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| The tiny kit fox is among more than 800 animal species that can be found at White Sands National Park. White Sands NPS photo. |
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| Dune Life Nature Trail. Click for larger version. |
A good way to learn about some of that wildlife is hiking the Dune Life Nature Trail. The 1-mile lollipop trail sits at the edge of the gypsum dunefield where it meets the surrounding desert scrubland.
Fourteen trailside signs tell about wildlife of both the desert and dunes. Even better, each placard has two parts – one for adults and one for kids – making this a great family trail.
To reach the trailhead, from U.S. Hwy. 70, enter the park on Dunes Drive. A turnoff on the left leads to a parking area for the trail, which leaves from the lot.
The trail’s first 300 yards is the stem crossing the desert scrubland as approaching the dunefield. Then the route climbs steeply up a slope onto the white gypsum dunes and onto the loop.
From there, you’ll have to walk through the soft sand. There is no marked trail on the ever-shifting dunes; instead, aim for the next marker.
As a transition zone between the dunefield and surrounding desert, there are more plants growing among the gypsum than you’ll find deeper in the field. Yucca and grass clumps can be found here.
Dune life
Along with the desert scrubland, all of this makes a nice home for a variety of wildlife.
You’ll probably spot tracks for the kit fox, the largest animal that lives on the dunes. The size of a chihuahua, the kit fox weighs in at a mere five-pounds. Fur growing between its toes helps it maintain traction on the sand. It preys on kangaroo rats, Apache pocket mice, insects, lizards, and snakes.
Marriam’s kangaroo rat isn’t a marsupial but sort of looks like its Aussie namesake. Long, powerful hind legs allow it to jump 10 feet high. More than half of its 13-inch body consists of its tail, which it uses like a rudder to quickly change directions when chased.
Another animal that’s adapted to living on the dunefield is the bleached earless lizard. Their coloration is white to match the gypsum, and they have no external ear openings for sand to blow into. They typically bury themselves under the dunefield’s surface and feed on insects and spiders.
Most White Sands visitors are amazed to find that a couple of animals that are more associated with the northern forestlands also reside in the park.
The American badger lives on the dunefield’s outer edges. Their long, powerful claws dig up burrows so they can capture reptiles, rodents and insects.
Porcupines are another surprise, though their numbers have diminished during the past few decades. They live in the scrublands on a diet of bark, buds and roots.
Roadrunner and the coyote
Thanks to the popular cartoon, most people associate coyotes and roadrunners with the desert, and White Sands has both.
Highly adaptable, coyotes prefer the desert scrublands but will go onto the dunefield if an opportunity for a meal presents itself. They’ll eat just about anything, including road kill on the nearby highway.
The greater roadrunner – New Mexico’s state bird – often can be seen darting about the park. This small creature can run up to 15 mph as it hunts lizards, rodents and snakes. It also can fly and uses elevated perches to search for prey.
Birds make up more than a quarter of all animal species found at White Sands. In addition to owls and a variety of songbirds, the red-tailed hawk is quite common. With a wingspan of more than four-and-a-half feet and red-colored tail feathers, they usually can be spotted flying overhead searching for small mammals and reptiles to eat.
Interdune
One good area on the dunes to spot wildlife is the hike’s halfway point, where there’s an interdune area of desert scrubland. Water flows into and collects in these bowls, allowing for plants – and hence animals – to thrive there.
Most animals are out at dawn or dusk, so those mark your best times to see any. Don’t worry if you miss them, though, as there is a great view of the San Andres Mountains to the northwest to make up for it.
A couple of animals – or at least their tracks – to look for at the interdune area is the pocket gopher and the bobcat.
Pocket gophers primarily live in burrows but will come out to find a mate or dinner. If you see mounds or four wing saltbush and Indian rice grass, you can bet there’s a maze of pocket gopher tunnels beneath your feet.
Badgers and coyotes usually dine on pocket gophers, but bobcats will too. The solitary, nocturnal cat ranges over several miles. The mostly stick to the dunefield’s outskirts, but sometimes the flight of nesting birds will draw them to the interdune area.
From the interdune area, the trail ascends the second incline of the hike. The ascent is marked by a lone Rio Grande Cottonwood growing in the gypsum.
Desert rabbits
As the loops ends, it descends the dune and rejoins the stem crossing the desert scrubland.
Two kinds of rabbits make their home in the scrubland. The black-tailed jackrabbit can hit speeds of up to 40 mph, necessary if they are to escape their enemy the coyote. They don’t burrow, however, so sometimes the coyote outlasts and catches them.
The desert cottontail, in contrast, likes to stay in burrows, though during cooler weather they’ll come out during the day. They rarely stray far from their homes, as they are only half as fast as their relative the black-tailed jackrabbit.
One other scrubland animal you might spot is the desert box turtle. A subspecies of the box turtle, it is adapted to living in the arid desert. It dines on small insects and plants.
Upon reaching your vehicle, be sure to check out the park’s visitor center, which has displays about the dunefield’s fauna.
There’s no shade anywhere on this trail, so be sure to don sunscreen, sunglasses (the white gypsum dunes reflect sunlight far more than beach sand does), and sunhat. Bring plenty of water. If unable to see the next marker while on the dunes, turn back; you easily can get lost out there.
