Wildlife in Indiana Dunes National Park

2,484
Total Species
9
Categories
7
Threatened
1,979
Native Species

Indiana Dunes National Park documents 2,484 species, including 7 federally threatened or endangered taxa — making it a priority park for conservation monitoring.

Species Inventory by Category

Vascular Plant1,622Bird353Insect249Fish76Fungi69Mammal60Reptile30Amphibian24Spider/Scorpion1

Taxonomic Order Distribution

Top 12 orders by species count in this park.

Order Category Species Families
Poales Vascular Plant 366 6
Asterales Vascular Plant 206 3
Passeriformes Bird 158 24
Lamiales Vascular Plant 114 11
Caryophyllales Vascular Plant 90 10
Rosales Vascular Plant 85 7
Coleoptera Insect 84 5
Malpighiales Vascular Plant 74 5
Fabales Vascular Plant 72 2
Charadriiformes Bird 69 6
Odonata Insect 64 7
Asparagales Vascular Plant 61 6

Native vs Non-Native Composition

Native: 1,979 species (80%)
Non-native: 456 species (18%)

Common Native Wildlife

Abundant or commonly-observed native species recorded in Indiana Dunes National Park:

Species Scientific Name Category Abundance
Eastern American Toad Bufo americanus americanus Amphibian Abundant
northern green frog Rana clamitans melanota Amphibian Abundant
Northern Spring Peeper Pseudacris crucifer crucifer Amphibian Abundant
western chorus frog Pseudacris triseriata Amphibian Abundant
American Crow Corvus brachyrhynchos Bird Abundant
American Robin Turdus migratorius Bird Abundant
American Wigeon Anas americana Bird Abundant
Bank Swallow, Sand Martin Riparia riparia Bird Abundant
Bufflehead Bucephala albeola Bird Abundant
Canada Goose Branta canadensis Bird Abundant

Federally Listed Threatened & Endangered Species

7 species in Indiana Dunes National Park carry federal threatened or endangered status.

Species Category Status Nativeness
Cluster Bat, Indiana bat, Indiana Myotis, Social Bat Mammal EN Native
Gray Wolf, Wolf Mammal EN Native
Karner blue butterfly Insect EN Native
Northern Bat, Northern Long-eared Bat, Northern Myotis Mammal EN Native
Piping Plover Bird EN Native
Canada lynx, Canadian Lynx, lynx Mammal NA Native
Pitcher's thistle, sand dune thistle Vascular Plant NA Native

Tracked Non-Native Species

Non-native species documented in the park inventory:

Species Scientific Name Category Abundance
Cattle Egret, Western Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis Bird Occasional
Common Pheasant, Ring-necked Pheasant Phasianus colchicus Bird Rare
Common Starling, European Starling Sturnus vulgaris Bird Abundant
Eurasian Wigeon Anas penelope Bird NA
House Finch Carpodacus mexicanus Bird Common
House Sparrow Passer domesticus Bird Abundant
Mute Swan Cygnus olor Bird Occasional
rock pigeon Columba livia Bird Common

Abundance Profile

Abundance Level Species Count Percentage
Common 613 24.7%
Rare 585 23.6%
Uncommon 476 19.2%
NA 287 11.6%
Abundant 148 6%
Occasional 52 2.1%