National ParkUNESCO World Heritage
Carlsbad Caverns
New Mexico (USA)Designated in 1930189 km²
Found by a teenage cowboy who followed a column of bats at dusk to the cave mouth in 1898
Area
189 km²
Protection category
IUCN II
Parque nacional —
Designated in
1930
Declared in 1930 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1995, Carlsbad Caverns was first explored in earnest by Jim White, a teenage cowboy who in 1898 followed what he took at dusk for a column of smoke and which turned out to be hundreds of thousands of bats pouring out of a crack in the desert, and who spent the following decades exploring the cave with improvised kerosene lamps, documenting chambers that still carry the names he gave them. Its summer colony of Mexican free-tailed bats numbers over 400,000.
Location
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Carlsbad Caverns: 49 documented species
Mammals15Birds15Reptiles7Insecta
Flora and ecosystems
Ecosystems found in the United States, where Carlsbad Caverns 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
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Same country: United States
Same country: United States
Keep exploring
Based on what we already know about this park.
United States
