What Animals Live in North American Grasslands Grasses dominate the prairie. NPS photo The prairie ecosystem is similar a puzzle. When parts of the puzzle get missing, it is difficult to understand the consummate motion-picture show. At Current of air Cave, as many parts of this puzzle are preserved as is possible. As a result, this park is a refuge for prairie plants and animals, and a great place to see a remnant of the North American grasslands. At one fourth dimension, a third of the N American continent was covered past grasslands. French explorers named it the "prairie" which translates from French to "meadow". Many explorers saw pathos when they arrived on the Swell Plains, a feeling that all the same takes hold of many travelers today. To the untrained centre, the prairie seems l