One of the richest Oligocene mammal fossil beds in the world
Area
982 km²
Protection category
IUCN II
Parque nacional —
Designated in
1978
Declared a national monument in 1939 and a national park in 1978, Badlands protects a landscape of eroded gullies and pinnacles that exposes one of the richest sequences of Oligocene mammal fossils in the world (some 33-23 million years ago), including primitive ancestors of horses, camels and rhinoceroses that then populated the North American plains. Its name comes both from the French settlers ("mauvaises terres") and from the Lakota ("mako sica"), each describing how inhospitable the ground is for farming or for travel.
Location
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Badlands: 79 documented species
Mammals22Birds34Reptiles10Amphibians
Flora and ecosystems
Ecosystems found in the United States, where Badlands lies.
DesertTemperate forestTundra / polarWetland
Experiences in this park
Birdwatching
Wildlife you can see now
What is worth looking out for this month in the United States?
Now is a good time: Urban bat colony under Congress Avenue Bridge (March to November (peak in summer))
Similar parks
Which other parks are like this one?
Same country: United States
Same country: United States
Same country: United States
Same country: United States
Keep exploring
Based on what we already know about this park.
Comments
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