Joshua Tree National Park is home to coyotes, jackrabbits, kangaroo rats, bobcats, desert bighorn sheep, desert tortoises, rattlesnakes, roadrunners, hawks, lizards and hundreds of other animals. The surprising part is how few of them you may notice at first.
Desert wildlife tends to avoid the hottest part of the day. Many mammals remain underground or hidden among rocks, while other animals become active around sunrise, sunset or after dark.
The National Park Service records about 350 vertebrate species in Joshua Tree, including 57 mammals, 46 reptiles and more than 250 bird species. The park also has two amphibian species and thousands of species of insects, spiders and other invertebrates.
You can see the park’s current wildlife information through the National Park Service.
Table of Contents
What animals are you most likely to see in Joshua Tree?
The animals visitors are most likely to encounter are not necessarily Joshua Tree’s largest or most dramatic species.
Commonly seen wildlife includes:
- White-tailed antelope ground squirrels
- Black-tailed jackrabbits
- Desert cottontails
- Coyotes
- Common ravens
- Gambel’s quail
- Greater roadrunners
- Red-tailed hawks
- Fence lizards and other desert lizards
Joshua Tree also has bobcats, gray foxes, kit foxes, mountain lions, mule deer, desert bighorn sheep and desert tortoises, but those are much less predictable sightings.
The best approach is to think of Joshua Tree as a place where wildlife often has to be found rather than a park where large animals are constantly visible from the road.
Joshua Tree mammals
Joshua Tree National Park has 57 recorded mammal species. Most are relatively small because desert mammals have to cope with limited water, extreme temperatures and limited food.
Rodents make up a large part of that diversity, but the park also supports rabbits, bats, foxes, coyotes, wild cats, deer and bighorn sheep.
Coyotes
Coyotes are among the larger mammals visitors have a reasonable chance of seeing. The National Park Service lists them as common throughout the park.
They may be active during the day, but dawn, dusk and nighttime are generally good periods to watch for them.
Never feed a coyote or encourage one toward a road, parking area or campsite. Animals that begin associating people with food can become habituated and create problems for both visitors and wildlife.
Jackrabbits and cottontails
Black-tailed jackrabbits are one of the easier desert mammals to recognize. Their extremely large ears and long legs separate them quickly from the smaller desert cottontail.
Jackrabbits often use open desert habitat, while cottontails tend to stay closer to shrubs and other cover.
Kangaroo rats
Kangaroo rats are a good example of how specialized Joshua Tree wildlife has become for desert life.
They spend much of the day inside burrows and emerge primarily at night to search for seeds. Their bodies conserve water extremely efficiently, allowing some kangaroo rats to survive without regularly drinking standing water.
Desert bighorn sheep
Desert bighorn sheep live in Joshua Tree but are not commonly seen. They favor rocky mountain terrain and areas with access to water.
Early morning and evening offer better odds than the middle of a hot day. The National Park Service also notes that bighorn sheep are sometimes seen around water sources such as Barker Dam.
If you encounter one, stay at least 75 feet away. Increase that distance if the animal changes its behavior because of your presence.
Bobcats and mountain lions
Both bobcats and mountain lions live inside Joshua Tree National Park.
Bobcats occur around rocky canyons and outcrops and are listed by the National Park Service as common, although their secretive behavior means seeing one is still far from guaranteed.
Mountain lions occur primarily in mountainous habitat and are considerably less likely to be encountered by a typical visitor.
Foxes
Joshua Tree has both gray foxes and desert kit foxes. Gray foxes are associated with rocky canyons and outcrops, while kit foxes favor flatter desert habitat.
Both can easily go unnoticed because much of their activity occurs when fewer visitors are walking around the park.
Desert tortoises
The Mojave desert tortoise is one of Joshua Tree’s signature animals, but seeing one requires some luck.
Tortoises spend the vast majority of their lives underground, where burrows protect them from extreme desert temperatures. Spring is one of the better periods to encounter a tortoise when favorable temperatures bring them above ground to feed and reproduce.
The Mojave desert tortoise is federally protected. Do not pick one up for a photograph or move it simply because it is crossing your path.
Snakes in Joshua Tree
Joshua Tree has more than two dozen snake species, including several rattlesnakes, but snakes are much less conspicuous than lizards.
Sidewinders are particularly adapted to sandy desert habitat, while other rattlesnake species occur in rocky areas and different elevations throughout the park.
You do not need to spend a Joshua Tree trip worrying constantly about snakes. Avoid putting your hands into rock crevices or beneath vegetation where you cannot see, stay on obvious walking surfaces when possible, and give any snake you encounter enough space to move away.
For the animals that deserve more safety awareness, see the separate guide to dangerous animals in Joshua Tree.
Lizards are some of the easiest animals to find
If you want to see reptiles, lizards provide much better odds than snakes or tortoises.
Joshua Tree has species including desert spiny lizards, zebra-tailed lizards, desert iguanas, leopard lizards, chuckwallas and fence lizards.
Warm conditions bring many lizards onto exposed rocks and other surfaces where they can regulate their body temperature. Their visibility is one reason reptiles can seem especially abundant in desert landscapes.
Birds you may notice around Joshua Tree
More than 250 bird species have been recorded in Joshua Tree National Park. Some live in the park throughout the year, while others appear during migration.
Joshua Tree sits along the Pacific Flyway, so the bird community changes throughout the year.
Some of the easiest birds for casual visitors to recognize are:
- Common ravens
- Gambel’s quail
- Greater roadrunners
- Red-tailed hawks
The park also supports golden eagles, prairie falcons, owls and a much larger variety of smaller resident and migratory birds.
Greater roadrunners
Greater roadrunners spend much of their time on the ground rather than flying. They feed on insects, lizards and other small animals and can even prey on rattlesnakes.
Watch for them crossing open ground or moving quickly between shrubs.
Joshua Tree animals at night
Some of Joshua Tree’s most active wildlife comes out after the sun goes down.
Animals that are primarily nocturnal or become more active during the cooler nighttime hours include:
- Kangaroo rats
- Bats
- Kit foxes
- Some coyotes
- Owls
- Scorpions
- Many rodents
- Some snakes during warm conditions
Joshua Tree has 16 recorded bat species, making bats a substantial part of the park’s mammal diversity.
Hot summer afternoons can make the desert seem almost empty because many animals are sheltering underground or in shaded rock crevices. After temperatures fall, activity increases considerably.
Remember that spotlighting wildlife with artificial light is prohibited in the park.
Scorpions, tarantulas and other desert animals
Joshua Tree also has thousands of species of arthropods, including scorpions, spiders, beetles, centipedes, bees and butterflies.
Scorpions generally hide during daylight and become more active after dark. Tarantulas can occasionally be seen walking across open ground or roads, particularly when adult males are moving in search of females.
These smaller animals are easy to overlook, but they make up a huge part of the park’s desert ecosystem.
When is the best time to see wildlife in Joshua Tree?
Early morning and evening are generally the best times for wildlife watching.
Many mammals avoid the hottest hours, while reptiles need enough warmth to become active but may disappear again during extreme heat.
Season matters too. Desert tortoises are most commonly encountered in spring, while reptiles become more conspicuous as temperatures warm.
During summer, much of the most interesting activity shifts toward dusk and nighttime.
Where to look for animals in Joshua Tree
There is no single spot where wildlife reliably gathers. Habitat is more useful than chasing a particular location.
- Rocky mountains and slopes: scan for desert bighorn sheep.
- Rocky canyons and outcrops: habitat for bobcats, gray foxes and many reptiles.
- Sandy desert flats: look for jackrabbits, kit fox habitat and tracks from small mammals.
- Vegetated areas: good places to watch for birds, rabbits and smaller animals.
- Water sources: can attract wildlife from a much wider surrounding area.
Barker Dam is one place where bighorn sheep are occasionally reported, but no wildlife sighting is guaranteed.
How to watch wildlife without disturbing it
The simplest rule is to watch the animal’s behavior. If it moves away, stops feeding or changes what it is doing because of you, you are too close.
- Never feed wildlife.
- Keep food and trash secured.
- Do not pick up or handle desert tortoises.
- Stay at least 75 feet from desert bighorn sheep.
- Do not chase animals for photographs.
- Do not use artificial lights to spotlight wildlife.
- Keep pets under control and follow park restrictions.
If wildlife watching is part of a larger California trip, see the guide to wildlife areas in California.
The desert is less empty than it looks
Joshua Tree is not a place where large animals are constantly standing beside the road. Its wildlife is adapted to avoiding heat, conserving water and staying hidden.
That is part of what makes looking for animals here interesting. Scan rocks instead of walking past them, watch the edges of washes, listen for birds and pay attention during the cooler hours of the day.
You may see only jackrabbits, ravens and lizards on one visit. On another, you might get lucky with a coyote, tortoise or bighorn sheep. All of them are part of the same desert ecosystem.
