Gila monsters are venomous lizards with the ability to climb cacti and trees for food. You may also like: 12 Types of Animals That Represent Wisdom When foraging, sentries will survey the land and alert the group of threats using alarm calls that vary depending on the threat. Meerkats are known for their distinctive upright standing position. They are social animals that live in elaborate underground tunnels with groups of up to 50 Meerkats. These animals are found in the western and southwestern regions of the U.S. They also have amazing hearing, so they can detect predators, such as owls, approaching. They get the moisture they need from their diet of seeds. Kangaroo rats are so well adapted to desert life that they can survive without drinking water. Kangaroo Rat image by Saguaro National Park via Flickr | CC BY 2.0 They are nocturnal during the warmer months and diurnal during the cooler months.Ħ. Sidewinder rattlesnakes live in the deserts of California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, and northern Mexico. These snakes can switch from being active during the day or during the night, depending on the temperature. Sidewinder Rattlesnake image: gilaman | Flickr | CC BY 2.0 | Sidewinder These animals have a large frontal cortex in their brain that scientists believe contributes to their high level of intelligence and problem-solving abilities.ĥ. They stay in their dens during the day and hunt at night with their great sense of sight, smell, and sound. Hyenas live mostly in semi-desert habitats and are nocturnal animals. The hairs on their bodies allow them to detect vibrations in the ground for food or predators. These scorpions dig burrows up to 8 feet long and emerge at night. They live in northern Mexico and the southwestern states like Texas. The Giant Desert Hairy Scorpion lives up to its name by growing up to 5.5 inches long. They are small in size, typically 32 to 45 inches long. Gray foxes use trees to seek refuge, store food, and search for roosting birds. They are the only dog family members that can climb trees. The gray fox is found in multiple deserts in the U.S., including all four deserts of the American Southwest. Scientific name: Urocyon cinereoargenteus This allows them to avoid predators easily. They can run up to 40 miles per hour and leap up to 10 feet with their powerful hind legs. Originally they were called “jackass rabbits” since they have ears like donkeys, but their name was later shortened. They can be identified by their large, long, and pointed ears. Jackrabbit black-tailed jackrabbitĭespite their name, jackrabbits are not rabbits, but they are hares. Let’s look at 20 animals that live in the desert and learn facts about how they manage the conditions. It’s not surprising they have evolved to have interesting attributes that allow them to survive. From lack of water to extreme temperature fluctuations, animals that live in the desert have to adapt to various conditions. Quail live in groups to provide safety in numbers, and sentries give warning calls if they spot a predator.With approximately a third of the Earth’s surface being a desert habitat, there are hundreds of species of animals that call this environment home. Both are adapted to avoid predation as well. Both animals are uniquely adapted for finding prey. A quail, for example, preys upon insects. What kind of animal is both predator and prey?Īnimals can be both predators and prey. This activity lets students identify different Sonoran Desert animals as predators or prey and discuss their related adapta- tions. Similarly, prey animals have predator avoidance adaptations such as camouflage, eyes on the sides of their heads, and fast running ability. How are predators adapted to survive in the Sonoran Desert? The top two predators in the Arabian desert are hunted down by humans, illegal or not, and that affects the rest of the food web because there are not enough predators to balance out the prey. The Arabian leopard is also hunted and is in critical endangerment. Desert Cottontail Desert Bighorn SheepĪre there any predators in the Arabian Desert? Herbivores, such as rabbits and mule deer, have only defensive adaptationsand do not hunt other animals for food or to eliminate them as competition. The young of larger predators will also become prey. Smaller predators, such as mice and lizardscan be, and often are, prey for larger predators. As a large, apex predator that hunts animals weighing up to 1,000 pounds, a lion is more than capable of having a human for lunch.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |