John Day Fossil Beds National Monument - animals (U.S. National Park Service)

NPS photo

Badgers are a common predator of burrowing rodents

The rugged landscape along with the perennial streams or river found in the 3 units of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument provide ideal habitat for the large collection of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and fish found here.

As the seasons change, so do the opportunities to see big game such as deer, elk, and antelope. Rodents, such as gophers, Belding's ground squirrels, and yellow belly marmots can be seen as well as the hawks, coyotes, and badgers that prey on them.

Swallows are seen feeding along the rocky outcroppings during the day and bats can often be seen leaving their roosts in the same areas at dusk. Many species of birds are permanent residents of the monument while others including sandhill cranes can be seen migrating through each spring and fall.

Northern pike minnow and bridgelip sucker are common sites in the John Day River flowing through the Sheep Rock Unit and on occasion in the spring, visitors will see steelhead or chinook salmon swimming upstream to their spawning grounds.

The small seeps and springs scattered throughout the monument provide habitat for various toads and frogs while several varieties of lizards and snakes are seen on the rocky hillsides above. Millions of years of animal and floral fossils show the evolution of this region from an ocean bottom to maritime, wet climate to the present day, semi-arid climate.

The animals found here today have adapted to the 9-16 inch annual precipitation and temperature variations from 105 degrees in the summer to below zero in the winter. The ground squirrels will hibernate for the winter, while many birds and bats migrate south. Coyotes and beaver will grow thick, winter coats.

As spring arrives, neotropical birds and swallows will begin their nest building and bug catching activities, and does with their fawns are seen feeding in the hayfields.

Summer inspires the croaking of the frogs as they search for a mate and sends many a lizard to warm itself on the volcanic rocks. The bugling of elk and the southward flights of geese and sandhill cranes announce the coming of fall. Year after year the cycle is repeated within the protected boundaries of the monument.

Alan St. John

Great Basin spadefoot toads are usually only seen after a good rainstorm.

The John Day Fossil Beds will never be known as an amphibian mecca. But it does harbor some unique seeps and springs within the boundaries that provide "islands" of habitat for amphibians. Predation by birds, fish and the introduced bullfrog hamper most amphibians along the John Day River. But the springs and seeps tucked back into the surrounding hills and mountains allow for several species of amphibians to continue their life cycles. The western toad, spade foot toad, Pacific tree frog, and long-toed salamander can all thrive in moist pockets scattered around the dry countryside. With the male toads and frogs doing all of the vocalizing, this is often the best way to find which sites have amphibians and to determine which species are represented. Amphibians are animals that have two life stages, so many visitors only get to see either the tadpole or the adult stage depending on the time of the summer they visit. The early summer vocalizing by the males leads to the mating and subsequent egg laying of the females. These eggs typically are laid in strings or large egg masses that float in water or get attached to vegetation. The eggs develop and hatch into the tadpole or larval stage. Then a metamorphosis occurs over the next several weeks as the aquatic, larval stage changes into the terrestrial, adult stage. These adults will then typically burrow into the mud surrounding the spring to hibernate over the winter and then start the cycle all over again. The John Day Fossil Beds are preparing for a strong effort to map the springs and seeps of the monument and to gather base-line data on the amphibians using each site. This will allow for a more focused management effort to protect these unique sites and species.