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The Living Desert Museum, Palm Desert, San Bernadino
County, California, USA.
Animal Adaptations
The Living Desert was established in March 1970. It has now
Grown to almost 1200 acres and includes over 400 species of plants and
animals. It is the only American zoo and garden dedicated to interpreting
and conserving deserts of the world.
What are the four modes of gaining or losing heat to and from the
environment?
1.
Definition of a Desert:
2.
3.
What are causes of evaporation?
4.
What are three different ways
deserts can form?
What causes our local deserts?
Ectotherm:
Poikilotherm:
Endotherm:
Homeotherm:
Small Animal House
Deserts of North America:
1
Chuckwalla
Rattlesnakes:
Western Diamondback:
2
Speckled:
3
Mojave:
4
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Small Animal House (Continued)
Small Animal House (Continued)
Western (Southern Pacific):
Desert Iguana:
Highest recorded body temp
42C
Gila Monster:
Sidewinder:
Venomous – lower jaw - defense
Red Diamond
Constrictors:
Desert Screech Owl:
Common King Snake:
Scorpions:
Gopher Snake:
Other Animals:
Granite Spiny Lizard:
Tarantula:
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Plant Adaptations on Pathway:
Fremont Cottonwood:
Flattened Petiole
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Plant Adaptations on Pathway (cont.):
Saguaro:
Slow Growing
150 years
Palo Verde:
Photosyn Stems
Lenticles
Deep Roots
Bat pollinated
Woodpeckers
Desert Willow:
Not true Willow
Indicator of fresh water
Smoke Tree:
Found in washes
Sweet Acacia:
Small hairy leaves for short periods
Honeypod Mesquite:
Desert Mistletoe:
Hemiparasite
Barrel Cactus:
Fruit on top
Filled with Water
Beavertail Cactus:
Glochids
Mojave Prickly Pear:
Desert Animals:
Barn Owl:
White Face, Screams
Great-horned Owl
Hoot, Hoot
3lbs, 240 degrees
Gambel’s Quail:
Monogamous/ Precocial
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Desert Animals:
Cactus Wren:
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Mojave Desert Plants:
Blackbrush:
Multiple Nests (temp reg)
Camels:
`
Hump Fat Reserve
20-25% dehydration
Body temp 34-41
Dry feces – start fire
Urine is like syrup
Humans:
3-4% dehydration
Body Temp 37
Creosote
Oldest 11,200
NA used as sunblock
Causes liver damage/used in cancer treatment
Deserts of the World
% of earth’s surface:
Encelia:
1/3 = 33%
Largest (size):
Sahara (North Africa)
Smallest (size):
Red Desert (South Africa) Carcross (Canada)
Convergent Evolution
Cactus:
Joshua Tree:
Monocut
NA used to make rope, sandles
Gonorrhea, pet deodorizers
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Mojave Desert Animals
Sonoran Desert Animals
Desert Tortoises
Green and Black-crowned Night Heron:
Body temp 85:
90% mortality
Mourning Doves:
Great Egret:
Greater Roadrunner:
Turkey Vulture:
Red-tailed Hawk:
Sonoran Desert Plants
Ocotillo:
Long sharp spines
Leaves short period
Great Horned Owls:
Jumping Chollo:
Spines easily detach, protection &
Dispersal
Desert Pupfish:
Jojoba:
Saltbush:
California Fan Palm:
Coyote: Highly adaptable
80% vegetation, change in reprod rate,
competition with wolves, coyote removal programs,
35-40 lbs
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Vizcaino Desert of Baja:
Elephant Trees:
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Eagle Canyon (cont.)
Mountain Lion:
175 lbs (largest small cat)
eat deer
range 100 sq/miles
run 35 mph
Boojun Tree:
Eagle Canyon
Golden Eagle:
Thick-billed Parrot:
Bobcat:
35 lbs
eat rabbits
Badger:
Naked Mole Rats:
Related to weasels
Strong diggers
Sharp teeth strong claws
15-20lbs
Ringtail:
Ankle rotation 180 degrees
Raccoon family
Miner’s cat
Common but rarely seen
Javelina:
Not a true
Chattering sound to warn pred
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Eagle Canyon (cont.)
Eagle Canyon (cont.)
Javelina:
Prairie Falcon:
Pronghorn Antelope
Fastest land mammal in
N.A. 55 mph
Big Horn Sheep:
Mexican Wolf:
Rarest subspecies of red wolf
Dom hierarchies
Males/females w horns
African Animals:
50-80lbs
Coati:
Raccoon Family
Arabian Oryx:
Harris Hawk:
Polyandrous
Meerkat:
Burrowing Owl:
Diurnal
Mimic
Zebra:
American Kestrel:
Bird predator
Cheetah:
Peregrine Falcon:
Widespread – 220 mph
Fastest land animal 70mph
Non-retractable claws, flexible spine, jumping
Fennec
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African Animals
African Animals:
Swift Fox
Warthog:
Med sized wild pig
Poor eye site
Caracal
Good sense of smell
Eats birds
Tsetse Fly host
Giraffe
African Wild Dogs
Males rel Males
Females rel females
4 toes on front feet
coursers
dom male/fem life left to pee
7 cervical
18 feetm 3000lbs
shortest sleep cycles
1.9hr/day
some pop 94% homosexual
artiodactyla (like deer – not like horses
Ostrich
Hyena
Able to crush bone
Camel
Hump Fat Reserve
20-25% dehydration
Body temp 34-41
Dry feces – start fire
Urine is like syrup
2 toes
55 mph
7-8feet 320 lbs
50 mph / 15 foot stride
kick 500 lbs (horse is 1500 lbs)
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