Except for the presence of shrubs, the Palouse grassland resembles the Great Plains shortgrass prairie. The dominant species, however, are distinctive. They include bluebunch wheatgrass, fescue, and bluegrass. Soils contain a large excess of precipitated calcium carbonate and are rich in bases. Mollisols are typical.
Humus content is small because vegetation is sparse.
Now the pronghorn antelope is probably the most abundant large mammal, but mule deer and whitetail deer are common where brush cover is available along stream courses. The whitetail jackrabbit occupies the northern part of the province, with the blacktail jackrabbit in the area south of Nebraska. The desert cottontail is widespread. The Washington and Columbia ground squirrels inhabit large areas of the Palouse grassland. The lesser prairie chicken, once abundant, is now classified as threatened.