Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Wildlife
Texas' sheer size and environmental diversity mean that it's home to a startling array of
wildlife: over 5000 species of plants, 600 different birds (more than any other state) and
125 vertebrate animals are found here.
Mammals
To the eternal shame of early settlers, American bison, or buffalo, were hunted to the brink
of extinction and today exist only in remnant populations. These days, the two most famous
Texas animals are the armadillo and longhorn steer, respectively the state's official smallest
and largest mammals. The armadillo, whose bony carapace is unique among mammals, re-
sembles an armored vehicle. Many homeowners are annoyed when the armadillo digs up
their lawns in its search for grubs. Speeding drivers are a hazard for the armadillo, which
you may first encounter as an inevitable sight on a long Texas drive: road kill. Deer are also
populous (and potential road dangers) in Hill Country.
Once the most common mammals found in west Texas, another (unofficial) mascot of
the state is the black-tailed prairie dog - essentially a fat, friendly squirrel that lives off
prairie grasses. Highly sociable, the prairie dog lives in large colonies called 'towns' and
hibernates in winter. Natural and human-caused environmental changes have vastly re-
duced the prairie-dog population over the years, but protected prairie-dog towns can be
found in west Texas and the Panhandle Plains.
It's a big old mammal party in Big Bend: a whopping 75 species call the region home.
The black bear, all but gone from the region by the mid-20th century, made an amazing
comeback about 20 years ago. More than 200 sightings are now reported in a typical year,
most in the national park's Chisos Mountains. Mountain lions (sometimes called panthers)
are seen fairly rarely, but about two dozen live in the Chisos. And that blur you just saw
streaking across the desert? No, it's not a lost Austin hippie running towards a mirage. It's
probably a jackrabbit. Big Bend's full of the critters.
Bats
Thirty-one species of bats - those flying mammals that populate horror movies, Halloween
decorations and attics - call Texas home. But bats are actually Texans' friends; they eat
large amounts of mosquitoes and insects nightly, and rarely bother humans.
