common myth is that bats are carriers of rabies; that they transmit the disease while being immune to it. In truth, bats are very clean animals. Like any mammal, they can contract rabies. However, less than one half of one percent actually do. Like other mammals, when they contract rabies they die quickly. But unlike other animals, bats rarely become aggressive.
Although by nature very gentle creatures, it is important to remember that bats are wild animals. They will bite out of self defense. Any animal that can be caught is more likely than others to be sick. Use leather work gloves or a towel to remove a grounded bat to an area away from contact with people and pets.
Bats are in trouble everywhere. Within the last 40 years, bat populations have declined dramatically. Many bat colonies have been devastated due to interference by man. Insecticides and other poisons have been introduced into the bats' food chain. There has been severe loss of habitat for bats. The rain forests, home to many species of bats, are shrinking daily. Ironically, the loss of bats, in turn, contributes to the loss of rain forests due to the role of bats in propagating hundreds of plant species. Close to home, in the U.S. and Mexico, commercialization, outright destruction, vandalism, and human disturbances in caves used by bats for roosting is devastating their numbers. It is too late for some species, but not for others. There are actions we can take to protect bats, to save and restore habitat.
Two-thirds of bat species found in the United States, including some of the most endangered and threatened species, now use abandoned mine shafts as roosting sites. Some of these bats have been disturbed from their natural roosts by human activities such as recreational caving and cave commercialization. Like caves, mines offer a stable microclimate. Bats use mines as maternity roosts, hibernacula (winter roosts), and day and night roosts. For some species, mines are a permanent, year-round home.
This region of Utah and Nevada is rich in mining history, but that history has left a legacy of potentially dangerous abandoned mines. Possible hazards include cave-ins, deep water at the bottom of shafts, poisonous gases, and discarded explosives. Often these dangerous entrances are backfilled or blasted closed. However, this can be very damaging to populations of bats using those mines.
There are alternatives. It is not necessary to sacrifice human safety for bat protection. Another method of reclaiming mines is to gate them, using a gate with openings (a grate) just big enough to allow bats to pass through. But because gating requires more time and expense than other methods of mine closure, it is not likely to be used unless the public demands it. If you know of a mine that is scheduled for closure, find out if a biological survey has been conducted. In many cases, officials are unaware of the importance of mines to bats and the crucial role bats play in the ecosystem. A source of information on this subject is:
Bat Conservation International, Inc.
PO BOX 162603
Austin, TX 78716
Great Basin National Park is currently working on several projects to make abandoned minelands in the park safer and to mitigate environmental effects. Technicians perform bat outflight surveys at the entrances of dangerous shafts and adits. If bats are present that affects the method of closure used. In some cases, bat- friendly gates will be installed. This compromises protects both human safety and bat habitat.
There are only insectivorous bats in the Great Basin. At least 10 species of bats have been found in the vicinity of Great Basin National Park, including the Townsend's Big-eared Bat. Subspecies of this bat have been listed as threatened, endangered or species of special concern by the federal government and several state governments. There is a maternity colony of several thousand Big Free-tailed Bats in Rose Guano Cave (visible from US 6&50 in the northwest part of the South Snake Range).
Many types of birds can be found in Great Basin National Park and the surrounding area. A large variety of birds can be seen in the many different habitats encountered between the town of Baker (5,280 feet elevation) and the end of the Scenic Drive (10,000 feet elevation). Many birds such as the Common Raven, Northern Flicker and the American Robin, can be found in more than one type of habitat. Ask for a working checklist of all the birds found in Great Basin National Park. The Park encourages reporting of sightings of birds listed as uncommon or not found on the current checklist. The following is a listing of a few of the birds and some of the areas with easy access where specific birds may be found.
On your drive up from Baker, in the sagebrush grasslands, birds one might see include: Killdeer, Long-billed Curlew, Golden Eagle, Northern Harrier, Common Raven, American Kestrel, Red-tailed Hawk, California Quail, the Eurasian Chukar, Sage Grouse, Mourning Dove, Horned Lark, Scrub Jay, Black-billed Magpie, Western Kingbird, Barn Swallow, Loggerhead Shrike, Song Sparrow, Black-throated Sparrow, Cassin's Finch, European Starling, Red-winged Blackbird, and Western Meadowlark.
If you are lucky you could also see birds such as ducks and other waterbirds flying overhead, moving from one pond to another. Some of these include; Great Blue Heron, Canada Geese, Sandhill Crane, Mallard, Green-winged Teal, Northern Pintail, Northern Shoveler, Cinnamon Teal. During the winter a lucky sighting could include a Bald Eagle on a telephone pole.
At dusk or dawn during the summer, stop and listen for the whinnying of Common Snipe, for the call of a Common Poor-will, Great Horned Owl or the "bull-bat" roar of a Common Nighthawk. Watch out for the "copper penney colored" eye of the Poor-will reflecting in your headlights. They often view the roadway as the perfect clearing for their habit of "flycatching" from the ground.
As you enter the Pinyon-juniper woods, and stop at the Lehman Caves Visitor Center, some of the same birds may be seen, but you may also start seeing, Mountain Chickadee, Broad-tailed, Black-chinned and Rufous Hummingbirds, Pinyon Jay, Mountain Bluebird, Solitary Vireo, Say's Phoebe, and White-crowned Sparrow.
At Baker Creek Campground, the mixture of sagebrush, pinyon-juniper and stream side plants brings in the American Dipper, as well as Mountain Chickadee, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Cassin's Finch, Black-chinned and Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Mountain Bluebird, Western Tanager and Black-headed Grosbeak.
A walk through the Ponderosa pines along Lehman Creek, in Upper Lehman Creek Campground may reveal Violet-green Swallow, Red-naped Sapsucker, Downy and Hairy Woodpecker, Mountain Chickadee, Bushtit, White-breasted Nuthatch, House Wren, Warbling Vireo, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Black-headed Grosbeak, Chipping Sparrow as well as Green-tailed Towhee, Rufous-sided Towhee, Dark-eyed Junco, and Brown-headed Cowbird.
At Wheeler Peak Campground, and along the Alpine Lake Loop, aspens, and limber pines attract a variety of birds including; Clark's Nutcrackers, Stellar's Jays, Townsend's Solitaire, Mountain Chickadee, Bushtit, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Pine Siskin, Brown Creeper, Pygmy Nuthatch, and Cooper's Hawk. On occasion, one may find Red Crossbills if you are lucky.
A hike to the small glacier takes one through the ancient bristlecone pine forest to an area where very little vegetation exists. In the vicinity of the glacier and the rock glacier below, one can usually find the "Black" form of the Rosy Finch, as well as Rock Wren, and the ubiquitous Raven
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sighting |
| Common Loon | Gavia immer | Uncommon, Migrant |
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sighting |
| Clark’s Grebe | Aechmophorus clarkii | Rare, Summer Resident, Migrant |
| Western Grebe | Aechmophorus occidentalis | Rare, Summer Resident, Migrant |
| Eared Grebe | Podiceps nigricollis | Rare, Summer Resident, Migrant |
| Pied-billed Grebe | Podilymbus podiceps | Uncommon, Migrant |
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sighting |
| American White Pelican | Pelecanus erythrorhynchos | Rare, Migrant |
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sighting |
| Double-crested Cormorant | Phalacrocorax auritus | Common, Migrant |
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sighting |
| American Bittern | Botaurus lentiginosus | Accidental, Winter Resident |
| Cattle Egret | Bubulcus ibis | Accidental |
| Black-crowned Night Heron | Nycticorax nycticorax | Rare, Migrant |
| Snowy Egret | Egretta thula | Uncommon, Summer Resident, Migrant |
| Great Egret | Casmerodius albus | Rare, Summer Resident |
| Great Blue Heron | Ardea herodias | Uncommon, Summer Resident, Migrant |
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sighting |
| White-faced Ibis | Plegadis chihi | Rare, Summer Resident, Migrant |
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sighting |
| Tundra Swan | Cygnus columbianus | Rare, Winter Resident, Migrant |
| Snow Goose | Chen caerulescens | Uncommon, Migrant |
| Canada Goose | Branta canadensis | Common, Summer Resident, Migrant |
| Wood Duck | Aix sponsa | Uncommon, Winter Resident |
| Mallard | Anas platyrhynchos | Common, Resident |
| Gadwall | Anas strepera | Common, Migrant |
| American Wigeon | Anas americana | Uncommon, Migrant |
| Northern Pintail | Anas acuta | Common, Summer Resident |
| Northern Shoveler | Anas clypeata | Common Migrant |
| Blue-winged Teal | Anas discors | Common, Summer Resident |
| Green-winged Teal | Anas crecca | Uncommon, Summer Resident; Common, Winter Resident |
| Cinnamon Teal | Anas cyanoptera | Common, Resident |
| Ruddy Duck | Oxyura jamaicensis | Common, Resident |
| Canvasback | Aythya valisineria | Uncommon, Resident, Migrant |
| Redhead | Aythya americana | Uncommon, Resident, Migrant |
| Ring-necked Duck | Aythya collaris | Uncommon, Migrant |
| Lesser Scaup | Aythya affinis | Rare, Migrant |
| Common Goldeneye | Bucephala clangula | Common, Migrant |
| Bufflehead | Bucephala albeola | Winter Resident, Uncommon, Migrant |
| Common Merganser | Mergus merganser | Common, Migrant |
| Red-breasted Merganser | Mergus serrator | Common, Migrant |
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sighting | Turkey Vulture | Cathartes aura | Common, Summer Resident, Migrant |
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sighting | Northern Goshawk | Accipiter gentilis | Uncommon, Resident |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | Accipiter striatus | Common, Resident |
| Cooper's Hawk | Accipiter cooperii | Common, Resident |
| Black-shouldered Kite | Elanus caeruleus | Accident |
| Northern Harrier | Circus cyaneu | Common, Resident |
| Rough-legged Hawk | Buteo lagopus | Common, Winter Resident |
| Ferruginous Hawk | Buteo regalis | Common, Winter Resident; Uncommon, Resident |
| Red-tailed Hawk | Buteo jamaicensis | Common, Resident |
| Swainson's Hawk | Buteo swainsoni | Uncommon, Summer Resident |
| Golden Eagle | Aquila chrysaetos | Common, Resident |
| Bald Eagle | Haliaetus leucocephalus | Common, Winter Resident |
| Osprey | Pandion haliaetus | Uncommon, Migrant |
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sighting |
| American Kestrel | Falco sparverius | Common, Summer Resident; Rare, Winter Resident |
| Merlin | Falco columbarius | Rare, Winter Resident |
| Prairie Falcon | Falco mexicanus | Uncommon, Resident |
| Peregrine Falcon | Falco peregrinus | Rare, Resident, Migrant |
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sighting |
| Ruffed Grouse | Bonasa umbellus | Rare, Summer Resident |
| Blue Grouse | Dendragapus obscurus | Common, Resident |
| Sharp-tailed Grouse | Tympanuchus phasianellus | Uncommon, Resident |
| Sage Grouse | Centrocercus urophasianus | Uncommon, Resident |
| Chukar | Alectoris chukar | Common, Resident |
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sighting |
| California Quail | Callipepla californica | Uncommon, Resident |
| Gambel’s Quail | Callipepla gambelii | Uncommon, Resident? |
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sighting |
| Sandhill Crane | Grus canadensis | Rare, Summer Resident, Migrant |
| Virginia Rail | Rallus limicola | Rare, Resident |
| Sora | Porzana carolina | Rare, Summer Resident, Migrant |
| American Coot | Fulica americana | Common, Resident |
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sighting |
| American Avocet | Recurvirostra americana | Uncommon, Summer Resident, Migrant |
| Black-necked Stilt | Himantopus mexicanus | Uncommon, Migrant |
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sighting |
| Semipalmated Plover | Charadrius semipalmatus | Uncommon, Migrant |
| Killdeer | Charadrius vociferus | Uncommon, Winter Resident; Common Summer Resident |
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sighting |
| Marbled Godwit | Limosa fidoa | Uncommon, Migrant |
| Long-billed Curlew | Numenius americanus | Common, Summer Resident, Migrant |
| Greater Yellowlegs | Tringa melanoleuca | Rare, Migrant |
| Solitary Sandpiper | Tringa solitaria | Uncommon, Migrant |
| Spotted Sandpiper | Actitis macularia | Common, Summer Resident |
| Wilson's Phalarope | Phalaropus tricolor | Uncommon, Summer Resident, Migrant |
| Red-necked Phalarope | Phalaropus lobatus | Uncommon, Migrant |
| Long-billed Dowitcher | Limnodromus scolopaceus | Uncommon, Summer Resident, Migrant |
| Common Snipe | Gallinago gallinago | Common, Resident |
| Western Sandpiper | Calidris mauri | Common, Migrant |
| Least Sandpiper | Calidris minutilla | Rare, Migrant |
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sighting |
| Bonaparte's Gull | Larus philadelphia | Migrant |
| Ring-billed Gull | Larus delawarensis | Uncommon, Summer Resident, Migrant |
| California Gull | Larus californicus | Common, Summer Resident, Migrant |
| Forster's Tern | Sterna forsteri | Hypothectial, Summer Resident, Migrant |
| Black Tern | Chlidonias niger | Rare, Migrant |
| Caspian Tern | Sterna caspia | Acidental, Summer Resident |
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sighting |
| Mourning Dove | Zenaida macroura | Common, Summer Resident |
| White-winged Dove | Zenaida asiatica | Rare, Summer Resident |
| Rock Dove | Columba livia | Common, Resident |
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sighting |
| Greater Roadrunner | Geococcyx californianus | Rare, Resident |
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sighting |
| Common Barn-Owl | Tyto alba | Rare, Resident |
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sighting |
| Flammulated Owl | Otus flammeolus | Rare, Resident |
| Western Screech-Owl | Otus kennicottii | Rare, Resident |
| Great Horned Owl | Bubo virginianus | Common, Resident |
| Short-eared Owl | Asio flammeus | Accidental |
| Long-eared Owl | Asio otus | Uncommon, Summer Resident, Migrant |
| Burrowing Owl | Athene cunicularia | Uncommon, Summer Resident, Migrant |
| Northern Pygmy-Owl | Glaucidium gnoma | Uncommon, Summer Resident |
| Northern Saw-whet Owl | Aegolius acadicus | Uncommon, Summer Resident |
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sighting |
| Common Poorwill | Phalaenoptilus nuttallii | Common, Summer Resident |
| Common Nighthawk | Chordeiles minor | Common, Summer Resident |
| Lesser Nighthawk | Chordeiles acutipennis | Uncommon, Summer Resident |
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sighting |
| White-throated Swift | Aeronautes saxatalis | Common, Summer Resident |
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sighting |
| Broad-tailed Hummingbird | Selasphorus platycercus | Common, Summer Resident |
| Rufous Hummingbird | Common, Summer Resident | |
| Calliope Hummingbird | Stellula calliope | Uncommon, Summer Resident |
| Black-chinned Hummingbird | Archilochus alexandri | Common, Summer Resident |
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sighting |
| Belted Kingfisher | Ceryle alcyon | Common, Resident |
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sighting |
| Northern Flicker | Colaptes auratus | Common, Resident |
| Lewis' Woodpecker | Melanerpes lewis | Uncommon, Migrant |
| Williamson's Sapsucker | Sphyrapicus thyroideus | Uncommon, Summer Resident |
| Red-naped Sapsucker | Sphyrapicus nuchalis | Common, Summer Resident |
| Hairy Woodpecker | Picoides villosus | Common, Resident |
| Downy Woodpecker | Picoides pubescens | Uncommon, Resident |
| Three-toed Woodpecker | Picoides tridactylus | Rare, Resident |
| Pileated Woodpecker | Dryocopus pileatus | Accidental, Summer Resident |
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sighting |
| Eastern Kingbird | Tyrannus tyrannus | Accidental, Summer Resident |
| Western Kingbird | Tyrannus verticalis | Common, Summer Resident |
| Ash-throated Flycatcher | Myiarchus cinerascens | Uncommon, Summer Resident |
| Black Phoebe | Sayornis nigricans | Accidental, Summer Resident |
| Say's Phoebe | Sayornis saya | Common, Summer Resident |
| Willow Flycatcher | Empidonax traillii | Uncommon, Summer Resident, Migrant |
| Hammond's Flycatcher | Empidonax hammondii | Uncommon, Summer Resident, Migrant |
| Dusky Flycatcher | Empidonax oberholseri | Common, Simmer Resident, Migrant |
| Gray Flycatcher | Empidonax wrightii | Uncommon, Resident |
| Cordilleran Flycatcher | Empidonax occidentalis | Uncommon, Simmer Resident, Migrant |
| Western Wood-Pewee | Contopus sordidulus | Common, Summer Resident |
| Olive-sided Flycatcher | Contopus cooperi | Uncommon, Summer Resident, Migrant |
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sighting | |
| Northern Shrike | Lanius excubitor | Uncommon, Winter Resident | |
| Loggerhead Shrike | Lanius ludovicianus | Common, Resident |
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sighting | |
| Plumbeous Vireo (Solitary) | Vireo plumbeous | Common, Summer Resident | |
| Warbling Vireo | Vireo gilvus | Common, Summer Resident | |
| Gray Vireo | Vireo vicinior | Accidental, Summer Resident |
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sighting | |
| Western Scrub-Jay | Aphelocoma californica | Common, Resident | |
| Pinyon Jay | Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus | Common, Resident | |
| Steller's Jay | Cyanocitta stelleri | Common, Resident | |
| Clark's Nutcracker | Nucifraga columbiana | Common, Resident | |
| Black-billed Magpie | Pica pica | Common, Resident | |
| American Crow | Corvus brachyrhynchos | Uncommon, Resident | |
| Common Raven | Corvus corax | Common, Resident |
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sighting |
| Horned Lark | Eremophila alpestris | Common, Resident |
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sighting |
| Tree Swallow | Tachycineta bicolor | Common, Summer Resident |
| Violet-green Swallow | Tachycineta thalassina | Common, Summer Resident |
| Northern Rough-winged Swallow | Stelgidopteryx serripennis | Common, Summer Resident, Migrant |
| Bank Swallow | Riparia riparia | Uncommon, Summer Resident, Migrant |
| Cliff Swallow | Petrochelidon pyrrhonota | Common, Summer Resident, Migrant |
| Barn Swallow | Hirundo rustica | Common, Summer Resident, Migrant |
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sighting |
| Juniper Titmouse (Plain) | Baeolophus ridgwayi | Common, Resident |
| Black-capped Chickadee | Poecile atricapillus | Rare, Resident |
| Mountain Chickadee | Poecile gambeli | Common, Resident |
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sighting |
| Bushtit | Psaltriparus minimus | Common, Resident |
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sighting |
| Red-breasted Nuthatch | Sitta canadensis | Common, Resident |
| White-breasted Nuthatch | Sitta carolinensis | Common, Resident |
| Pygmy Nuthatch | Sitta pygmaea | Uncommon, Resident |
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sighting |
| Brown Creeper | Certhia americana | Common, Resident |
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sighting |
| House Wren | Troglodytes aedon | Common, Summer Resident |
| Winter Wren | Troglodytes troglodytes | Common, Winter Resident, Resident? |
| Bewick's Wren | Thryomanes bewickii | Common, Resident |
| Marsh Wren | Cistothorus palustris | Uncommon, Resident |
| Canyon Wren | Catherpes mexicanus | Uncommon, Resident |
| Rock Wren | Salpinctes obsoletus | Common, Resident |
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sighting |
| American Dipper | Cinclus mexicanus | Common, Resident |
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sighting |
| Golden-crowned Kinglet | Regulus satrapa | Common, Winter Resident, Resident |
| Ruby-crowned Kinglet | Regulus calendula | Common, Resident |
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sighting |
| Blue-gray Gnatcatcher | Polioptila caerulea | Uncommon, Summer Resident |
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sighting |
| Mountain Bluebird | Sialia currucoides | Common, Summer Resident |
| Townsend's Solitaire | Myadestes townsendi | Common, Resident |
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sighting |
| Swainson's Thrush | Catharus ustulatus | Rare, Summer Resident |
| Hermit Thrush | Catharus guttatus | Common, Resident |
| Varied Thrush | Ixoreus naevius | Accidental, Winter Resident |
| American Robin | Turdus migratorius | Common, Resident |
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sighting |
| Gray Catbird | Dumetella carolinensis | Accidental |
| Northern Mockingbird | Mimus polyglottos | Rare, Summer |
| Sage Thrasher | Oreoscoptes montanus | Common, Summer Resident |
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sighting |
| European Starling | Sturnus vulgaris | Common, Resident |
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sighting |
| American Pipit | Anthus rubescens | Common, Resident |
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sighting |
| Bohemian Waxwing | Bombycilla garrulus | Uncommon, Winter Resident, Migrant |
| Cedar Waxwing | Bombycilla cedrorum | Common, Winter Resident, Migrant |
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sighting |
| Blue-winged Warbler | Vermivora pinus | Accidental, Summer Resident |
| Golden-winged Warbler | Vermivora chrysoptera | Accidental, Summer Resident |
| Orange-crowned Warbler | Vermivora celata | Uncommon, Summer Resident |
| Nashville Warbler | Vermivora ruficapilla | Accidental, Summer Resident |
| Virginia's Warbler | Vermivora virginiae | Uncommon, Summer Resident |
| Yellow Warbler | Dendroica petechia | Common, Summer Resident |
| Chestnut-sided Warbler | Dendroica pensylvanica | Accidental, Summer Resident |
| Audubon's Warbler | Dendroica coronata | Common, Summer Resident |
| Townsend's Warbler | Dendroica townsendi | Rare, Migrant |
| Hermit Warbler | Dendroica occidentalis | Rare, Migrant |
| Black-throated Gray Warbler | Dendroica nigrescens | Common, Summer Resident, Migrant |
| MacGillivray's Warbler | Oporornis tolmiei | Common, Summer Resident |
| Kentucky warbler | Oporornis formosus | Accidental, Migrant |
| Common Yellowthroat | Geothylpis trichas | Common, Summer Resident |
| Yellow-breasted Chat | Icteria virens | Common, Summer Resident |
| Wilson's Warbler | Wilsonia pusilla | Uncommon, Summer Resident, Common, Migrate |
| American Redstart | Setophaga ruticilla | Accidental, Migrant |
| Red-faced Warbler | Cardellina rubrifrons | Accidental |
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sighting |
| Western Tanager | Piranga ludoviciana | Common, Summer Resident, Migrant |
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sighting |
| Rose-breasted Grosbeak Pheucticus | Pheucticus ludovicianus | Rare, Migrant |
| Black-headed Grosbeak | Pheucticus melanocephalus | Common, Summer Resident |
| Blue Grosbeak | Guiraca caerulea | Rare, Migrant |
| Lazuli Bunting | Passerina amoena | Common, Summer Resident |
| Indigo Bunting | Passerina cyanea | Accidental, Summer Resident |
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sighting |
| Green-tailed Towhee | Pipilo chlorurus | Common, Summer Resident |
| Spotted Towhee (Rufous-sided) | Pipilo maculatus | Common, Summer Resident |
| Chipping Sparrow | Spizella passerina | Common, Summer Resident |
| Brewer's Sparrow | Spizella breweri | Common, Summer Resident |
| Vesper Sparrow | Pooecetes gramineus | Common, Summer Resident |
| Lark Sparrow | Chondestes grammacus | Uncommon, Summer Resident, Migrant |
| Black-throated Sparrow | Amphispiza bilineata | Uncommon, Summer Resident |
| Sage Sparrow | Amphispiza belli | Uncommon, Summer Resident |
| Savannah Sparrow | Passerculus sandwichensis | Common, Summer Resident, Migrant |
| Fox Sparrow | Passerella iliaca | Common, Summer Resident |
| Song Sparrow | Melospiza melodia | Common, Summer Resident |
| Lincoln's Sparrow | Melospiza lincolnii | Uncommon, Winter Resident, Migrant |
| Rufous-crown Sparrow | Aimophila ruficeps | Rare, Summer Resident |
| White-throated Sparrow | Zonotrichia albicollis | Common, Summer Resident, Migrant |
| White-crowned Sparrow | Zonotrichia leucophrys | Common, Resident |
| Harris's Sparrow | Zonotrichia querula | Accidental. Winter Resident |
| Golden-crowned Sparrow | Zonotrichia atricapilla | Accidental, Migrant |
| Dark-eyed Junco | Junco hyemalis | Common, Resident |
| Oregon Junco | Common, Resident | |
| Gray-headed Junco | Common, Resident | |
| Slate-colored Junco | Common, Resident |
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sighting |
| Red-winged Blackbird | Agelaius phoeniceus | Common, Summer Resident |
| Western Meadowlark | Sturnella neglecta | Common, Summer Resident |
| Yellow-headed Blackbird | Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus | Common, Summer Resident |
| Brewer's Blackbird | Euphagus cyanocephalus | Common, Summer Resident |
| Great-tailed Grackle | Quiscalus mexicanus | Uncommon, Summer Resident |
| Brown-headed Cowbird | Molothrus ater | Common, Summer Resident |
| Hooded Oriole | Icterus cucullatus | Rare, Summer Resident |
| Bullock's Oriole | Icterus bullocki | Common, Summer Resident |
| Scott's Oriole | Icterus parisorum | Uncommon, Summer Resident |
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sighting |
| Rosy Finch | Leucosticte arctoa | Common, Resident, Migrant |
| Black Rosy-Finch | Leucosticte atrata | Common, Resident |
| Cassin's Finch | Carpodacus cassinii | Common, Summer Resident |
| House Finch | Carpodacus mexicanus | Common, Resident |
| Red Crossbill | Loxia curvirostra | Uncommon, Resident, Migrant |
| Pine Grosbeak | Pinicola enucleator | Accidental, Winter Resident |
| Pine Siskin | Carduelis pinus | Common, Winter Resident; Uncommon, Summer Resident |
| Lesser Goldfinch | Carduelis psaltria | Uncommon, Resident |
| American Goldfinch | Carduelis tristis | Common, Migrant |
| Evening Grosbeak | Coccothraustes vespertinus | Rare, Summer Resident |
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sighting |
| House Sparrow | Passer domesticus | Common, Resident |
238 species have been reported in Great Basin National Park and the vicinity, which includes Snake Valley and north and south Snake Range. Other species may occur during migration. Please report any species not listed, or listed as Rare, Accidental or Hypothetical, on a Wildlife Observation Sheet - available at the Visitor Center.
REFERENCES
A large variety of habitats due to large elevational changes in the park supports an assortment of mammall life in Great Basin National Park.. The Visitor Center is located in an area dominated by plants such as sagebrush, pinyon pines, and junipers. As you ascend, running streams, mountain meadows, fir, aspen, spruce, and large pines become more common. Eventually, you reach treeline and can adventure into the alpine area of low, delicate plants and rocky outcroppings. An abundance of wildlife has taken advantage of these various habitat zones.
In the sagebrush desert, you will find certain animals which are specially adapted to the aridity of that area. Jackrabbits, pygmy rabbits, mountain cottontails, ground squirrels, chipmunks, and various mice live in this area. Pronghorn antelope may be seen on the open sagebrush and grassy plains near the park entrance. Coyotes, kit fox, and badgers will be seen less often, but are present.
The pygmy forest with its pinyon pine and juniper trees offers another haven for mammals. Some prefer the wooded areas, while others like the transition zone between the sagebrush desert and pygmy forest. Mule deer abound in this area. Other mammals most commonly seen in the pinyon-juniper forest are striped skunks, mice, and ground squirrels.
There are a number of springs and clear running streams in the park. The secretive spotted skunk, shrews, ringtail cat, and the least weasel or ermine are fond of wetter places to make their homes.
In the more rugged areas on the slopes of mountains and in the valley areas nearby, mountain lions, bobcats, marmots, rock squirrels, and mountain sheep can occasionally be seen. Many of the mammals in the area can be found in more than one habitat. Most have a preferred territory but seasonal changes, food supply, change in habitat quality, or overcrowding may force them to relocate. All mammals in the park are protected which means their numbers are controlled naturally by predators, disease, food supply, and the diversity of available habitat.
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sighting |
| Agrant Shrew | Sorex vagrans vagrans (= S. v. amoenus) | Typically occurs in mountain and foothill habitats with dense ground cover |
| Water Shrew | Sorex palustris navigator | Mainly restricted to montane riparian habitats |
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sighting |
| Pallid Bat | Antrozous pallidus pallidus | Uncommon. Roosts in small groups in crevices, rockshelters, and buildings. Forages on the ground |
| Long-Eared Myotis | Myotis evotis evotis | Roosts in caves, mines, buildings, and trees. NPS Sensitive species |
| Long-Legged Myotis (Hairy-winged Myotis) | Myotis volans interior | Common. Roosts in caves, mines, buildings, and trees. NPS Sensitive species |
| Western Snall-footed Myotis | Myotis ciliolabrum | Common. Roosts in caves, mines, buildings, and trees |
| California Myotis | Myotis californicus | Typically roosts singly or in small groups and forages at lower elevations |
| Western Pipistrelle | Pipistrellus hesperus | Typically roosts singly or in small groups and forages at lower elevations |
| Silver-Haired Bat | Lasionycteris noctivagans | Typically roosts singly in trees |
| Hoary Bat | Lasiurus cinereus | Typically roosts in trees, singly and in small groups |
| Big Brown Bat | Eptesicus fuscus | Colonial and solitary. Roosts most often in caves and mines |
| Western (Townsend's) Big-eared Bat | Plecotus townsendii pallescens | Most local specimens have not been identified to subspecies. P. t. townsendii, which is more common in northern and western Nevada, might also occur here. Both are NPS Sensitive taxa |
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sighting |
| Mexican (Brazillizn) Free-tailed Bat | Tadarida brasiliensis mexicana | A large colony roosts in Rose Guano Cave on the west side of the Snake Range |
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sighting |
| Long-tailed Weasel | Mustela frenata nevadensis | Typically occurs in montane and woodland habitats, also in irrigated fields |
| Short-tailed Weasel (Ermine) | Mustela erminea muricus | Typically occurs in montane and woodland habitats |
| Spotted Skunk | Spilogale putorius | Widespread in montane and woodland habitats |
| Striped Skunk | Mephitis mephitis | Widespread in montane and woodland habitats, also in basins in irrigated fields and riparian habitats |
| Badger | Taxidea taxus taxus | Typically found in basin and bajada shrub habitats favored by ground squirrels |
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sighting |
| Ringtail Cat | Bassariscus astutus | Seldom seen. Most often observed in woodland habitats |
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sighting |
| Gray Fox | Urocyon cinereoargenteus scottii | Common in woodland and montane habitats |
| Kit Fox | Vulpes macrotis nevadensis | Occurs in basin and bajada shrub habitats |
| Coyote | Canis latrans lestes | Common in woodland, bajada, and basin habitats; less frequent in montane habitats |
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sighting |
| Mountain Lion | Felis concolor kaibabensis | Common in montane and woodland habitats; less frequent at lower elevations |
| Bobcat | Felis (= Lynx) rufus pallescens | Common but seldom seen. Occurs throughout |
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sighting |
| Black-tailed Jack Rabbit | Lepus californicus deserticola | Abundant in woodland, bajada, and basin habitats. Also found at higher elevations |
| Desert Cottontail (Audobon Cottontail) | Sylvilagus audobonii arizonae | Occurs in basin and bajada shrub habitat. Reaches the northern limit of its range locally |
| Nuttall Cottontail | Sylvilagus nuttalli grangeri | Common to abundant in montane and woodland habitats with suitable cover |
| Pygmy Cottontail | Brachylagus (= Sylvilagus) idahoensis | Uncommon to rare. Typically limited to big sagebrush habitat. Mandible and innominate from (Recent?) Lehman Caves Entrance fauna attributed to this species. NPS Sensitive taxon |
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sighting |
| Yellow-Bellied Marmot (Rockchuck) | Marmota flaviventris avara | Common near Baker Creek Trailhead and several other locations in the park, in rocky habitats near grass meadows. Bones of this species common in Lehman Caves Entrance fauna. Estivates/hibernates late summer to late winter |
| White-tailed Antelope Ground Squirrel | Ammospermophilus (= Citellus) leucurus leucurus | Common in basin and bajada shrub habitats. Occurs in the park at the lowest elevations. Active all year |
| Townsend Ground Squirrel | Spermophilus (= Citellus) townsendii mollis | |
| Rock Squirrel | Spermophilus (= Citellus) variegatus robustus | Common during spring and summer in pinyon-juniper habitats. Climbs trees readily |
| Golden-Mantled Ground Squirrel | Spermophilus (= Citellus) lateralis trepidus | Common in montane conifer forests |
| Cliff Chipmunk | Eutamias dorsalis | Abundant in pinyon-juniper woodland. Eastern Nevada populations appear to be intermediate between E. d. utahensis and E. d. grinnelli |
| Uinta Chipmunk (Say Chipmunk) | Eutamias umbrinus inyoensis | Abundant in montane forest habitats |
| Least Chipmunk | Eutamias minimus scrutator | Common in sagebrush habitats, from montane to basin |
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sighting |
| Beaver | Castor canadensis | Old beaver dams are located on Strawberry Creek. Beaver are only very occassionally seen in the park |
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sighting |
| Southern (Botta) Pocket Gopher | Thomomys umbrinus centrali | Common in suitable soils at all elevations |
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sighting |
| Little Pocket Mouse | Perognathus longimembris gulosus | Found in basin and bajada shrub habitats, typically on coarse gravel sites |
| Great Basin Pocket Mouse | Perognathus parvus olivaceous | Widespread but most common in mixed woodland-sagebrush and bajada shrub habitats |
| Long-Tailed Pocket Mouse | Perognathus formosus incolatus | Mixed woodland-sagebrush and bajada shrub habitats on stoney sites |
| Dark Kangaroo Mouse | Microdipodops megacephalus | Found in basin shrub habitats on fine sandy soil |
| Ord Kangaroo Rat | Dipodomys ordii | Basin and bajada shrub habitat, most often on sandy soil |
| Great Basin Kangaroo Rat | Dipodomys microps | Basin and bajada shrub habitat on sandy or gravelly soil |
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sighting |
| Western Harvest Mouse | Reithrodontomys megalotis megalotis | Bajada and basin shrub habitats, typically in grassy areas near water |
| Bushy-Tailed Woodrat (Pack Rat) | Neotoma cinerea acraia | Common in woodland and montane forest habitats in rocky terrain |
| Desert Woodrat (Pack Rat) | Neotoma lepida lepida | Common in basin and bajada shrub, and drier woodland habitats |
| Deer Mouse | Peromyscus maniculatus sonoriensis | The most abundant small mammal in most habitat types |
| Canyon Mouse | Peromyscus crinitus pergracilis | |
| Pinyon Mouse | Peromyscus truei nevadensis | Typically restricted to rocky areas in pinyon-juniper woodland |
| Northern Grasshopper Mouse | Onychomys leucogaster brevicaudus | Widespread in basin and bajada shrub habitats |
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sighting |
| Muskrat | Ondatra zibethica | Restricted to riparian habitats, Found along Lake Creek (Big Spring Creek) in Snake Valley |
| Sagebrush Vole | Lagurus curtatus intermedius | Typically occurs in big sagebrush habitat |
| Montana Vole | Microtus montanus micropus | Typically occurs in grassy meadows and similar habitats, including irrigated pastures and fields/b> |
| Long-Tailed Vole | Microtus longicaudus latus | Occurs in most montane habitats |
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sighting |
| Porcupine | Erethizon dorsatum epixanthum | Most often occurs in woodland and montane shrub and forest habitats |
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sighting |
| House Mouse | Mus musculus | Collected near Baker. Typically restricted to areas of human habitation. Native of Eurasia |
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sighting |
| Pronghorn Antelope | Antilocapra americana americana |
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sighting |
| Mule Deer | Odocoileus hemionus hemionus | Abundant in mountains and foothills, also in agricultural areas. Possibly more abundant due to ecosystem changes related to grazing and fire suppression |
| Elk (Wapiti) | Cervus elaphus | Native to Snake and Schell Creek ranges but extirpated. Re-introduced (from Yellowstone NP) in the Schell Creek Range in the 1930's, and now abundant there. Small groups occasionally reported in the Snake Range, in Board, Shingle, and Strawberry creeks |
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sighting |
| Bighorn Sheep | Ovis canadensis | Observed in Snake Range by Simpson in 1859. Probably extirpated early in 20th century. Re-introduced in northern and southern Snake Range in 1979-1980 (from central Colorado). Currently rare in southern Snake Range |
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sighting |
| Merriam's Shrew | Sorex merriamii | An uncommon but widely distributed shrew of the intermountain region, typically found in sagebrush, pinyon-juniper, and similar habitats |
| Little Brown Myotis | Myotis lucifugus | Common across much of North America, including the Great Basin |
| Yuma Myotis | Myotis yumanensis | A common species in western North America |
| Fringed Myotis | Myotis thysanodes thysanodes | Distributed across the West and Southwest but not positively identified locally |
| Red Bat | Lasiurus borealis | Widely distributed in a variety of habitat types, including forests in the Sierra Nevada and the Wasatch Range, and desert shrublands near Las Vegas and Fallon, but not collected or reported locally. Roosts singly in trees and shrubs, often near ground |
| Spotted Bat | Euderma maculatum | Tueller and others (1967) noted one hearsay report of a sighting of this distinctive rare bat in Model Cave. No other local reports are known. Widely distributed across the intermountain region and Southwest. NPS Sensitive taxon |
| Big Free-tailed Bat | Tadarida molossa | Specimens have been collected at the Desert Range Experimental Station, 25 miles southeast of the Snake Range. Widely distributed in the Southwest and Mexico |
| White-tailed Jackrabbit | Lepus townsendii | Occurs in Ruby Valley and the White Pine Range |
| Northern Pocket Gopher | Thomomys talpoides | Found in Cleve Creek Canyon (Schell Creek Range) and the White Pine Range and reportedly common in ranges west and north of the park |
| Western Jumping Mouse | Zapus princeps | Occurs in Ruby Mountains and Toiyabe Range, and in northern- and western-most Nevada, in montane habitats similar to those found in the Snake Range |
EXPLANATORY NOTES
The habitats listed are intended as general guides, with the understanding that some species are restricted more by specific site conditions or other factors than by general vegetation associations. Montane forest includes white fir/aspen, Douglas-fir/spruce, spruce/pine/aspen, and similar associations; montane shrub includes both upper sagebrush and mountain mahogany types; woodland includes mainly pinyon/juniper, from dense to open stands; bajada shrub typically includes big sagebrush/grass and black sage/grass associations; basin shrub typically includes shadscale/greasewood in Snake Valley, but includes several other arid shrub types, such as dwarf sage, rabbitbrush, and winterfat.
REFERENCES CITED
While walking along a rocky, streamside trail a hiker hears an electric BUZZZ just a step ahead. The hiker is carrying a long walking stick which is pointed instinctively at the source of the sound. The hikers next action will depend upon their knowledge of the Great Basin rattlesnake.
Great Basin rattlesnakes (Crotalus viridis lutosis) are the only venomous reptiles in most of the Great Basin desert. They are best identified by their blunt, rattle-tipped tail & thick, stocky bodies. Adult Great Basin rattlesnakes average 30-36 inches in length, and are tan to yellow in color, with a series of darker oval blotches on their back.
Great Basin rattlesnakes may occur up to 11,000 feet in elevation, but are more common belw 8,000 feet, in a variety of habitats- greasewood/shadscale, sagebrush, pinyon/juniper, & fir/spruce. The unifying characteristic of rattlesnake habitat in the Great Basin is rock. Great Basin rattlesnakes hibernate in dens, southern exposed rock outcrops, during the winter, emerging in May to bask in the spring sun. Males and non-reproducing females disperse into surrounding areas to forage for mice, rats, ground squirrels, gophers, birds, & lizards. A mature male may move up to 2.5 miles away from the den.
Gravid (pregnant) females remain near the den, basking frequently to facilitate proper development of their developing embryos. In mid to late September they give birth to 5-8 live baby rattlesnakes, remaining with them for the first 7-10 days of their life. Mortality is high among newborn rattlesnakes with less than 10% surviving to sexual maturity.
By late September the rattlesnakes have gathered back at the den site. As temperatures drop the rattlers re-enter their den to spend another winter underground, another annual cycle completed.
Great Basin rattlesnakes are fascinating and beautiful animals. Their venomous bite, although rarely fatal & used only for feeding and defense, commands respect & common sense in their presence.
To avoid being bitten:
If you see a rattlesnake in your campsite contact a ranger. The chances of being bitten are EXTREMELY low. If however you are bitten by a rattlesnake:
DO NOT:
DO:
Take some time to learn about rattlesnakes and other reptiles. Perhaps if you are lucky you will see or hear one during your travels. Rattlesnakes are protected in national parks but often are not on other public lands. With some knowledge & understanding of the biology of rattlesnakes, you will know how to react when you encounter one of these remarkable animals.
Article written by: Bryan Hamilton, 2000
Reptiles are often the animals people think of when one says the word "desert". The Great Basin Desert is higher in elevation than the other North American deserts. Winter temperatures can be cold, yet summer days are hot. Like most deserts, there can be a vast temperature difference between daytime high temperatures and nighttime low temperatures. Reptiles are "cold-blooded" and must regulate their body temperature by seeking out shade in the summer and warm dens in the winter. Rattlesnakes are one of the best-known of the Great Basin reptiles.
The first of the following two lists includes reptiles collected or otherwise positively identified in the southern Snake Range and adjacent portions of Snake and Spring valleys. The second list includes species that potentially occur in this area, based on their wider distribution and habitat requirements. Explanatory notes and references follow the lists.
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sighting |
| Long-nosed Leopard Lizard | Gambelia wislizenii wislizenii | Common in basin and bajada shrub habitats |
| Great Basin Collard Lizard | Crotaphytus collaris bicinctores | Typically found on rocky sites in open shrub habitats |
| Great Basin (Western) Fence Lizard | Sceloporus occidentalis biseriatus | Abundant in woodland and bajada shrub habitats |
| Northern Sagebrush Lizard | Sceloporus graciosus graciosus | Abundant in woodland and bajada shrub habitats. NPS Sensitive taxon |
| Desert Side-Blotched Lizard | Uta stansburiana stejnegeri | Common in bajada and basin shrub habitats |
| Northern Desert Horned Lizard | Phyrnosoma platyrhinos platyrhinos | Common in open bajada and basin shrub habitats on loose soil |
| Great Basin (Western) Skink | Eumeces skiltonianus utahensis | A secretive species, found typically in riparian areas and other sites with dense cover |
| Great Basin (Western) Whiptail | Cnemidophorus tigris tigris | Common in basin and open bajada shrub habitats. Less common in open woodland sites |
| Western Yellow-Bellied Racer | Coluber constrictor mormon | Rare locally. Typically found in basin and bajada shrub and open woodland habitats |
| Desert Stripped Whipsnake | Masticophis taeniatus taeniatus | Uncommon locally. Typically found in shrub and woodland habitats |
| Great Basin Gopher Snake | Pitouphis melanoleucus deserticola | Abundant in basin and bajada shrub habitats, also occurs in woodland and above |
| Wandering Garter Snake | Thamnophis elegans vagrans | Common in riparian zones from bajada to montane forest habitats |
| Great Basin Rattlesnake | Crotalus viridis lutosus | Common in most habitats, from valley to mountian |
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sighting |
| Short-Horned Lizard | Phyrnosoma douglassii | Probable in bajada shrub, open woodland, and montane habitats. Distributed across the northern Great Basin. One specimen identified in Snake Creek Burial Cave fauna, associated with Late Pleistocene fossils |
| Regal Ringneck Snake | Diadophis punctatus regalis | Probable in riparian habitats with dense ground cover at middle and higher elevations. Collected in the Deep Creek Range and near Caliente, and several sites in the Wasatch Range. Formerly placed in a separate species D. regalis |
| Utah Mountain Kingsnake | Lampropeltis pyromelana infralabialis | Probable in woodland and montane habitats, most often in riparian areas with dense vegetation, logs, rocks, or other cover. Collected in the Schell Creek Range, Wah Wah Mountains, and other Utah ranges. Lampropeltis sp. identified in Late Pleistocene/Holocene faunas of Snake Creek Burial Cave and Smith Creek Cave |
| Western Ground Snake | Sonora semiannulata | A secretive nocturnal snake, collected south and west of a park, from St. George to Winnemucca, and to the north in Idaho. It is expected to occur in Nevada between these zones in basin and bajada shrub habitats in loose sandy soil |
| Western Long-nosed Snake | Rhinocheilus lecontei lecontei | Probable in open bajada and basin shrub habitats locally. Widely distributed across the Great Basin |
| Desert Night Snake | Hyspiglena torquata | Probable in basin and bajada shrub habitats locally. Widely distributed across the West and Southwest |
EXPLANATORY NOTES
Common names provided refer to the given subspecies, except for common names in parentheses, which refer to the species. Common and scientific names follow Stebbins (1985), except for Crotaphytus collaris bicinctores, for which Stebbins uses C. insularis bicinctores.
Local reptilian populations have not been inventoried and are not being monitored. Descriptions of abundance, such as common, uncommon, and rare, refer to how frequently each species is reported by casual observers.
The habitat types listed are intended as general guides, with the understanding that some species are restricted more by specific site conditions, prey distributions, or other factors than by general vegetation associations.
For the record: A desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) was captured in the park in 1992. Apparently, it was a captive or pet tortoise that escaped or was released here. The species is not believed to be native to the area and appears to be restricted to warmer Mojave Desert habitats at the northern margin of its range in Nevada and Utah. Many tortoise carapace fragments, attributed to G. agassizii, were found in the Lehman Caves Entrance archeological site, in association with a Recent mammalian fauna and human remains. The carapaces probably were brought to this area through prehistoric trade networks (Stebbins 1985; Ziegler 1964).
REFERENCES
Utah Juniper
Juniperus osteosperma is one of the most abundant and widely scattered trees of the region. Typically found between 3,000 and 8,000 feet, this tree grows amongst pinyon and sagebrush. The short scale-like needles are 1/8 inch long and last several years. Foliage and branches are stiff. Seeds are borne in berry-like scaled cones. The cones, when mature, are up to a half-inch in diameter and bronze in color with a bluish white frosting. Male and female cones are found on the same tree. Bark consists of many layers of fibrous elongated shreds.
Native Americans used the bark for torches, tobacco substitute, and wove it for cloth. The wood was used for wickiups, pit houses, utensils, and as a preferred fuel. Ranchers favored the wood for fence posts because of its durability. Needles produce a tea high in vitamin C. The cones were eaten and today are used to flavor gin.
Rocky Mountain Juniper
Juniperus scopulorum is similar to the Utah Juniper but tends to prefer cooler moister sites. The foliage is a finer texture and appears somewhat lacy compared to Utah Juniper. Cones are bluish when mature and only about 1/3 inch in diameter. These soft pulpy cones are only found on the female tree.
Singleleaf Pinyon Pine
Pinus monophylla grows between 5,000 and 9,000 feet often mixed with Utah Juniper and sagebrush. Pinyon grows better in places where Utah Juniper is already established as the juniper moderates the microclimate by providing shade. Pinyon migrated into the region eleven thousand years ago after the retreat of the glaciers. Normally this reddish barked tree is small and many branched. This is the only pine to have a single needle fascicle. The needles are usually round or cylindrical in cross section, rigid and sharp. They curve toward the branch and are about 1 ˝ inches long. Cones contain wingless edible seeds.
Native Americans relied heavily on this tree. The nuts were an important source of food. One pound of Pinyon nuts contains more than 3,000 calories. The tree provided fuel, charcoal for painting, pollen for ceremonies. The resin or pitch was used for chewing gum, mending, cementing, and waterproofing. During the mining boom years of the 1800's pinyon was the primary source of wood used charcoal for the smelters.
Ponderosa Pine
Pinus ponderosa is found throughout the west. Like the pinyon pine, the ponderosa migrated into the area since the last ice age. Ponderosa pines, in this region, are usually found between 7,000 and 8,500 feet on dry rocky slopes. Trees can attain heights of 100 feet. The bark on older trees is made up of broad orange or reddish plates consisting of thin scales. Young trees are blackish or dark brown with narrow furrows in the bark. Twigs are orange brown. Needles are about five inches long, thick and flexible, they come two to a bundle. Cones are 3 to 6 inches long and reddish to yellowish. They produce a mottled purple winged seed. Ponderosa rely heavily on fire to burn back the accumulated litter on the forest floor so that the seedling roots can find the moist mineral soil. Fire also kills back fir seedlings that will shade out the sun-loving ponderosa seedlings.
Ponderosa is a valuable timber pine; it is one of the most heavily harvested woods. The pitch was used in the manufacture of turpentine.
White Fir
Abies concolor is the most widespread western fir. Bark is thin, gray and smooth in young trees. It darkens and thickens into furrows and ridges with age. The 2 to 3 inch long needles are Flat, Friendly and Flexible. The white fir gets its name from its silvery blue needles. The yellow- green cones grow erect on the upper branches and are 3 to 5 inches long. Cones are rarely found on the ground. They disintegrate with the scales and winged seeds falling, leaving only the cone axis behind. White fir is common between 7,000 and 9,500 feet in elevation.
Englemann Spruce
Picea engelmannii grows from 7,500 feet to timberline. At timberline this tree will form krumholtz, becoming a shrubby thicket. The bark is thin, covering the trunk with loosely attached, rounded, red-brown scales. The dark green one-inch leaves are flexible and sharp pointed, square in cross section and grow upward on the twigs. Englemann spruces are often rounded at the top with gently arched limbs. Cones hang down from uppermost branches. Cones are 1 to 2 ˝ inches long with thin, flexible, jagged scales. Seeds are dark and winged. These trees are vulnerable to fire and windstorms because of their thin bark and shallow root system.
Douglas Fir
Pseudotsuga menziesii is the most valuable lumber tree of the west. Although it is not a true fir, Douglas fir's one-inch needles are also Flat, Friendly and Flexible. Bark of young trees is gray and smooth becoming darker and scaly with age. Very old trees display deep furrows in the bark. Cones are red-brown, 2 to 4 inches long with three pointed bracts extending from beneath the cone scales. Seeds have one wing. One of its distinguishing characteristics is long shiny pointy brown buds. Douglas fir is common between 6,500 and 9,000 feet. It may live up to 1,000 years. Native Americans used the needles to make a tea high in vitamin C. The roots were used for basket weaving and the twigs for arrow shafts.
Limber Pine
Pinus flexilis generally grows on exposed sites from 8,000 feet to timberline. The bark is smooth and white on young trees becoming scaly and almost black with age. White Pine County receives its name from the limber pine (early settlers mistook it for white pine). Needles are 1 ˝ to 3 inches long in bundles of five. They grow in short bottlebrush-like tufts on the ends of the twigs. Cones are 3 to 10 inches long with thick, woody, unarmed scales. The unwinged seeds are eaten and spread by nutcrackers, jays and chipmunks. The twigs are thick and flexible, a necessity to survive the snows and winds of the higher elevations. Limber pine will form krumholz at timberline. Limber pine grows with and is often confused with bristlecone pine. Limber pine's tufts are shorter and the needles are longer than bristlecone pine. Limber pine can live 3,000 years.
Great Basin Bristlecone Pine
Pinus longaeva, the oldest living thing, has been known to live for over 4,900 years. It usually grows between 9,000 and 11,500 feet although specimens can be found at lower elevations. Bristlecone grows on exposed rocky sites above the continuous forest. It is usually found on limestone or dolomite but, as is the case on Wheeler Peak, will grow on quartzite or volcanic rock. It forms woodlands alone or with limber pine and Engelmann spruce. At timberline this tree will form krumholtz. At lower elevations it retains its upright shape but stops growing taller at 15 to 30 feet. Trees in protected sites may grow to heights of 60 feet. Wind and snow at higher elevations cause the crown to become bushy and distorted. Wind blown sand and ice crystal polishes the trunk, often wearing away sections of the tree.
Needles are short, one-inch long, and in packets of five. The dark green needles surround the twig and tufts may extend back a foot or more along the branch. Needles can last up to forty years. Developing cones are purple, which helps absorb heat. After two years they turn brown at maturity. The woody scales on the three inch long cones are each tipped with a fragile cat claw-like bristle. Although the seeds are winged, the bristlecone is heavily dependent on nutcrackers to help with dispersion. Bristlecones survive longest where conditions are most strenuous. They are slow growing and easily out-competed by faster growing trees so they have adapted to the harshest conditions where other trees won't grow. The oldest known living bristlecone, 4,600+ years old, is in the White Mountains near Bishop, California. A 4,900+ year old tree was removed from the Wheeler Peak grove in 1964.
Pinus aristata, the Rocky Mountain Bristlecone Pine, can be found in Utah and Colorado. It can live to 3,000 years old.
Curlleaf Mountain Mahogany
Cercocarpus ledifolius is a drought resistant tree common on dry hillsides and ridges between 6,000 and 9,000 feet. It is a small tree with a tendency to be round crowned and sprawling. The bark is red brown and thick with a rough scaly surface. Wood is reddish, resembling true the mahoganies of the tropics. The leaves are evergreen, thick and leathery with curled under margins. They are dark green above and light green underneath. The foliage is a favorite food of deer as it is green year round. Yellow flowers produce hairy seeds in the fall. Each seed is tipped with a 2 to 3 inch tail-like style. These tails twist hygroscopically, in moist weather they are straight but in dry weather they curl like a corkscrew. This twisting bores the seed down into the soil, anchoring it and increasing the chance of germination. The wood makes excellent fuel and it is so heavy that it will not float in water. Navahos used the roots as part of a red dye. Other Native Americans used the stiff wood for bows.
Quaking Aspen
Populus tremuloides usually grows between 6,000 and 8,000 feet but can grow up to 11,000 feet. Aspens are usually found in damp places along watercourses. Trunks are straight and topped with small high open crowns. The bark is smooth and light on young trees becoming darker with furrows on older trees. The bark does not peel. Leaves are nearly round, about 2 inches in diameter, and fringed with marginal teeth. Leaf blades are attached to twigs by long slender leaf stalks, which act as pivots so that the leaves quake in the breeze. Flowers appear before the leaves and produce cottony seeds. Aspens rarely reproduce by seeds in this region. Most new trees are clones of the parents, produced by root sprouts. Aspens grow in groves, which turn the hillsides golden in the fall. They are usually short lived, 100-200 years, due to heart rot fungus.
Aspen is an important food source for animals, especially beaver. Beaver prefer the inner bark on aspen to that on other trees. Today aspen is used for packing material, match sticks, and in paper pulp. A close relative of aspen, the Narrowleaf Cottonwood, P. angustifolia, is common along stream channels of lower canyon, below 7,000 feet. White or Silver Poplar, P. alba, is the introduced aspen relative found on the lawn outside the visitor center.
Rocky Mountain Maple or Dwarf Maple
Acer glabrum is a shrubby tree of the conifer forests between 5,000 and 8,000 feet. It grows in moist shady areas where there is a break in the canopy to let in some light. It usually looks like a large shrub but can reach heights of twenty five feet, with a trunk of 6 to 8 inches. The reddish bark is smooth and thin. The twigs, buds and leaf stalks are reddish. The leaves are deep green and have three deeply divided lobes. Sometimes the leaves are so deeply lobed that the lobes form leaflets. Leaves are held perpendicular to the sun. The fruits are rose colored with two parallel wings. Deer browse heavily on these trees.
Water Birch
Betula occidentalis is the only native birch of the region. This small shrubby tree grows in clumps near flowing streams between 5,000 and 8,000 feet. Bark is thin, smooth and dark bronze. The bark does not peel like the paper birch. Lenticular scars are prominent. Twigs are slender and warty with a tendency to droop. Leaves are 1 to 2 inches long by 3/4 to 1 inch wide with sharply toothed margins. The upper leaf surface is dark green with a light green lower surface. The water birch is important as bird habitat especially where it grows alongside stream descending through the otherwise dry basins. Native Americans ate the sap and inner bark. The wood makes an excellent fuel.
Serviceberry
The Amelanchier species is also known as shadbrush or shadblow. This shrubby tree is found in canyons, mountainsides and foothills. The bark is usually smooth but sometimes ridged. Leaves are nearly round, about one inch in diameter. The tip of the leaf has coarse teeth. Clusters of small white petaled flowers yield a small, black, apple-like fruit. The fruit is sweet but bland. Native Americans used the dried fruit in pemmican and for a violet dye. Branches were used for arrows and baskets.
Western Chokecherry
Prunus virginiana is a common tree of stream bottoms and moist hillsides. It can grow to a height of 30 feet or more. It has smooth dark bark on young trees that becomes gray and slightly furrowed with age. Twigs are brown with prominent lenticular scars. Leaves are shiny green and finely toothed. Flowers are white and form in clusters. Fruit is cherry-like, dark red to black and very bitter. They are eaten by birds and deer. The leaves contain cyanide and are poisonous to domestic livestock. With enough sugar the fruit makes a good jam. Native Americans ate the fruits and used them in pemmican. Fruits and twigs were also used in some ceremonies.
Willow
Six Salix species are found within the park. They are primarily found along stream courses and in swampy meadows. Individual species are difficult to distinguish due to hybridization. Generally willow are a fast growing short-lived species. Leaves are alternate and short stalked with finely toothed margins. Leaves are usually much longer than wide. The flowers, two inch catkins, appear before the leaves and produce cottony seeds. Willow twigs were important to Native Americans for basket weaving. The inner bark was made into a tea to reduce fever and relieve pain. The active ingredient in aspirin, salicylic acid, is derived from some willows.
Mormon Tea or Joint Fir or Ephedra
Two Ephedra species are found in the park. They are erect and shrubby plants with green jointed smooth twigs that branch into three. Terminal buds are conical and tiny. Male and female plants are separate. Yellowish "flowers" are solitary or in whorls in the axils of the stems. The fruit is small and cone-like, which reflects the distant relationship to conifers. Ephedrine, an antidepressant and anticongestive drug is produced from some Asiatic species of Ephedra. Both Native Americans and Mormons made a tea from the dried stems. The seed are also edible.
Nevada Ephedra (E. nevadensis) is common in the drier desert areas. Its stems are evergreen and olive in color. The branches are stout and spreading.
Green Ephedra (E. viridis) inhabits moister locations among the pinyon and juniper. The stems are bright yellow-green. The branches are slender, parallel, and point upwards.
Rubber Rabbitbrush or Gray Rabbitbrush
Chrysothamnus nauseosus grows to 10,000 feet in dry open places, often with sagebrush. It can grow from 30 cm. to 2 m. in height. The erect woody stems are flexible and covered with dense felt-like hairs. The narrow, linear leaves are hairy and alternate with entire margins. Yellow flower heads appear in dense clusters at the ends of the stems in August. This composite produces only disk flowers. They are surrounded by several rows of papery overlapping bracts. The seeds are wind dispersed. Flowers yield a yellow dye and cause allergies in some people. Native Americans used the twigs in basket weaving and in a tea reputed to be good for colds. Twigs contain a trace of rubber and were chewed by Native Americans. In World War II, rubber rabbitbrush was investigated as a source of rubber but its production was not cost effective.
Green Rabbitbrush, Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus, grows in the same areas as rubber rabbitbrush. It lacks hairs on stems and foliage giving it a greener look. Stems and flowers are sticky.
Sagebrush
There are six species of Artemisia in the park. Sagebrush tolerates a great range of elevations and ecological conditions. It is the indicator plant of the Great Basin Desert. Big Sagebrush, A. tridentata, is the most common sagebrush in the park and the state flower of Nevada. Big sagebrush is a branched, erect, evergreen shrub with aromatic gray-green alternate leave. Leaves are lobed at the tip and have silvery hairs on both sides. Numerous, small, stalk-less yellow flowers appear in erect clusters in August. Flowers are wind pollinated and cause allergies in some people. Sagebrush was important to the Native Americans. Seeds were eaten and tea from the leaves was used as an antiseptic and as a cure for colds and stomach ailments. Leaves provided a green dye. A hair tonic and a tonic to treat worms were made from the plant. Fibrous branches provided tinder for fires and were woven into cloth. Branches were used in smudging before a hunt. Today some sagebrush species provide absinthe, a fragrance.
Other common species of sagebrush include Dwarf Sagebrush, A. arbuscula, which is a smaller plant than big sagebrush and has three lobed leaves that wide and wedge shaped. Black sagebrush is considered a subspecies of dwarf sagebrush. Both grow on poor rocky soil. Sliver Sagebrush, A. cana, and Bud Sagebrush, A. spinescens, are also found in the park. Silver sagebrush looks similar to big sagebrush from a distance but it is smaller and the leaves are generally not lobed. Bud sagebrush grows amongst shadscale. It is distinctive for its spines. It tolerates the most arid condition of the sagebrush species.
Four-winged Saltbush
Atriplex canescens is a salt tolerant plant found below 8,500 feet in dry sandy areas. It has small gray-green, densely branched stems. It grows between 1 and 2 meters tall. Leaves are numerous, alternate, evergreen, and lance shaped with entire margins. Leaf surfaces are gray and hairy above and below. New growth is covered with scarf, minute white scales that protect against drying. Male and female plants are separate. The female produces tiny yellow flowers that yield a large number of conspicuous four winged seeds that are light green and papery, drying to nearly white. Native Americans used these seeds to make mush and flour. Leaves were eaten like spinach. Ashes served as a substitute for baking powder. Roots were used a soap.
Shadscale
Atriplex confertifolia is related to saltbush. Like saltbush, it does well in alkaline and saline soils. Shadscale is spinier than saltbush. The small, rigid branches bear grayish, hairy leaves then taper becoming woody and spiny. The bush may reach one meter in height. The leaves are 2 cm long, ovate and deciduous. The small flowers are wind pollinated. Male and female appear on separate plants. Both shadscale and saltbush are important forage plants.
Greasewood
Sarcobatus vermiculatus is a common desert shrub of alkaline areas up to 7,000 feet. This white barked shrub had rigid spiny branches with linear, alternate, bright green succulent leaves. Male and female plants are separate. Male flowers are rose colored and form spikes at the end of branches. Female flowers are inconspicuous, in the axils of the leaves. Fruit is small and globular, surrounded by winged membranes. Young twigs were boiled and eaten by Native Americans.
Winterfat
Ceretoides lanata is a small shrub, rarely growing more than one meter tall. Small hairs cover the entire plant, which give it a whitish appearance. Leaves are generally short and narrow and curled towards the underside. Larger spring leaves die back and are replaced in midsummer by smaller hairy or scaly leaves. The flowers are small and cottony. Winterfat is an important forage plant for wildlife and livestock. It is a good source of protein and vitamin A. Native Americans boiled leaves and stems to produce an infusion used to treat eye problems, headlice and baldness.
Spanish Bayonet or Blue Yucca or Banana Yucca
Yucca baccata is found in the lower elevations of the Great Basin. Sword-like leaves are roseate, densely clustered, thick, rigid and pointed at the tips. These fibrous leaves were important to native cultures for weaving. Large white flowers produce large fleshy fruits that resemble short bananas and taste like apples. Flower petals, stalks and seeds are also edible. Roots produce soap.
Fern Bush
Chamaebatiaria millefollium is a fragrant plant of the rocky soils of the pinyon juniper forest. It grows 1 to 2 meters high. Leaves appear like miniature fern fronds. Leaves are tiny and clustered in whorls near the tips of the twigs. White flowers grow in clusters. Flowers have five petals, five sepals, and numerous stamens and produce a dry brown fruit pod. Native Americans made a tea from the leaves to ease cramps and stomach aches. Fern bush is now used as an ornamental shrub.
Bitterbrush or Antelope Bitterbrush
Purshia tridentata is common among sagebrush. It grows in sandy or rocky well-drained soil. It is a close relative of cliffrose and will hybridize with it. The three-lobed wedge-shaped leaves are small and bright green. Leaf margins are curled under. The undersides of these deciduous leaves are hairy. Flowers have bright yellow flowers and produce a small one seeded achene. Seeds are prized by rodents, ants and birds. The small roots of the plant are infected with fungi that take the place of root hairs and absorb water and nutrients for the plant. Native Americans valued the shaggy bark as a source of fiber and the leaves as medicine.
Desert Sumac or Squawbush or Skunkbush
Rhus trilobata is a smooth brown barked shrub found above 4,000 feet. It usually grows on dry rocky slopes but can grow in moist valleys. It grows 1 to 2 meters high and as wide. Leaves are alternate and compound with three lance-shaped, shiny, toothed or lobed leaflets. Leaflets are 1 to 3 cm long. Leaves turn red in autumn and are aromatic when crushed. Tiny yellow flowers appear in dense clusters before the leaves develop. The reddish-orange berries are edible. They have been used to make a lemonade-like drink and were also ground up into cakes. Native Americans used the stems in basket weaving and the berries in dyes.
Cliffrose
Cowania mexicana is a shrub of the dry rocky hillsides from 3,500 to 8,000 feet. It grows 1 to 4 meters tall but can reach 8 m in height. The erect crown is composed of stiff, irregularly shaped branches. Bark is red-brown and shreds into long narrow strips on older trees. Wedge shaped, evergreen leaves are tiny, less than one inch long, and have 5 to 7 lobes and slightly hairy undersides. The pale yellow flowers resemble a simple rose. They produce dry, hard seeds with a long hairy plume that aids in wind dispersion.
Common or Dwarf Juniper
Juniperus communis is a circumpolar shrub found in the Great Basin region above 7,500 feet. Twigs are yellowish and three angled, possessing tiny needle-like leaves in whorls of 3 to 5 at each node. Needles are chalky white on the upper surface. Common juniper lacks the scaled leaves of other junipers; its leaves remain in the juvenile state. Dark blue berry-like cones contain 1 to 3 seeds. Native Americans used the berries in pemmican. Needles were used to produce a tea high in vitamin C and A. More recently the berries have been used as a spice and to flavor gin.
Red Osier Dogwood
Cornus sericea is a shrub of the shaded riparian areas to 9,000 feet. This shrub has smooth straight red stems. The bright green, opposite leaves are lance shaped with entire margins. The prominent lateral veins curve toward the leaf tip. Small white flowers with four petals and four sepals form flat-topped clusters. Large white bracts appear petal-like, making the flowers seem large. A cherry-like bluish fruit is produced in the fall. The fruit is unpalatable. Native Americans did use the twigs in basket weaving and the roots for red dye. Extracts were also made for fevers and coughs.
Oregon Grape
Berberis repens is a low growing evergreen shrub with stiff, spiny, holly-like leaflets on alternate compound leaves. The yellow flowers grow in clusters and yield small purplish grape-like berries in the fall. A yellow dye can be extracted from the roots. Native Americans used a preparation from the roots in checking dysentery. Jelly is made from the berries.
Blue Elderberry
Sambucus cerulea is a shrub of moist, porous soils along streams, hills and field edges. It may have multiple trunks. Bark is brown and smooth on young twigs, gray and furrowed on older twigs. The four paired, lance shaped leaflets have finely toothed margins. Leave size ranges from 2.5 to 15 cm long. Small white flowers grow in flat-topped dense clusters. Small bluish fruit form similar flat-topped clusters. The berries are edible and are an excellent source of vitamin C and A, calcium, iron and potassium. Native Americans used the fruits in pemmican. Today they are used in wines and jellies. Twigs and stems have large central spongy piths that Native Americans removed to make flutes. They also used various parts of the plant to make infusions for colds and tuberculosis and a general tonic. Red Elderberry, S. racemosa, is found at higher elevations. It can be distinguished from blue elderberry by red berries in dome topped clusters. It has caused cases of poisoning.
Snowberry
Greenleaf Manzanita
Arctostaphylos patula inhabits dry sunny sites in the open forests below 9,500 feet. It prefers cooler areas than sagebrush. The crooked, ridged stems have a thin, shiny, smooth bark that peels and is dark red to chocolate in color. Bright, round, alternate, evergreen leaves have entire margins. Leaf orientation varies depending on the amount of light and heat. Shrubs in shady areas have horizontal leaves to catch all available light; ones in sunny areas have vertical leaves to reduce water loss. Terminal clusters of small white to pink urn shaped flowers appear in late spring. Fruit is edible apple shaped berries. Berries can be used in jams, jellies and cider. Native Americans used the leaves as a diuretic.
Currants and Gooseberries
Three species of Ribes are found in the park; R. aureum, the Golden Currant, R. cereum, the Wax Currant, and R. velutinum, the Plateau Gooseberry. They range from moist to dry areas. All have alternate, palmately lobed or compound leaves. Their small flowers are borne in clusters at the leaf axils. The sepals, not the petals, fuse into a pink, white, or yellow tube to form "flowers". An edible orange or red fruit appears in the late summer. Currants lack spines and have larger flower clusters than gooseberries. Ribes species serve as an alternate host to white pine blister rust. The blister rust destroys the valuable white pine timber of the east. Many of the Ribes east of the Mississippi River have been destroyed to protect the white pine (Pinus strobus).
Wild Rose or Wood's Rose
Rosa woodsii looks like domestic roses but with smaller petals and leaves. It inhabits the cool, moist, generally shaded places below 9,000 feet. Stems are reddish with stout curved spines. Stalked, alternate leaves are divided into leaflets. The 5 to 9 saw-toothed leaflets are green and smooth above, paler below. Five-petalled pink flowers with numerous stamens appear in the early summer. The fruit, or hips, remain after the leaves fall. Rose hips are high in vitamin C and A. In fact, the juice from the hips is 24 times richer in vitamin C than orange juice. Hips are used in tea, wine, jam, and jellies. Native Americans ate the hips and petals and made a tea from the roots. The inner bark yields a yellow dye.
Red Raspberry
Rubus idaeus is found on the talus slopes and canyon bottoms to timberline. The woody stems are covered with stiff bristles. Leaves are green above, lighter below, and divided into 3 to 5 leaflets. White flowers in the spring produce a red fruit that is used in jams, jellies and pies. Leaves are used to make tea.
Sources
The Great Basin is a desert; it gets less than 10 inches of rain a year on average. The Great Basin is a cold desert and because of its high elevation it receives most of its moisture in winter snows. Despite these dry conditions there are 411 different plant species in the park and South Snake Range, of these 13 are considered sensitive species. The way many of these plant species are able to survive in this environment is through specialized adaptations or by living in the mountain ranges.
Many of the plants living in the basins have adapted over time. Many flowering plants will only grow and produce seeds during a year when there is enough water. These seeds will be dormant until the next season with enough moisture, which may be years from the time they were produced. Other adaptations help keep plants from losing their water. The Sagebrush, a very common resident of the Great Basin, is well adapted to the area. The Big Sagebrush root system can extend as much as 90 feet in circumference. This adaptation allows the plant to catch as much water as possible when the rains do come. The hairy leaves of sagebrush work as a windbreak to slow down evaporation from leaves. Other methods of water loss prevention are waxy leaves and succulence. The waxy coat acts as a barrier to evaporation by the wind. Succulence allows plants to hold water for the drier times. Greenleaf manzanita is an example of a plant with a waxy coat and prickly pear cactus is a succulent.
The plants in the Great Basin have developed some ingenious methods of dealing with the dry desert conditions. Their adaptations have allowed plants to live in harsh environments, providing a variety of habitats for animals.
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Written by: Liz Thorin, March 1999
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