COYOTE

Coyotes are survivors and thrive in Southern Nevada despite the boom in human population and development.  They live in large numbers across the wetlands and flood channels because of the water and the abundant prey.  This one, caught on video the same night as the beaver in the adjacent screen, was crossing Duck Creek near the Silver Bowl Stadium.

BEAVER

When Europeans arrived in North America, beavers were reported in every pond and stream.  After a few centuries of trapping, their numbers crashed.  Now they are rebounding and returning to all their original range.  They have returned to the Las Vegas Valley from the Colorado River system.

RABBIT

One reason coyotes like the wetlands is the number of cottontail rabbits.  The Cottontails enjoy eating the lawns at the Sam Boyd Stadium. 

LIZARD

Prey draws many kinds of desert creatures to the wetlands.  This lizard is dining on a tasty spider. 

TOAD

The only species endemic to the Las Vegas Valley believed to have become extinct during the 20th century is the Valley Leopard Frog.  But frogs and toads like this one remain plentiful in Clark County Wetlands Park, making good feeding for wading birds such as egrets and herons.  

DRAGONFLY

This spectacular individual is one of several dragonflies in the wash and one of a huge number of different insects, which attract a variety of interesting predators, from roadrunners to toads. 

FISH

Fish pop up in the wetlands, usually wherever they can find a pool which lasts for awhile.  Carp are frequently found there; these little ones are mosquito fish. 

CRAYFISH

Use of the insecticide Baytex in the Las Vegas Wash to control mosquitoes during the 1970s killed many other creatures and disrupted the food chain so that bird counts dropped drastically.  Baytex also killed all the crayfish, a crucial food for birds.  Now crayfish are back in healthy numbers. 

BATS

Exciting new research is now underway at the Wetlands.  Click here for more information.