KnowKi

Learn the wildlife of the U.S. national parks

Learn the wildlife of Big Bend National Park

TX

2,876 species have research-grade observations inside Big Bend National Park on iNaturalist. KnowKi turns the most recorded into short lessons with real photos, so you know what you're looking at before you go.

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Most recorded here

The species with the most research-grade observations on iNaturalist, and how many each has. Most recorded doesn't mean native.

Birds

  1. Mexican Jay Aphelocoma wollweberi1,582
  2. Greater Roadrunner Geococcyx californianus1,155
  3. Cactus Wren Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus547
  4. Canyon Towhee Melozone fusca516
  5. Vermilion Flycatcher Pyrocephalus rubinus461
  6. Say's Phoebe Sayornis saya401
  7. Acorn Woodpecker Melanerpes formicivorus394
  8. White-winged Dove Zenaida asiatica350
  9. Black-throated Sparrow Amphispiza bilineata328
  10. Pyrrhuloxia Cardinalis sinuatus326

Plants

  1. Ocotillo Fouquieria splendens1,510
  2. Strawberry hedgehog cactus Echinocereus stramineus1,398
  3. Havard's Century Plant Agave havardiana1,255
  4. Creosote Bush Larrea tridentata1,111
  5. Strawberry Cactus Echinocereus enneacanthus1,095
  6. Scarlet hedgehog cactus Echinocereus coccineus1,056
  7. Russet Hedgehog Cactus Echinocereus russanthus1,016
  8. Texas lignum-vitae Guaiacum angustifolium1,006
  9. Lechuguilla Agave lechuguilla975
  10. Devilshead Echinocactus horizonthalonius937

Mammals

  1. White-tailed Deer Odocoileus virginianus719
  2. American Black Bear Ursus americanus465
  3. Collared Peccary Pecari tajacu415
  4. Coyote Canis latrans256
  5. Rock Squirrel Otospermophilus variegatus191
  6. Desert Cottontail Sylvilagus audubonii131
  7. Gray Fox Urocyon cinereoargenteus104
  8. Domestic Horse Equus caballus104
  9. Aoudad Ammotragus lervia96
  10. Mule Deer Odocoileus hemionus95

Insects

  1. Horse Lubber Grasshopper Romalea eques332
  2. Empress Leilia Asterocampa leilia311
  3. Reakirt's Blue Echinargus isola289
  4. Sleepy Orange Eurema nicippe277
  5. Giant Agave Bug Acanthocephala thomasi267
  6. Arizona Sister Adelpha eulalia251
  7. Plains Lubber Grasshopper Brachystola magna240
  8. Lyside Sulphur Kricogonia lyside231
  9. Queen Danaus gilippus225
  10. Gray Hairstreak Strymon melinus224

Spiders and kin

  1. Texas Brown Tarantula Aphonopelma hentzi554
  2. Striped Bark Scorpion Centruroides vittatus169
  3. Giant Crab Spider Olios giganteus105
  4. Naphrys acerba71
  5. Lesser Stripetail Scorpion Chihuahuanus coahuilae56
  6. Western Black Widow Latrodectus hesperus54
  7. Phidippus vexans43
  8. Dalquestia formosa41
  9. Trans-Pecos Twinspine Scorpion Diplocentrus lindo39
  10. Colonus hesperus39

Reptiles

  1. Greater Earless Lizard Cophosaurus texanus862
  2. Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnake Crotalus atrox422
  3. Rusty-rumped Whiptail Aspidoscelis scalaris345
  4. Marbled Whiptail Aspidoscelis marmoratus246
  5. Common Side-blotched Lizard Uta stansburiana245
  6. Canyon Lizard Sceloporus merriami229
  7. Crevice Spiny Lizard Sceloporus poinsettii205
  8. Eastern Black-tailed Rattlesnake Crotalus ornatus191
  9. Texas Alligator Lizard Gerrhonotus infernalis176
  10. Southwestern Fence Lizard Sceloporus cowlesi159

Amphibians

  1. Red-spotted Toad Anaxyrus punctatus158
  2. Rio Grande Leopard Frog Lithobates berlandieri80
  3. Couch's Spadefoot Scaphiopus couchii52
  4. Canyon Tree Frog Dryophytes arenicolor45
  5. Texas Toad Anaxyrus speciosus35

How a trip works

A trip has its own trail of lessons: meet six species, match them to new photos, then practice with four choices. Species you learn go into your Fieldbook, and starting a trip earns its Passport stamp. Your home place stays as it is.

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Species lists and counts from research-grade observations on iNaturalist, as of October 2026. KnowKi is not affiliated with the National Park Service. Free, with no ads, no account and no purchases.