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The Carrizo Plain (Obispeño: tšɨłkukunɨtš, "Place of the rabbits") [ 5 ] is a large enclosed grassland plain, approximately 50 miles (80 km) long and up to 15 miles (24 km) across, in southeastern San Luis Obispo County, California, United States, about 100 miles (160 km) northwest of Los Angeles. [ 6 ]
The Carrizo Plain is home to one of the largest concentrations of rare plants and animals in all of California and is vital to their survival. It is one of the last refuges for the San Joaquin kit fox, San Joaquin antelope squirrel, burrowing owl, giant kangaroo rat, and blunt-nosed leopard lizard.
Three hundred years ago, California’s Central Valley was vast grassland where antelope and elk grazed and wildflowers swept the spring landscape. Today, amid urban and agriculture development, a remnant remains in the Carrizo Plain National Monument.
The area, which was made a national monument in 2001 and was recognized as a National Historic Landmark in 2012, is home to a vast array of wildlife, flora and natural phenomena, including North America’s fastest land animal, the pronghorn antelope, as well as condors, kit foxes and the blunt-nosed leopard lizard.
California's diverse geography gives rise to dozens of ecosystems, each of which has its own native plants and animals. California is a huge state, the third largest in the U.S., and ranges broadly in habitats.
The Carrizo Plain National Monument, located 100 airline miles (160 km) from Los Angeles, is an area by-passed by time. Soda Lake, its centerpiece, is a glistening bed of white salt, set within a vast open grassland, rimmed by steep mountains.
13 sty 2024 · Carrizo Plain has been called “the Serengeti of California.” Here you will find the greatest populations of endangered and threatened wildlife in the Golden State. It is home to the pronghorn antelope, the second fastest animal on land in the world, and the fastest in North America.
