The rangelands of the Southern Great Plains hold significant importance in the region's economy, agriculture, and conservation efforts. However, these rangelands are increasingly impacted by changing climatic conditions, which affect both the ecosystem and the animals that depend on it. Understanding the adaptive behaviors of livestock in response to these climatic changes is crucial for developing sustainable rangeland management practices. Our study aimed to (i) analyze the influence of weather parameters (air temperature and relative humidity) and species type on movement patterns of cattle and goats and (ii) assess how variations in air temperature alter the site selection behavior of these animals. We utilized GPS-telemetry data collected from thirteen cattle and nine goats during the growing season (April to September) from 2020 to 2022. Generalized additive mixed models (GAMMs) were employed, and Akaike Information Criterion (AICc) was used to select the best-fit model. The interaction between air temperature, relative humidity, and species type was the most significant predictor of movement distance (adjusted R² = 0.086). Notably, air temperature emerged as the primary factor influencing the distance moved, surpassing all other measured parameters. Results from resource selection function analysis revealed that time since fire significantly influenced site selection for both species compared to the other environmental variables we examined, with significant negative coefficients (-0.148 for cattle, p < 0.05; -0.089 for goats, p < 0.05). Both cattle and goats preferred woody vegetation and water sources as temperatures increased, with cattle showing a preference for shaded areas at approximately 28°C and goats at around 40°C. These findings emphasize the necessity for adaptive rangeland management strategies that account for species-specific thermoregulatory behaviors and incorporate fire regimes to bolster ecosystem resilience. The insights obtained from this study are instrumental in formulating sustainable rangeland management practices to address the challenges posed by changing climatic conditions, thereby ensuring the conservation and productivity of these vital ecosystems.