Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota is known for highly-visible wildlife. It’s guaranteed you will see bison, pronghorn, elk, or prairie dog during your visit. Maybe you will see all these mammals, as well as one or more of the 100 species of birds that make this national park their home.

Sure, there are more mammal species than the four listed above. There are mule deer, coyotes, and badgers. Stick around in the late evening and nighttime and you might see a black-footed ferret pop up from an abandoned prairie dog burrow. And of course there are bats, most of which prefer to hang out – er - roost in trees and rocky overhangs.

American Bison

It's a guarantee you will see one or more bison at Wind Cave National Park / Rebecca Latson

These are the park’s most iconic wildlife and probably one of the first animals you will see upon entering the park.

According to park staff:

In North America, both “bison” and “buffalo” refer to the American bison (Bison bison). Generally, “buffalo” is used informally; “bison” is preferred for more formal or scientific purposes. Historians believe that the term “buffalo” grew from the French word for beef, “boeuf.” Some people insist that the term “buffalo” is incorrect because the “true” buffalo exist on other continents and are only distant relatives.

Another name for these animals is “tatanka.” Tatanka is the Lakota word for bison. Bison are incredibly important in Lakota culture; the Lakota are traditionally nomadic and would have spent their lives following bison before Euro-Americans settled the West. Another word for bison in Lakota is “pte.” The Lakota are sometimes known as pte oyate, meaning “buffalo nation.”

Bison are the largest land-dwelling mammal in North America. Males (2,000 lbs/900 kg) are larger than females (1,100 lbs/500 kg) and both are generally dark chocolate-brown in color, with long hair on their forelegs, head, and shoulders, but short, dense hair (1 in/3 cm) on their flanks and hindquarters. Calves of the year are born after 9 to 9-½ months of gestation. They are reddish-tan at birth and begin turning brown after 2-½ months. Both sexes have relatively short horns that curve upward, with male’s averaging slightly longer than those of adult females.

All bison have a protruding shoulder hump. Large shoulder and neck muscles allow bison to swing their heads from side-to-side to clear snow from foraging patches, unlike other ungulates that scrape snow away with their front feet. Bison are agile, strong swimmers, and can run up to 35 miles per hour (55 kph). They can jump over objects about 5 feet (1.5 m) high and have excellent hearing, and sense of smell.

Visit this national park in the spring and you might see clumps of bison fur snagged in the tall grass, remnants of their winter coat. The softer hair is the downy undercoat that helps keep bison warm, while the coarser hair is known as guard hair.

Two kinds of bison fur you might see snagged on tall grass during a spring visit to Wind Cave National Park / Rebecca Latson

When viewing or photographing bison, you should remain approximately 75 feet (23 m) away from these behemoths. Like all wildlife, they are unpredictable. Their fluffiness may trick you into thinking they are cute and pettable, but in truth, they can charge at a moment’s notice and reach speeds of 35 mph (56 kph). Bison have been known to gore park visitors who approached too closely.

Bison Fun Fact: You can tell how a bison is feeling (and if you are getting too close) by looking at their tail. If it is raised (and not attending to the call of Nature), that means it is nervous and seriously considering making a charge. It may also bluff charge, bob its head, paw the ground, bellow, or snort. All of these are warning signs for you to carefully back away.

Black-Tailed Prairie Dog

A black-tailed prairie dog guarding its burrow opening, Wind Cave National Park / Rebecca Latson

These cute, chubby little rodent relatives to the squirrel family are highly social creatures inhabiting underground warrens called “towns.” These towns can cover anywhere from one acre to more than several miles of land. Their network of burrows is connected and serve specific purposes such as nesting, sleeping, or storage. You can tell you are at a prairie dog town by the dirt mounds atop the ground. These mounds are usually a different color (e.g. lighter or darker) than the ground color.

According to park staff:

Prairie dog social structure and behavior is unique. Members of the coteries cooperate with each other, rarely competing for food and shelter, and occupying functionally equal social positions. Neighbors recognize each other with a kiss. They may also be seen grooming each other, cooperating in defense and the construction of burrows, eating and playing together, or simply standing side by side on a mound of earth.

Communication between the members of a town is important and highly specialized. Over ten different calls have been described, including sounds for warning, defense, territoriality, fear, and fighting. Different predators, such as rattlesnakes and coyotes, may warrant unique calls. A warning cry from one prairie dog sends all within earshot hustling for their burrows.

Prairie Dog Fun Fact: Prairie dogs often exhibit a behavior known as the “jump-yip.” At seemingly random times, a prairie dog will stand up, arch its back, and pipe out a “weeee-ooooo” sound.

Prairie dog "jump-yip" behavior, Wind Cave National Park / Rebecca Latson

The theory is they are testing the responsiveness and alertness of their fellow prairie dog townsfolk, to see if they are also on the lookout for predators. If the others are alert, they too, will stand up and repeat that “weee-oooo.”

Black-Footed Ferret

A rare daytime sighting of a black-footed ferret, Wind Cave National Park / NPS file

Black-footed ferrets were declared extinct in 1979. Reintroduced to the Wind Cave landscape in 2007, this critically endangered member of the weasel family may remind you of a little bandit, with a “bandit mask” of dark fur over its eyes. The prairie dog constitutes 90 percent of a black-footed ferret’s diet. Since the prairie dog is so good at guarding its town and inhabitants, the black-footed ferret is nocturnal, preferring to hunt at night while the prairie dog sleeps. Black-footed ferrets inhabit abandoned prairie dog burrows.

Black-Footed Ferret Fact: Plague (also known as Bubonic Plague or the Black Death) is now the leading threat to ferret survival. Plague is a non-native disease that can kill 90 percent of a prairie dog colony. Black-footed ferrets rely upon prairie dogs as a major source of their diet. So, not only are they affected by a prairie dog decline, but these little ferrets can contract plague as well. Plague outbreaks are unpredictable, so currently, the only way to protect prairie dogs and black-footed ferrets from plague is intervention in the form of deltamethrin dust sprayed into burrows to kill fleas which harbor plague. It’s a labor-intensive and expensive endeavor, so the park is working closely with both the United States Geologic Service (USGS) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to conduct research on new flea control methods.

Pronghorn

A pronghorn doe, Wind Cave National Park / Rebecca Latson

Pronghorn are often called pronghorn antelope, even though they are not really antelope. Their closest living relatives are the giraffe and okapi. They get their name from the male’s two pronged horns. Females have horns as well, but they are tiny spikes compared to the male’s prongs, which may grow up to 18 inches (45.7 cm) long!

According to park staff:

The horn is made up of two parts: a bony core and a black outer sheath. This sheath is made up of a stiff, hair-like substance. Pronghorns are the only animals in the world who shed their horn sheaths each year. The outer sheath of the horn falls off in the fall and will grow back by summer.

Pronghorns vary from light tan to a rich brown with white patches on the stomach, neck, and rump. When threatened, the hairs of the rump bristle, signaling to would-be predators that they have been spotted. This also signals to other pronghorns that there is danger nearby. Pronghorn bucks have black patches on the lower jaw below the eye and a black mask extending back from the nose. These markings make it easier to distinguish the male from the female. The pronghorn’s large eyes give them exceptional vision. They also have keen hearing and sense of smell.

Pronghorn Fun Facts: Pronghorns are found only in North America and nowhere else in the world. They are the fastest North American land mammal and can reach speeds of 60 mph (96.6 kph) for about half a mile.

Wind Cave Wildlife Fun Fact: The establishment of Wind Cave National Game Preserve in 1912 brought the reintroduction of bison, elk, and pronghorns to the park.

Birds

Wind Cave National Park’s proximity is within the geographic center of the continent. This blend of prairie and forest ecosystems provide homes to over 100 species found within the park, and you might find birds from both the east and west side of the country, like the red-headed woodpecker or the black-billed magpie.

You might also see birds with combined eastern and western markings. The northern Flicker is a great example.

Northern flicker, Wind Cave National Park / NPS - N. Lewis

According to park staff:

The northern flicker is a woodpecker found across much of the US and Canada. These colorful birds look different on different sides of the US. On the west side of the country, males have a red “mustache stripe” and red wing and tail feathers. On the east side of the country, males have a black mustache stripe and yellow wing and tail feathers. At Wind Cave, male northern flickers usually have the black mustache stripe of an eastern bird but the orange or red feathers of a western bird.

If you are wandering this national park’s prairie lands, it’s possible you will spot (and hear) western meadowlarks.

Western meadowlark, Wind Cave National Park / NPS file

While roaming the Black Hills forests, you might chance upon a great horned owl.

Great horned owl, Wind Cave National Park / NPS - Neal Herbert

To read more about Wind Cave birds and to search on and download a checklist forany species within the park, click here.