Capulin Volcano National Monument

Capulin Volcano National Monument

Animals

Mammals

Large mammals such as deer and bear will travel through the park, using areas for food and shelter. Because the park is small and contains no permanent water source, large animals must travel over great distances to survive. Deer and Elk grow antlers which are shed and regrown each year. Depending upon age and nutrition, antlers can have many branches and grow to spectacular size.
Pronghorn, sheep, goats, and bison grow true horns. These are bony outgrowths of the frontal bone. Horns are not branched, do not shed, and continue to grow throughout the animal's lifetime. Pronghorn do shed the sheath (made of keratin like your fingernails) on their horns each year. Tracks, scat, and other evidence indicate the presence of a variety of other mammals. Scat on trails is often that of coyote, fox or bobcat. Trees have been stripped of bark by porcupines. Mice and gopher leave piles of dirt behind as they burrow. Pine cones chewed and stripped of seeds feed the rock squirrels and least chipmunks. Full wildlife surveys have not been conducted in the park in recent years. A checklist of mammals from 1973 and a partial survey by the New Mexico Natural Heritage Program done in 2002 are the most current information we have available.

Animals

The high plains of northeastern New Mexico, including Capulin Volcano, are where shortgrass prairie and mountain forest meet. This transition between two ecosystems provides habitat for many different plants and animals.



Large mammals such as deer and bear roam the volcano. The combination of grassland and forest provides habitat for upland and woodland songbirds. Insects swarm at the high elevations and reptiles find homes in the rocky crevices.

Birds

Warm air rising from the plains around the volcano provide thermals for many soaring birds. Turkey Vultures return to the mountain each spring. Ravens, Red-tailed and Ferruginous Hawks play throughout the year and Northern Harriers are common over the plains all winter.
 
Prairie grasslands provide habitat for upland birds such as meadowlarks, roadrunners, and sparrows. The pinyon/juniper woodlands are home to jays, towhees, and woodpeckers.

Reptiles and Amphibians

Reptiles and amphibians are cold-blooded animals whose bodies take on the temperature of their surroundings. They may be seen basking in the sun on warm rocks that make up the mountain. Cool nights usually send them into burrows or crevices to keep warm.

Several species of snakes and lizards inhabit the monument. Amphibians are somewhat less numerous since there is no permanent water source in the park. Complete wildlife surveys have not been done in the park.

Insects

Capulin Volcano supports a wide variety of insects and particularly large populations of some that migrate to high elevations. However, mosquitos are not a problem here, most likely because the volcano lacks permanent water sources for breeding sites.

Complete invertebrate surveys have not yet been conducted in the park, but lists are available for Union County, NM. False Cinch Bugs- False Cinch bugs are less than 1/4 inch (1/2 cm) long, brownish gray, narrow bodied true bugs. While immature, they have inconspicuous red markings on their body. They feed on plants of the mustard family. As they reach maturity, they begin to cluster together in extremely high numbers in preparation for migration. They are a temporary nuisance but do little or no feeding while clustered. Wet winters result in greater mustard populations which will lead to larger populations of False Cinch Bugs.

These bugs are numerous at the top of the volcano. They are particularly attracted to light colors, especially white. While annoying, they do not bite.