NATURAL SCIENCE
1ESO
RANGO CHARACTERS.- DESERT ANIMALS’
ADAPTATIONS
There are many animals in the film that live in the desert in real life. Rango is a
chameleon. A chameleon is a type of lizard that can change the colour of its skin.
They can be found in warm places such as the rainforest and the desert.
Priscilla is a cactus mouse in the film. The cactus mouse is found only in Mexico
and the United States. They are experts at climbing cactii, using their long tails
for balance.
Roadkill is the name of the armadillo in the movie. An armadillo has a shell
covering its body that looks like armor. They have sharp claws for digging.
Many desert animals have long ears, noses and legs. Ears, noses and legs are
parts of the body that help it cool off. The bigger these parts of the body are, the
more heat they give off. Desert animals need to get rid of the heat their bodies
make. This is the reason why many desert animals' ears, noses and legs are
longer than the ears, noses and legs belonging to animals that live in cooler
places on Earth.
Because it is cooler in a desert at night, many desert animals are nocturnal.
Nocturnal means that they sleep during the day and come out at night. Animals
that are nocturnal have very big eyes. They have very big eyes so they see better
at night.
Primitive reptiles were able to radiate into drier habitats than amphibians
because of the amniote egg with a leathery or hard shell, and because of their
relatively impermeable skin with scales. Populations no longer were
concentrated near water sources and embryos developed directly into small
adults at hatching.
The sand in a desert is very hot. Many desert animals have adaptations so their
feet don't get burned by the sand. Some animals have fur on the bottom of their
feet, or leathery pads on their feet. Think about potholders! These help keep
your hands from getting burned when you touch or hold a hot pan.
Believe it or not, some desert animals don't have to drink water very often. They
get the water they need from the food they eat. This adaptation helps them live
in the desert because the desert has very little water.
NATURAL SCIENCE
1ESO
Armadillo(Dasypus
novemcinctus)
Botta’s Pocket Gopher
(Thomomys bottae)
Mohave rattlesnake
Crotalus scutulatus
Gila
monster (Heloderma
suspectum)
Horned Lizards
(Phrynosoma spp.
Desert Tortoise (Gopherus
agassizii
Desert spiny
lizard (Sceloporus
magister)
Sonoran Desert toad
(Bufo alvarius)
The cactus
mouse (Peromyscus
eremicus)
Fennec fox
Fennecus zerda
Bobcat (Felis rufus)
Desert Iguana
(Dipsosaurus dorsalis)
NATURAL SCIENCE
1ESO
The body form and armor of the horned lizard cost it speed and mobility, but they
confer great advantages as well. Small animals, such as snakes, have more difficulty
with a horned lizard’s wide, thorny body than with a smooth, slender lizard. In fact,
when confronted by a snake, a horned lizard will continually present the largest part of
its body to the snake. Some horned lizards are difficult to distinguish from rocks; thus
they avoid detection by would-be predators. In response to a threat, a horned lizard
may play dead, or it may run away and then suddenly turn around to face its attacker,
hissing or vibrating its tail in leaf litter. Several species can rupture small capillaries
around their eyes and squirt a bloody solution at would-be predators. These fluids,
beyond coming as a surprise, can be irritating to the mucous membranes of some
predators.
Venom is produced in glands in the lower jaw and expressed along grooved teeth as
the animal bites. Once the lizard bites, it generally holds on and chews more of the
venom into its victim. Though the bite is rarely life-threatening to humans, it may cause
pain, edema, bleeding, nausea and vomiting. A Gila monster’s venom is believed to be
a defensive weapon. The animal probably does not need venom to subdue its
defenseless prey and the intense pain caused by the venom readily causes a predator
to change its mind. Before biting, the lizard will hiss, gape, and back away from its
would-be attacker. If these efforts fail, it will bite with amazing speed. Gila monsters
should not be handled!
To avoid the heat of the summer day these toads are nocturnal. To avoid the cool dry
winters these toads bury themselves under ground. The spring rains “wake” the toad.
The toad survives on fat in its body.
Like many other lizards, spiny lizards exhibit metachromatism, which is color change as
a function of temperature. When it is cooler, colors are much darker than when the
temperature is high. Darker colors increase the amount of heat absorbed from the sun
and lighter colors reflect solar radiation.
They use their forelegs, elongated claws and occasionally their teeth for digging. Soil is
then pushed behind and when enough loose material accumulates, the gopher turns
around and shoves the dirt up to the surface. A sensitive tail facilitates rapid reversal,
when necessary.
Hibernate (sleep in a state in which the body processes slow down) during the winter;
black-tailed prairie dogs wake often during winter (on warmer days) to collect food.
These social animals live in groups. Black-tailed prairie dogs live in large groups with a
complex of burrows (called "towns", which are subdivided into smaller "wards"); whitetailed prairie dogs live in smaller groups in scattered burrows. Both types are diurnal
(most active during the day)
NATURAL SCIENCE
1ESO
Their nocturnal habits help them deal with the searing heat of the desert environment,
and some physical adaptations help as well.
Their distinctive, batlike ears radiate body heat and help keep the foxes cool. They also
have long, thick hair that insulates them during cold nights and protects them from hot
sun during the day. Even the fox's feet are hairy, which helps them perform like
snowshoes and protects them from extremely hot sand.
http://www.desertmuseum.org/books/nhsd_terrapene.php#box
http://www.desertmuseum.org/books/nhsd_spiny_lizards.php
http://www.desertmuseum.org/books/nhsd_rattlesnakes.php
http://www.desertmuseum.org/books/audio/gila_monster.mp3
http://trackstar.4teachers.org/trackstar/ts/viewTrackMembersFramesMember.do?key=org.altec.trackstar.om.TrackMe
mber%3Btrack_member_id%5B972973%5D
http://www.desertmuseum.org/books/nhsd_desert_toad.php