SONORON DESERT ANIMALS

Introduction

When you think of deserts, do you think of big hills of sand in distant lands? The Sonoran Desert is closer than you think. It covers parts of Arizona and California. The Sonoran Desert extends into Sonora, Mexico, too.

 The Sonoran Desert is hot and dry compared to most places. It only gets about 10 inches (25 cm) of rain a year. That is more rain than any other desert.

 The Sonoran Desert is not just sand. It is home to many kinds of animals and plants. These living things have all adapted to life in the desert. They do not need a lot of water to survive. Some of the animals are able to go for days without a drink. Some of the plants do not bloom at all until rain falls on them. Each animal or plant has its own way of living in the desert.

Chapter 1

 Sonoran Mammals

 Many mammals make their homes in the Sonoran Desert. Some of the biggest animals in the desert are cougars (KEW- guhrz). These big cats are predators who hunt other desert animals for food.

 Cougars live in the higher parts of the desert. They hunt mainly in the cool hours of the night. The cats' strong hind legs help them leap from rock to rock and chase prey. During the day, the cougars rest in the shade of trees or rocks.

 Cougar cubs will stay with their mother for about a year. A mother cougar will teach her cubs how to hunt. As they get older, the cubs will lose their spots and look like the adult cougars.

 Cougar cubs need to be taught some things, But they inherit traits, like their adult color and size, from their parents.

Chapter 2

 Sonoran Birds

Roadrunners make their home in the desert, too. These birds rarely fly. Instead, roadrunners use their long, strong legs to run very quickly after insects, lizards, and snakes. The roadrunner's favorite food is another desert animal, the rattlesnake. The roadrunner is one of a few animals fast enough to catch one. Roadrunners get most of their water from the prey that they catch. Like prairie dogs, roadrunners rest during the hottest part of the day.

 A roadrunner has two toes that point forward. Two other toes point backward. 

Chapter 3

 Sonoran Reptiles

 Two reptiles that live in the Sonoran Desert are lizards and snakes. The Gila monster is a very large lizard that makes its home in a burrow in the sand. During the day, the Gila monster stays in its burrow. It comes out at night to hunt for small animals. The Gila monster can live for months without food. It lives off fat stored in its big tail.

 Gila monsters lay their eggs in the sand. When the sun heats the sand, the sand heats the eggs. The eggs hatch after about five months. The baby lizards are small, but they have the same bright colors as the adults.

 A Gila monster is about 20 inches (51 cm) long. Its skin is made of rounded scales that look like tiny beads

 Can you guess what kind of snake this is? It has a rattle on its tail. The rattlesnake is a poisonous snake that hunts small animals. When the snake bites, poison flows through its hollow teeth into its prey. Rattlesnakes, like many desert animals, hunt mostly at night.

 A rattlesnake grows every year and sheds its old skin. Each time it sheds, a new rattle appears on its tail. A baby rattlesnake sheds its first skin soon after it hatches and gets its first rattle.

 A rattlesnake shakes its tail rattle when it is about to strike.