Nature & Wildlife
Yosemite National Park provides an excellent habitat for over 300 species of animals including fish, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and birds. Because almost 95% of the Park is designated as wilderness area, human activities have not resulted in the destruction or change of basic animal and plant habitats. These undisturbed habitats support a high diversity of wildlife.
Yosemite is known, of course, for its magnificent scenery, but varieties of plants and animals are also abundant in the Park. In the Park, there are about 230 species of birds, 80 animal species, and 1400 species of shrubs, trees, and flowering plants. The diverse regions provide homes for this vast array of animal and plant life.
On the western boundary of the Park, you will find forests of ponderosa pine, sugar pine, cedar, white fir, and Douglas fir. The mild climate here and the plant life found here support black bears, gray foxes, bobcats, mountain kingsnake, woodpeckers, spotted owls and a variety of bat species.
As the elevation increases, you will find fewer animal species. In this higher elevation, you will be able to spot ground squirrels, chickarees, martens, Steller's jays, hermit thrushes, and northern goshawks. Reptiles are not common, but you could come across a rubber boa, western fence lizard, and/or an alligator lizard.
With continued increase in elevation, the trees become sparse and smaller. Large areas of granite are found in the landscape. The climate here is harsher and the growing season is much shorter. This higher alpine climate is home to pica, yellow-bellied marmot, white-tailed hare, Clark's nutcracker, and rosy finches. The treeless alpine habitats are the areas favored by Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep.
At each of the elevations, vast meadows are found. Animals come to feed on the green grasses and to drink from the flowing and standing water found in many meadows. The beauty of Yosemite is accentuated by the wildflowers, which can be found there in the warmer seasons. Wildflowers can be seen blooming not only in the meadows, but also in the dirt and gravel, and in the earth crevices of rock formations.
