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Learn the wildlife of the U.S. national parks

Learn the wildlife of Death Valley National Park

CA · NV

1,712 species have research-grade observations inside Death Valley 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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Āki the kiwi, KnowKi's guide

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. Common Raven Corvus corax399
  2. Great-tailed Grackle Quiscalus mexicanus238
  3. Eurasian Collared-Dove Streptopelia decaocto176
  4. Rock Wren Salpinctes obsoletus154
  5. Greater Roadrunner Geococcyx californianus137
  6. Say's Phoebe Sayornis saya132
  7. Red-tailed Hawk Buteo jamaicensis106
  8. Brewer's Blackbird Euphagus cyanocephalus88
  9. White-crowned Sparrow Zonotrichia leucophrys85
  10. Black-throated Sparrow Amphispiza bilineata69

Plants

  1. Creosote Bush Larrea tridentata1,952
  2. Desert Holly Atriplex hymenelytra1,704
  3. Desert Sunflower Geraea canescens1,436
  4. Desert fivespot Eremalche rotundifolia1,425
  5. Caltha-leaf Phacelia Phacelia calthifolia1,181
  6. Cottontop Cactus Homalocephala polycephala1,138
  7. Gravel ghost Atrichoseris platyphylla1,117
  8. Notch-leaf Scorpionweed Phacelia crenulata1,076
  9. Desert rock nettle Eucnide urens1,012
  10. Beavertail Pricklypear Opuntia basilaris1,005

Mammals

  1. Coyote Canis latrans451
  2. Donkey Equus asinus257
  3. Bighorn Sheep Ovis canadensis182
  4. Desert Cottontail Sylvilagus audubonii75
  5. White-tailed Antelope Squirrel Ammospermophilus leucurus64
  6. Kit Fox Vulpes macrotis58
  7. Black-tailed Jackrabbit Lepus californicus48
  8. Mule Deer Odocoileus hemionus28
  9. Desert Kangaroo Rat Dipodomys deserti24
  10. Canyon Bat Parastrellus hesperus15

Insects

  1. White-lined Sphinx Hyles lineata738
  2. Large Creosote Gall Midge Asphondylia auripila260
  3. Pallid-winged Grasshopper Trimerotropis pallidipennis181
  4. Painted Lady Vanessa cardui180
  5. Master Blister Beetle Lytta magister139
  6. Ornate Checkered Beetle Trichodes ornatus123
  7. Veromessor pergandei113
  8. Sagebrush Checkerspot Chlosyne acastus105
  9. Western Pygmy-Blue Brephidium exilis103
  10. Seven-spotted Lady Beetle Coccinella septempunctata96

Spiders and kin

  1. Smeringurus vachoni248
  2. Desert Tarantula Aphonopelma iodius136
  3. Dune Scorpion Smeringurus mesaensis40
  4. Syspira longipes38
  5. Stahnkeus deserticola32
  6. Paruroctonus bantai19
  7. Serradigitus gramenestris18
  8. Yellow Devil Scorpion Paravaejovis confusus14

Reptiles

  1. Common Side-blotched Lizard Uta stansburiana1,090
  2. Zebra-tailed Lizard Callisaurus draconoides490
  3. Common Chuckwalla Sauromalus ater462
  4. Desert Iguana Dipsosaurus dorsalis361
  5. Desert Horned Lizard Phrynosoma platyrhinos224
  6. Desert Collared Lizard Crotaphytus bicinctores174
  7. Western Whiptail Aspidoscelis tigris166
  8. Sidewinder Crotalus cerastes129
  9. Panamint Rattlesnake Crotalus stephensi121
  10. Desert Spiny Lizard Sceloporus magister100

Fish

  1. Death Valley Pupfish Cyprinodon salinus519
  2. Devils Hole Pupfish Cyprinodon diabolis78
  3. Western Mosquitofish Gambusia affinis14

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.