Inventory of Amphibians and Reptiles at Navajo National Monument

Mikesic, David

The Navajo Natural Heritage Program of the Navajo Nation Department of Fish and Wildlife completed 2 years of amphibian and reptile inventories at Navajo National Monument as part of the National Park Service Inventory and Monitoring Program. The goals of this study were to document at least 90% of the extant herpetofauna through visual observations, photographs, and/or specimen collection; and to provide baseline information, and make recommendations, as warranted, for development of future management of zoological resources within the Monument. Prior to field studies, we estimated that 7 amphibian and 15 reptile species had high potential to occur at the Monument, and that there was a remote possibility for 8 other species to occur. Field inventories for amphibians and reptiles extended from 10 June to 16 August 2002, and 16 June to 05 September 2003. We performed triple-replicate, time-constrained surveys at 7 plots, each 1-ha in size, in at least 3 distinct habitat types, and spent more than 200 hours performing nocturnal and diurnal general surveys. We documented a total of 10 reptile species (7 lizards, 3 snakes) and 5 amphibian species (frogs and toads) within the boundaries of the Monument, and 1 other reptile species nearby. Our survey efforts documented 68.2% of those species with high potential to occur, 72.7% including 1 additional species documented in previous inventories, but only 50.0% when including species with remote potential to exist in the Monument. The Plateau Striped Whiptail (Cnemidophorus velox) and Sagebrush Lizard (Sceloporus graciosus) were the most common reptiles, and Woodhouse's Toad (Bufo woodhousii) was the most common amphibian. One Navajo Tribal-listed endangered species, the Northern Leopard Frog (Rana pipiens), was found during this study.

Inventory of Amphibians and Reptiles at Navajo National Monument

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