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Wildlife
The 3,067-acre refuge includes several cave sites thought to contain major hibernation and maternity sites for the endangered Ozark big-eared bat. To a lesser extent, the caves offer protection to the gray bat. In addition to bats, a whole ecosystem of cave creatures, including blind cavefish, salamanders, and crayfish, benefit from the security of the caves. Some of these creatures are only native to Oklahoma and are sometimes unique to each cave because the caves are isolated from one another. The forested areas surrounding the caves are also important for bat foraging (bats eat insects, including moths and mosquitoes).
Songbirds that migrate across the
Gulf of Mexico also use the forested areas for breeding or migrating to their
nesting areas further north.
