Wildlife of the Bighorn Basin
The Bighorn Basin is a special place. It's beautiful. It's rugged. It's wild.
We are paleontologists, but it isn't just the life of the past that fascinates us. The modern plants and animals of this dry landscape are just as captivating and worthy of our admiration. Many are endangered - threatened by invasive species, habitat decline, or climate change.
Take a few moments to enjoy the life and scenery captured on camera and assembled on this page, and learn more about the amazing wildlife of this special region.
Fauna in & Around the Bighorn Basin
Checkered Skipper
(Pyrgus communis)
Wood Tiger MOth
(Parasemia plantaginis)
Mourning Cloak
(Nymphalis antiopa)
One-eyed Sphinx Moth
(Smerinthus cerisyi)
Nevada Tiger MOth
(Apatensis nevadaensis)
Hummingbird Moth
(Hemaris sp.)
Great Tiger MOth
(Arctia caja)
Stink bug nymph
(Chlorochroa sp.)
Plains Spadefoot Toad
(Spea bombifrons)
Northern Scorpion
(Paruroctonus boreus)
Prairie Rattlesnake
(Crotalus viridis)
Greater Short-Horned Lizard
(Phrynosoma hernandesi)
Bull Snake
(Pituophis catenifer)
Olive-Backed Pocket Mouse
(Perognathus fasciatus)
Uinta Chipmunk
(Neotamias umbrinus)
Pika
(Ochotona princeps)
Endangered
Red Squirrel
(Tamiasciurus hudsonicus)
Desert Cottontail Rabbit
(Sylvilagus audubonii)
Sandhill Cranes
(Antigone canadensis)
Rufous Hummingbird
(Selasphorus rufus)
Mule Deer
(Odocoileus hemionus)
Mountain Goat
(Oreamnos americanus)
Moose
(Alces alces)
