Nature & Wildlife
With mountain lions, peregrine falcons, and desert tortoises, the four distinct habitats of Zion allow visitors to see wildlife adapt from the desert lowlands, through the hanging garden micro-climates, then rise to the forested highlands.
- Look for the Peregrine falcon and California condor, two species rescued from the brink of extinction.
- Explore the hanging gardens, where water springs directly from the sandstone.
- Ever present but rarely seen, mountain lions prey on the abundant mule deer.
- Zion's unique climate supports endemic species such as Foster's columbine and the Zion sweetpea.
Overview
Located at the junction between the Colorado Plateau, Great Basin and Mojave Desert, the variety of plant and animal life is tough to grasp. Elevations change over 5,000 ft. from top to bottom, creating a wide range of habitats that normally wouldn't be seen in such close proximity.
The abundance of species and complexity of environments make it difficult to appreciate Zion's value as a wildlife sanctuary. However, park rangers regularly give guided tours to help visitors see the amazing details and integration of the natural systems.
Mammals
While rarely seen, mountain lions do inhabit Zion, particularly in Kolob and Parunweap Canyons on the northern side. They have a close predator-prey relationship with the mule deer, which is commonly seen throughout the park.
The elusive ring tailed cat climbs around the treetops at night, while the grey fox lives on the ground below them. Spotting either of these mammals is a rare treat, given how stealthy and quiet they are.
As a cousin of the familiar neighborhood rodent, the rock squirrel is probably the most commonly seen animal in the park. In addition, there are also bighorn sheep if you look in the right places.
Birds
Zion Canyon has played part in one of the most successful recovery efforts for endangered species. The Peregrine falcon was decimated by chemical contamination of its environment, but recovery was so strong that it was removed from the U.S. Endangered Species list in 1999.
Another benefactor of Zion's unique habitat is the California Condor. In 1987, with just 22 condors in existence, the recovery program took off in earnest. While still critically endangered, condors are now regularly seen in the park.
Other birds, such as the Mexican spotted owl, roadrunner, black throated sparrow, and blue heron, receive less attention than the headline-grabbing falcons and condors, but are exciting creatures to watch on their own.
Reptiles and Amphibians
The desert tortoise is the gem of the Zion lowlands, living up to 100 years old. Existing in the same climate, rattlesnakes, coachwhips and kingsnakes are dangerous nocturnal predators, difficult to spot, but fun to track.
As the largest land-dwelling salamander in the world, the tiger salamander roams the land around streams and rivers, consuming earthworms, amphibians and even mice. Zion predators, traveling into the riparian habitat along the river, feed on the six species of toads and frogs that live throughout the park.
Plants
Zion's hanging gardens are complex habitats that exist in micro-climates of the park. These unique features are always located near a spring, which supports the drip-lines, ferns, flowers and window-blinds. There is often a waterfall dripping into a pool at the bottom, supporting some of Zion's most unique creatures.
The lowlands of Zion are a climate of arid grasslands and desert shrubs, struggling to survive in the dry sand. With the gain in elevation, however, these are quickly replaced by the drought-tolerant pinyon-juniper forests, home to a great diversity of life.
Ponderosa pines appear on the canyon walls and rim, seemingly planted directly into minuscule crevasses of sandstone, clinging to the wall for life. At the highest elevations of the park, the mixed conifer and aspen forests populate the high plateaus of the Kolob Terrace.
Endemic Species
The unique habitat found throughout the canyons in the national park have existed in isolation for so long that species have uniquely evolved here that are found nowhere else in the world.
For instance, the aroma of the pink flowered Zion sweetpea is found only in Zion. Foster's columbine is an endemic flower in the hanging gardens, as is the Zion net winged midge, an small insect with two sets of compound eyes.
The most well known, however, is the Zion snail. Found congregating on the algae-laden vertical walls of the hanging gardens, this small snail is found only in a 3.1 mile stretch of Zion and Orderville Canyon.