The endangered sabal palm is native here. The mesquite-live oak savanna, for example, is the only Entisol area in the region. In the mesquite-acacia savanna, Mollisols, Alfisols, and Vertisols occur. On sandy soils in the Staked Plains of Texas, a thick growth of low shin oak practically excludes every other type of plant. The Mexican ground squirrel and gray fox live to the south of this boundary, but not to the north.
Whitetail deer are abundant, and armadillo are present.
The fox squirrel is hunted in wooded areas along streams. Chief furbearers are the ringtail and raccoon. The Edwards Plateau contains several scattered limestone caverns that support huge populations of Mexican freetail bats. Wild turkey, mourning dove, scaled quail, and bobwhite are common game birds, and several species of hawks and owls are present.