18 images of a variety of animals that survive in the Sonoran Desert. They use a variety of adaptations to live in this biome ….their home, where we are just intruders!

The Sonoran Desert. Look closely, and carefully, and you will find an amazing variety of animals!

OK…I have stored my food, now I must escape from predators! Sorry I cannot speak or squeak , since my mouth is quite full at the moment. I am an Antelope Ground Squirrel. I look for food during the early morning in summer, and then I go back to my underground burrow to rest and cool down! My food is mainly seeds, nuts, and the fruit of cacti.

You don’t often see me in the day! I am just out to look for a quick snack!

Now look ….it is 42 C and I must find shade, and this spot is just perfect. I am a Desert Cottontail. I prefer to forage during the early hours of the hot summer, and in the early evening, when it is cooler.

Hey….I thought my camouflage was so good! I am a horned lizard, and if any of my predators try to eat me, then my head spikes come in very handy for defending myself, and they are very sharp. My main diet consists of ants! I have a long sticky tongue to catch them.

Looks like I have been spotted now! Time to move on.

What do you mean you won’t give me food! I have a family to feed. OK, I realise that feeding us can cause big problems, and we can become too dependent on you. Our main diet consists mainly of nuts and the desert grasses and shrubs. The catcus flowers and fruits also come in very handy. I am a spotted ground squirrel.

Where’s our mother, and our lunch!

I have a family to feed, in this Saguaro cactus. I am a Gila Woodpecker. I build my home inside the cactus, safe from my predators.

Every move you make, every breath you take, ….I’ll be watching you! This is a great viewing point from here!

Don’t touch me, please. I only have enough water stored inside to last the summer. If I get nervous, I can lose it all…..and I could die. Hey, I am a protected species, you know.. as a Desert Tortoise. I like to eat the fruit of cacti. My mouth is often stained red from the colour of the cactus fruit.

My home is a masterpiece of building construction. I have just come out of my house this evening, to wait until my first meal arrives! Packrat is my name.

I might look nastly, but my offense strategy is part of a defense strategy. I will not attack unless you do something really stupid, and threaten me. They named a baseball team after me (Arizona Diamondbacks)

Why do they hunt me? Other cats are protected by law, why not me? (Bobcat)

This looks just like a rock under a tree……but look
closer!

The Tiger Rattlesnake, resting in the early evening.