There are many enchanting animals and hearty, intelligent plant life that live in the desert. We've done clay images of some of these interesting life forms. Do you think you can make some of these critters too?
All of the following and more live in the desert:
Saguaro The Saguaro (suh-WAH-row) grows in the Sonoran Desert of
Southern Arizona. It stores water in its trunk and arms. Lots of birds
including woodpeckers, owls and red-tailed hawks perch and nest on
them. The woodpeckers drill holes to make a new nest in them each year.
Prickly Pear The prickly pear has beautiful red berries. The
javelina love to munch on the leaves on this plant. Many animals eat the
fruit and obtain moisture that they need for desert life.
Cholla This is sometimes called the Jumping Cholla as its branches
with their sharp-barbed spines seem to jump out and get on your clothing
when walking by them.
Gambel's Quail This quail has a teardrop shaped head plume on the top
of its head. The male acts as a sentry and looks out for the rest of
the family perched. They make a soothing clucking sound and scratch at
the ground for seed as chickens do.
Desert Tortoise The desert tortoise eats the prickly pear cactus
fruit.
Desert Box Turtle This turtle has the ability to completely enclose
its feet, tail and head within its "box" shell.
Jackrabbit The jackrabbit is larger than a rabbit with longer hind
legs and ears. The big ears help the rabbit to keep cool.
Snakes The desert has several snakes but the most commonly thought of
are the rattlesnakes. When the rattlesnake feels threatened, its
muscles vibrate its tail and makes the 'rattle' sound which alerts
animals to stay away.
Coyote The coyote hunts small animals mostly at night. Their
high-pitched yapping is a common sound in the desert.
Javelina The cute little javelina likes to eat flowers and prickly
pear cactus. They have a pink nose and a scent gland on their back that
helps them keep their herds together.
Roadrunner This bird spends most of its time walking on the ground.
It eats small animals and snakes. He is a fun bird to watch running
along the roadside.
Lizard The lizard can dash over the sand up to 15 miles per hour. To
escape the sun or danger, it dives into the sand and "swims" beneath the
surface.
Ground Squirrel This animal spends a lot of time running and playing
around. He runs with his tail up and is even active during the heat of
the day.
Tarantula The fuzzy tarantula is the largest spider in the Sonoran Desert. It may grow to have a six-inch legspan. They are gentle creatures and only bite if threatened.
Scorpions Scorpions seek shelter from the heat in crevices or under rocks during the day. They come out at night to hunt insects.
Horny toad: Is is not an amphibian. It is really a horned lizard, a
reptile. They flatten their bodies and turn perpendicular to the sun's
rays to warm themselves and parallel to cool down.
Gila Monster: The Gila monster is found in the Sonoran and Mojave
deserts, ranges in length from eighteen to twenty-four inches.
Bobcat: The bobcat is the most common member of the cat family found in
Southwest deserts. It stays well-hidden among rocks or in bushy
thickets. The bobcat's tail is short and stubby - is only about 6
inches long.
Centipede: Centipedes have elongated bodies with one pair of legs for every segment. The giant desert centipede is usually up to 8 inches long and is orange with a black head and tail.
Black
Bear: The black bear lives
off the desert in the high country - up in the mountains. There he
feasts on acorns and flips over rocks for other grub.
