By Josie March 26th, 2024
Any human would struggle to survive in this landscape, but these amazing animals that call Arizona’s deserts home have adapted in many clever ways and have hidden talents that allow them to cope with the intense heat.
It’s not for nothing that this lizard is called a monster – it’s one of few lizards in the whole world that is venomous. Thanks to their ability to store fat and water in their tail, they can go months without needing water.
In the desert they can’t be picky about they hunt either, they’re opportunistic feeders and much on rodents, rabbits, fruits, amongst many other things.
The desert tortoise digs burrows underground where the temperature can be a whole 20°F less than above ground.
As their name suggest, roadrunner can run really fast – at an impressive 20 mph. This makes them great hunters, and they tend to feast on insects, lizards, small mammals and the odd rattlesnake.
They’re mostly nocturnal but also have thick skin with coarse hair that shields them from the sun.
The bobcat’s spotted coat provides camouflage in the desert landscape, making it a good predator.
Desert bighorn sheep can go days without water by getting the moisture they need from their food and conserving water through minimal sweating.
Rattlesnakes have heat-sensing pits that allow them to detect warm-blooded prey in darkness.
Harris’s hawks have a unique social hunting strategy, which gives them a high success rate when it comes to hunting.
Pronghorns are North America’s fastest land animals, capable of speeds up to 60 miles per hour, to make sure that they can escape predators.