What animals live in the area of the caves?
See the fuzzy little creatures that peak out from behind the jumbled rocks? Those are marmots. The caves were a good place for ancient hunters to live because there were many kinds of animals. They hunted the animals for food, made warm clothing from soft animal fur and shaped tools from the bones.
During the time that the ancient hunters lived here there were lizards, snakes, rabbits, gophers, deer, foxes and buffalo. The most visible among the rodents are marmots and cottontail rabbits, which are numerous in most years and seem quite tame. The Yellow-bellied Marmot is smaller and has more orange and reddish tones in his coat than his cousin, the Hoary Marmot. The Yellow-bellied Marmot lives in rocky areas at lower elevations throughout Montana. Marmots are true hibernators and are only active from spring until September. Marmots do not store food; they put on large amounts of fat by early fall. Also called Rockchucks, they feed on various grasses. Native Americans used the marmots for food and the soft fur for clothing.
Other mammals that are seen less frequently in the area include chipmunks, porcupines, raccoons and skunks. Pocket gophers are abundant and make their presence known by the dirt mounds and tunnels visitors see on the ground. Larger mammals also occupy the area, including mule deer, fox and coyote. Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks, Pictograph Cave State Park Trail Guide, 1997.