Animals and Plants
In this webpage, you will discover the wide variety of animals and plants which inhabit in the Mojave Desert and how they adapt to such harsh conditions.
Animals (Fauna)
All animals who live in a hot desert need to be very adaptable and not only find water, but also avoid the extreme heat and find shade. Not only does the sun, give off heat, but also the rocks around them that absorb the sunlight and reflect it off again.
Coyote
The coyote is one of the most adaptable animals in the world. This is because it can change its breeding and social habits and diet to fit in other habitats. They can almost survive in every environment. A coyote's genus is Canis and its species is latrans. Some physical features of a coyote include its tan coat with some shades of brown, gray and black. This feature allows them to camouflage among underbrushes, rocks and grass, so that their prey do not see them. Coyotes also have pointy ears and a bushy tail. They are known for their sharp senses of sight, smell and hearing. They have strong and powerful legs which can be used to jump over a height of two meters. These help them pounce on their prey from far away. These animals mostly hunt for insects, reptiles, rabbits and rodents in the desert. They also eat all kinds of fruits and nuts. Coyotes are very clever animals, who adapt well to their environment. Since coyotes are not nocturnal, they try to avoid the extreme heat by finding shelter in cool places underground, such as burrows.
(Click on the images below to enlarge them)
(Click on the images below to enlarge them)
The Desert Tortoise
The Desert Tortoise is of the Gopherus Genuss and the agassizii species. The front legs of these tortoises are muscular and flat with long claws, which help them dig deep burrows. They have a hard brown pear-shaped shell, which they hide into when predators attack. They stay in their burrows 95% of the time to stay away from the heat in summer and the coolness in winter (hibernate). They spend time in their 90-150 centimeter deep burrows from November to February or when there are some harsh weather conditions they cannot stand. The temperatures in their burrows can reach up to 60 Celsius.The Desert Tortoise is a pure herbivore, feeding only on plants such as herbs, grass, shrubs, cacti and flowers. They don't need to drink water a lot because the water that reaches the bladder is not lost but can be redrawn and reused. Adult tortoises can live for up to a year without water. These tortoises are actually quite intelligent and make rain basins for collecting water. They remember where these water sources are, and then later on go back there to drink. The Desert Tortoise gets most of its water from the plants they eat.
(Click on the images below to enlarge them)
(Click on the images below to enlarge them)
Other adaptations of animals include:
- Owls and bats-nocturnal (awake only at night), when temperatures are cooler.
- Lizards, snakes, insects and rodents-live in cool holes underground, hide under rocks or bushes.
- Eagles-fly above heat, find cooler places above desert.
- Birds-migrate to other places when temperature is hot, migrate back to desert when temperature is cooler.
- Jackrabbit-large ears keep rabbit cool.
Plants (Flora)
Joshua Tree
The Joshua Tree is only found in the Mojave Desert. It has a huge reddish-brown and gray truck with a diameter of 60-120 centimeters. It has ascending and spreading branches which then combine to form a dense rounded top. Its leaves are spiked and it also contains greenish-white and gray bell-shaped flowers, which give off a strong odor. They can live for more than 200 years. The Josha Tree has many adaptations:
- Its leaves are small and have a small surface area, so this prevents water loss
- Its leaves have a thick waxy layer over the cuticle to prevent water loss.
- In the lower sections of the tree, the leaves are horizontal because the upper leaves shade them. But in the upper sections of the tree, the leaves are vertical to reduce heat and water stress. This also causes the water to drip down towards the trunk
- The Joshua Tree has very shallow roots. These roots absorb as much water as possible when it rains.
- The tree collect sunlight in a different way and the stomata is closed during the day to prevent more water from being evaporated.
Creosote Bush
The Creosote Bush is known for its waxy green leaves and yellow flowers. With a height of one meter, it gives off a unique and strong odor and is a sign for rain. Every time there is rain in the southwestern part of North America, there are Creosote Bushes. These bushes are not only attractive, but also drought tolerant. They can live up to two years without water. The Creosote Bush also has many adaptations that help it:
- The Creosote Bush has small waxy leaves which prevent water loss.
- The Creosote Bush drops its leaves in summer, to strengthens its ability to withstand heat and drought. When there is a drought, the old branches and roots fall and die, but when there is rain again, the branches are replaced by sprouts from near the outside of the root crown.
- This plant occasionally sprouts from its root crown after a major issue (fire).
- It has some kind of special wax on its leaves that prevent it from dying as quickly as other types of desert plants.