While you likely won’t see many animals on your White Sands National Park tour, that doesn’t mean the park is empty. In fact, White Sands is home to about 800 different species, mostly bugs and other small critters. Here’s a quick rundown of some of the animals you might spot if you keep your eyes peeled:
There are a handful of mammals in White Sands, but they largely keep out of sight during the day, only emerging when the sun goes down and temperatures cool. At night, animals like badgers, coyotes, bobcats, bats, and even porcupines come out to search for food.
However, the real stars of the show are the herd of African oryx that were introduced to the area in the 1970s. As oryx are an invasive species, the park takes steps to keep them out, but you might still spot one on your visit. There are also over 200 bird species in White Sands, including roadrunners, great horned owls, and red-tailed hawks.
One of the most unique features of White Sands National Park is the snow-white coloring of the gypsum sand dunes. As a result, many of the animals living in White Sands have developed lighter coloring than the ones elsewhere in the area. Apache pocket mice, bleached earless lizards, and sand wolf spiders are just a few of the species that have gradually turned white after generations of living among the white sand dunes.
White Sands is also home to about 40 species of moth that are entirely endemic to the park, which means they can’t be found anywhere else in the world. Most of these species have only been discovered in the past couple of decades, and scientists speculate that there may be something about the gypsum soil that’s causing the moths to evolve by affecting the plants they eat.
To make the most of your trip, check out our White Sands National Park Self-Guided Driving Tour, or you can sign up for Action+ and gain access to over 100 tours for a single yearly price.
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