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Learn the wildlife of the U.S. national parks

Learn the wildlife of Joshua Tree National Park

CA

1,640 species have research-grade observations inside Joshua Tree 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. Black-throated Sparrow Amphispiza bilineata1,229
  2. Phainopepla Phainopepla nitens875
  3. Gambel's Quail Callipepla gambelii646
  4. California Scrub-Jay Aphelocoma californica643
  5. Cactus Wren Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus530
  6. White-crowned Sparrow Zonotrichia leucophrys460
  7. Rock Wren Salpinctes obsoletus456
  8. Common Raven Corvus corax452
  9. Loggerhead Shrike Lanius ludovicianus434
  10. Ladder-backed Woodpecker Dryobates scalaris316

Plants

  1. Western Joshua Tree Yucca brevifolia7,706
  2. Engelmann's Hedgehog Cactus Echinocereus engelmannii4,548
  3. Silver Cholla Cylindropuntia echinocarpa4,429
  4. Beavertail Pricklypear Opuntia basilaris4,345
  5. Mojave Yucca Yucca schidigera3,920
  6. Branched Pencil Cholla Cylindropuntia ramosissima3,434
  7. Kingcup Cactus Echinocereus triglochidiatus3,322
  8. California juniper Juniperus californica3,001
  9. Creosote Bush Larrea tridentata2,970
  10. California Barrel Cactus Ferocactus cylindraceus2,842

Mammals

  1. White-tailed Antelope Squirrel Ammospermophilus leucurus1,103
  2. Desert Cottontail Sylvilagus audubonii457
  3. Black-tailed Jackrabbit Lepus californicus375
  4. California Ground Squirrel Otospermophilus beecheyi242
  5. Coyote Canis latrans191
  6. Bighorn Sheep Ovis canadensis108
  7. California Chipmunk Neotamias obscurus49
  8. Gray Fox Urocyon cinereoargenteus40
  9. Merriam's Kangaroo Rat Dipodomys merriami25
  10. Desert Woodrat Neotoma lepida23

Insects

  1. Large Creosote Gall Midge Asphondylia auripila532
  2. White-lined Sphinx Hyles lineata491
  3. Western Honey Bee Apis mellifera480
  4. California Patch Chlosyne californica372
  5. Painted Lady Vanessa cardui297
  6. Veromessor pergandei259
  7. Sagebrush Checkerspot Chlosyne acastus216
  8. Western Tent Caterpillar Moth Malacosoma californica214
  9. Armored Stink Beetle Eleodes armata211
  10. Beaked Twig Gall Wasp Burnettweldia plumbella204

Spiders and kin

  1. Desert Tarantula Aphonopelma iodius107
  2. Giant Crab Spider Olios giganteus56
  3. Western Black Widow Latrodectus hesperus41
  4. Desert Hairy Scorpion Hadrurus arizonensis29
  5. Superstition Mountains Scorpion Superstitionia donensis22

Reptiles

  1. Common Side-blotched Lizard Uta stansburiana3,920
  2. Common Chuckwalla Sauromalus ater2,101
  3. Desert Spiny Lizard Sceloporus magister1,288
  4. Western Fence Lizard Sceloporus occidentalis1,271
  5. Western Whiptail Aspidoscelis tigris1,138
  6. Zebra-tailed Lizard Callisaurus draconoides775
  7. Desert Horned Lizard Phrynosoma platyrhinos739
  8. Long-nosed Leopard Lizard Gambelia wislizenii578
  9. Desert Collared Lizard Crotaphytus bicinctores509
  10. Desert Iguana Dipsosaurus dorsalis339

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.