What is Badlands National Park Known For?
Badlands National Park is a natural national park located within the White Rider of the United States in South-western South Dakota. Popularly known for its unique geological formations containing the world’s richest fossilbeds. According to some estimates these fossil beds belong to 75 to 28 million years old.
However park is home to the many wildlife's mixed grass prairie which cover the 2, 22,000 acres of land. Despite Fossil beds, the park is a perfect spot to find animals like bison, prairie dogs, and bighorn sheep and back footed ferrets.
How big is Badlands National Park?
Badlands National Park spans 2, 44,000 acres of land coverage or 98,743 hectares of land. It is a park where you can see flora and fauna along with mixed grass prairies.
What city is Badlands National Park in?
Badlands National Park is situated 75 miles east of Rapid City of South Dakota State in the United States.
When was the Badlands National Park Established?
The South Dakota Legislature petitioned to establish the township of Badlands as a National Park. But on March 4, 1929, it was authorised as a Badlands National Monument. But it was established as a national monument on January 25, 1939. And finally in 1978, it was designated as a national park.
Badlands National Park Animals
1. American Bison
Perfect place to live for the American Bison is Badlands National Park. Bison were reintroduced to the national park after species devastating in the late 19th century. At present Badlands national park consists of 1,200 bison. Usually bison roundup occurs each fall. It is very important to maintain a 100 feet distance while watching bison.
2. Black Footed Ferret
From 1996 to 1999 there were 147 Black Footed Ferrets released into the Badlands National Park. Badlands is one of the only self-sustaining black footed ferret populations in the world. At present there are around 120 black footed ferrets living in this park. Interestingly, the majority of them live in the Conta Basin area of Badlands.
3. Bighorn Sheep
One of the rarest animals in the world is the Bighorn sheep. Which are migrated animals from Serbia, they usually are grazers, eating grasses and shrubs. Its bighorn has a complex four chambered stomach to help to get sufficient nutrients to his body even during hard and dry forage. In Badlands National Park there are no natural predators of adult sheep in the park and most of them die by accident or by diseases.
4. Prairie Dogs
Prairie Dogs are the members of the Sciur idae (Squirrel) family and they are co related with the squirrels and chipmunks. Normally they are 14 to 17 inches in length and 1 to 3 pounds of weight each. Badlands is home to the many Prairie dogs like coyotes, bobcats, badgers, foxes, rattlesnakes and birds of prey. Black footed ferret here is one of the most endangered species in North America.
5. Birds of Prey
Unlike other birds of prey are difficult to identify by plumage, so color and patterns are not always helpful. Prey comes in different morphs and appears visually in different color. Badlands contains a number of small rodents of prey, which includes prairie dogs, rabbits, black footed ferrets and 13 lined ground squirrels and insects. Large Preys like Golden eagles and white tail, mule fawns and pronghorn antelope are famous.
6. Badlands Bird Prairie
Badlands has a half of mixed grass prairie, perhaps archetypical prairie bird, the male western meadowlark is easily singing from fence posts or other prominent perches. Females are much harder to see during nesting season, as they take on all incubation and brooding duties.
Badlands National Park Tickets
Entrance Pass
All visitors must have one of these below entrance passes:
1. Standard Pass: $ 15.00 to $ 30.00
2. Annual Pass: $ 55.00
3. America Beautiful Pass (Including Senior Pass): Free to $ 80.
Facts about Badlands National Park
1. Name Badlands came from the Lakota, called it “mako sica”, which
means “Land that is bad”. Once this land suffered from lack of water, bizarre
topography and extreme temperatures made it a “Badlands”.
2. Badlands National Park is known for its vast amount of fossil
remains. Where you can see fossil nature trails, but of course collections of
fossils are illegal.
3. Badlands comes under the ecological area called “mixed grass prairie.
Which is tall grass prairie to east and short grass prairie to west.
4. American Bison commonly known as a Buffalo, found in the Badlands
national park especially in unpaved sage creek rim road.
5. Interestingly part of the Badlands National Park region called The
Pine ridge Indian reservation governed by the Oglala Sioux Tribes.
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