The Badlands (animal question)

[jayswin]

I was wondering if anyone knows where to find out what animals inhabit the badlands in Drumheller. I'm just wondering if any neat animals that you normally wouldn't see in Canada live there. ie: scorpians, poisonous snakes, lizards etc... I've exhausted my google search on this, as any use of the word animal or species combined with the words badlands or Drunheller, obviously gives you a million pages talking about the dinosaurs that once roamed the area. Thanks.

[ernie]

Originally Posted by flameswin

I was wondering if anyone knows where to find out what animals inhabit the badlands in Drumheller. I'm just wondering if any neat animals that you normally wouldn't see in Canada live there. ie: scorpians, poisonous snakes, lizards etc... I've exhausted my google search on this, as any use of the word animal or species combined with the words badlands or Drunheller, obviously gives you a million pages talking about the dinosaurs that once roamed the area. Thanks.

beyond rattlesnakes, gophers and badgers I've never really thought about it.

You're right internet searches bring up dinosaur info as well as package tour info.

[ernie]

The Northern scorpion is found near Drumheller. The only scorpion found in Canada.

http://people.uleth.ca/~dan.johnson/scorpions/northern_scorpion_dj.pdf

[jayswin]

http://www.kingsnake.com/TARAS/contents/herps.htm

If anyone's interested, I found this website which shows all the reptile and amphibean species found in Alberta, broken down by region.

[troutman]

http://www.cd.gov.ab.ca/enjoying_alb...aur/nature.asp

The three distinct habitats of Dinosaur Provincial Park support many animals and plants. Cottonwood and willow trees share the moist riverbanks with saskatoon, rose and buffalo-berry bushes. Cacti, greasewood and many species of sage survive in the hot dry badlands. Prairie grasses dominate the landscape above the valley rim. Many different animals make their home here. Watch for mule and white-tailed deer as well as cottontail rabbits. Coyotes may be seen but are more often heard. Look for pronghorn antelope on the vast rolling prairie. Birdwatching is excellent in May and June in the cottonwood groves where warblers, woods and waterfowl are easy to observe. Away from the river's edge scan the sky for golden eagles, prairie falcons, and mountain bluebirds.

Bird Checklist (133 kb)
Flora Checklist (96 kb)

http://www.srd.gov.ab.ca/fishwildlif...at/meddpp.aspx

Explore the Cottonwood Flats Trail and campground to see mule deer, Canada geese, eastern and western kingbirds, rufous-sided towhees and northern orioles. Watch for belted kingfishers, great blue herons, great horned owls, brown thrashers and yellow-breasted chats near the Red Deer River.

Take a guided bus tour into the Nature Preserve or hike the Badlands Trail to see rock wrens, Say's phoebes, mountain bluebirds, prairie falcons and possibly a golden eagle or ferruginous hawk. On the prairie, look for Swainson's hawks, long-billed curlews, marbled godwits and horned larks.

In winter, watch for snow buntings, common redpolls and pronghorn. Waterfowl are abundant during spring and fall migrations. Following spring rains, listen for the rarely seen plains spadefoot toad. Bull snakes and prairie rattlesnakes are present here in summer. In May and June, blooming cactus and wildflowers are spectacular.

[octothorp]

I spent a lot of time in the badlands during my youth, and I was canoeing there this last weekend, 60 km from Tolman Bridge to Drumheller; we saw lots of beavers on the river, pelicans, deer, a wide range of ducks, an owl... Rattle snakes are possible, but rare - more common further south. No scorpions. Coyotes, but you rarely see them; you almost always hear them during the night if you're camping along the valley, though. Pronghorns are common on the hills around the valley, but I don't think I've ever seen any down in the valley.

[troutman]

Watch out for Jackalopes!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackalope

Required listening in the Badlands:

Badlands you gotta live it every day
Let the broken hearts stand
As the price youve gotta pay
Well keep pushin till its understood
And these badlands start treating us good

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by octothorp

I spent a lot of time in the badlands during my youth, and I was canoeing there this last weekend, 60 km from Tolman Bridge to Drumheller; we saw lots of beavers on the river, pelicans, deer, a wide range of ducks, an owl... Rattle snakes are possible, but rare - more common further south. No scorpions. Coyotes, but you rarely see them; you almost always hear them during the night if you're camping along the valley, though. Pronghorns are common on the hills around the valley, but I don't think I've ever seen any down in the valley.

According to the link a few posts up, and some sites I found, there are scorpians there. It's only one species called the northern scorpian. They are also found around MEdicine hat and lethbridge.

[Bring_Back_Shantz]

Originally Posted by troutman

Watch out for Jackalopes!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackalope

They're really scary once they start giving you that "Creepy Jackalope Eye".

To anyone who get's that reference. You have good taste in music.

[octothorp]

Originally Posted by flameswin

According to the link a few posts up, and some sites I found, there are scorpians there. It's only one species called the northern scorpian. They are also found around MEdicine hat and lethbridge.

The links say that scorpions have been collected in the Drumheller area, but they've also be collected in the Okanagan Valley. Neither of these are part of the scorpion's habitat, which was the question. Their habitat is South Saskatchewan, Milk, Oldman, and St. Mary. You might see the occasional one in Drumheller, but it's not part of their habitat. I've spent decades climbing around on the hills of Drumheller and never seen a single scorpion, nor have I talked to anyone who has, while anyone who's patient enough can expect to see a few in an afternoon by the milk river.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by Bring_Back_Shantz

They're really scary once they start giving you that "Creepy Jackalope Eye".

To anyone who get's that reference. You have good taste in music.

I got a jackalope face
I'm a jackalope guy
And i'm staring you down
Creepy jackalope eye

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by octothorp

The links say that scorpions have been collected in the Drumheller area, but they've also be collected in the Okanagan Valley. Neither of these are part of the scorpion's habitat, which was the question. Their habitat is South Saskatchewan, Milk, Oldman, and St. Mary. You might see the occasional one in Drumheller, but it's not part of their habitat. I've spent decades climbing around on the hills of Drumheller and never seen a single scorpion, nor have I talked to anyone who has, while anyone who's patient enough can expect to see a few in an afternoon by the milk river.

Where's the milk river? I would love to spot a scorpian in it's natural environment.

[zztim81]

Originally Posted by flameswin

Where's the milk river? I would love to spot a scorpian in it's natural environment.

lol... look at a map, the milk river starts in montana, is augmented by diversion water from the St Mary River, and flows up through Whiskey Gap and Del Bonita (crosses hwy 64 i think) then flows parallel to the boarder through the town of Milk River (about 40mins south of lethbridge) then drops back down into the states and Fresno Resivoir, its the only river in alberta that flows into the Missouri River Basin Drainage...

As for scorpions, your best bet it to go for a camping trip to Writting on Stone park, beautiful place near milk river, good fishing and great canoeing... there is a lot of wildlife and great scenery down along the Ross and Gilcrest Ranches...

[Ford Prefect]

I'm a Drumhellian, and while it might be possible for scorpians to be found here, I've never seen one or heard of anyone else seeing one. The only place in Alberta that I've seen a scorpian was in the Cyrpess Hills .. also saw a web-footed tree frog of some kind there, a wild turky, a black widow spider and a kangaroo mouse.

Some of the rarer stuff we see around Drum are moose, bear, cougar, turkey vultures, Baltimore Orioles, canary warblers, pelicans (fairly common) and racoons. I've heard that some people have encountered rattle snakes, but they're rare. Dinosaur Prov. Park north of Brooks has a lot more rattlers than we do. Bull snakes too.

[BlAcKNoVa]

From what I read, there isn't a whole lot of reptiles in Alberta. Something like 8 species total: 4 or 5 snakes, a lizard, a toad or two and a turtle.