Wildlife of Glacier National Park, Montana

Glacier National Park (Crown of the Continent) protects 4,100 km² of Rocky Mountain ecosystems. Its intact predator-prey guild is rare in the lower 48.

Mammals (71 species)

• Ungulates: Elk, mule deer, white-tailed deer, moose, mountain goat (iconic, >1,500), bighorn sheep.
• Carnivores: Grizzly bear (~300, highest density lower 48), black bear, gray wolf (recolonized 1980s, ~100), mountain lion, lynx (threatened), wolverine (rare, ~50), fisher, marten, bobcat, coyote, red fox.
• Small mammals: Pika, hoary marmot, Columbian ground squirrel, golden-mantled ground squirrel, beaver, muskrat, river otter, mink, long-tailed weasel, short-tailed weasel, striped skunk, raccoon, porcupine, 15 bat species.

Birds (276 species recorded)

• Raptors: Golden eagle, bald eagle, osprey, red-tailed hawk, Swainson's hawk, rough-legged hawk, northern goshawk, peregrine falcon, prairie falcon, merlin, American kestrel.
• Galliformes: White-tailed ptarmigan (alpine), spruce grouse, dusky grouse, sharp-tailed grouse, wild turkey (introduced).
• Waterbirds: Common loon, trumpeter swan, Canada goose, harlequin duck (McDonald Creek), Barrow's goldeneye, bufflehead.
• Songbirds: Clark's nutcracker, gray jay, varied thrush, Townsend's warbler, western tanager, black-headed grosbeak, lazuli bunting, many more.

Fish (23 native + introduced)

• Native salmonids: Westslope cutthroat trout (threatened), bull trout (threatened), mountain whitefish.
• Introduced: Rainbow trout, brook trout, lake trout, kokanee salmon, Arctic grayling (native to Missouri drainage, introduced west).
• Conservation: Non-native suppression (gillnetting lake trout in Quartz Lake); bull trout recovery.

Reptiles & Amphibians (6 reptile, 4 amphibian)

• Snakes: Western terrestrial garter snake, common garter snake, rubber boa (rare).
• Turtle: Painted turtle (low elevations).
• Amphibians: Long-toed salamander, Columbia spotted frog, Pacific treefrog, boreal chorus frog.

Climate Change Pressure

Glaciers down from 150 (1850) to 26 active (2021); treeline rising; pika habitat shrinking; bull trout losing cold-water refugia. The park is a climate sentinel.