Carlsbad Caverns National Park guide · 1 min read
Cave Crickets, Ringtails and Thorny Desert Plants
Large animals are few in the Chihuahuan Desert that surrounds the caverns, so the plants have adjusted to a dry life.
Almost all of the park's plants are armed with spines or thorns. Prickly-pear cactus, ocotillo and lechuguilla are among the most common, and pushing through them on foot is tough going. In spring, a hedgehog cactus may bloom among the arid rocks.
Cave crickets have adjusted to life deep inside the caves, where no light reaches and conditions stay completely dark. Around the cave entrances, you may spot raccoons, ring-tail cats and skunks. Rattlesnakes are also common in the area, especially near the openings of backcountry caves, so keep an eye on where you put your feet.
Mexican free-tailed bats are the park's best-known animals. Huge colonies roost in the Big Cave and in other caves across the park. Ranger programs let visitors watch thousands of them stream out of Carlsbad Cavern in the evening, and watch them return at dawn.
Rattlesnake Springs, set apart from the main park area, is a wooded oasis with a picnic area and habitat for wildlife. More than 300 bird species have been logged there. Cave swallows nest in a colony at the natural entrance to the caverns, which may be the largest of its kind in the world, and that entrance holds an Important Bird Area designation too.
