Animals & Plants of Arches National Park
The 4 animals, plants, and fungi you can find at Arches National Park, with sizes, diets, and whether you should worry. See the full park guide at Arches National Park.
Anything here that bites?
Don't touch or eat
- Claret cup cactus: This cactus is covered in stiff spines, so the rule is look, do not touch.
- Engelmann prickly pear: This cactus has two kinds of spines.
Bites if handled
- Common collared lizard: This lizard is not dangerous.
Everything else on this page is harmless. What each group means.
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Plant Claret cup cactus
Echinocereus triglochidiatus
A low, mounding desert cactus that bursts into bright red, cup-shaped flowers each spring at Arches, Canyonlands, and Big Bend.
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Reptile Common collared lizard
Crotaphytus collaris
A bright, big-headed lizard with two black neck bands that can sprint on its back legs like a tiny dinosaur across the slickrock at Arches and Canyonlands.
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Bird Common raven
Corvus corax
A big, glossy-black problem-solver that rolls and tumbles over the cliffs of Grand Canyon, Arches, and the desert parks, watching for its next meal.
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Plant Engelmann prickly pear
Opuntia engelmannii
A wide, flat-padded cactus of the southwestern deserts, spreading in low clumps with yellow flowers and purple fruit at Big Bend, Saguaro, and Arches.