Deniz D.

Santana
7 Vesuvius

Armadillo Lizard
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The nostrils of the Armadillo Lizard are formed into little tubes. The tubes
help the Armadillo Lizards smell for food or predators. A ground dwelling
lizard, it is active in the daytime and feeds on a wide variety of insects, as
well as on spiders and other invertebrates. The head of the Armadillo Lizard is
narrow in shape. It is fairly slow moving animal, but when the Armadillo Lizard
thinks or knows it's in danger, it runs as fast as it can go for cover. The body
length is 15-17 inches, the tail is 14-16 inches long, and it weighs 8-17 lbs. Its
back legs are a little shorter than the front. The head, body, and club-like tail
are all flattened, enabling it to wriggle easily into rock crevices for shelter.

Banded Gila Monster

The Banded Gila Monster is very shy but can strike back very quickly, with
painful results. It is a subspecies of the Gila Monster (Heloderma suspectum),
and is one of two venomous types of lizard in the world. They are pink,
orange and red. Four or five black bands with spots in them run around the
body. The tail is also banded. Their heads are spotted with black around their
eyes and mouth.

Bobcat
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The average bobcat weighs 15 to 20 pounds, and is 2 feet tall and 3 to 4 feet
long. The bobcat looks pretty much like a regular cat except bigger. The
desert bobcat's color is a mixture of white, black, brown, and orange. The
bobcat often gets confused with the mountain lion because of its fearsome
growl. Bobcats can be found almost anywhere, but one of the most common
places is the southwest desert. They like it there the most because of the
bushy, and rocky terrain. The bushes give shade if it's hot, and the rocks are
a perfect hiding spot if they're hunting prey.

Cactus Wren
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The Cactus Wren lives in the arid and semi-arid deserts of southwestern
United States and the chaparral of southern California and northern Mexico.
The Cactus Wren is usually found below 4,000 feet. The California
chaparral has hot and dry summers and humid and cold winters. It normally
gets about 6 inches of rain per year. At 7-9 inches (18-22 cm) long, the
Cactus Wren is the largest wren in the United States. Both sexes look alike.
Both are brown and have a white stripe running over each eye. Their throats
are white, and their beaks are dark, long and slightly curved. White and black
streaks cover their backs. Their belly and sides are white to buff with dense
spotting on the breast. The short and rounded wings have black and white
banding. Legs and feet are tan colored.

Coyote
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The Coyote has a tan coat mixed with hairs of rusty brown and gray, and the
ends of the hair may be black. The different colors help to hide the coyote in
the underbrush, rocks, and grasses. The coyote has large, pointed ears and a
bushy tail. Coyotes are known for their sharp eyesight, keen hearing and a
keen sense of smell. Adult coyotes can grow to be 4 feet long (including the
tail which can be 11 - 16 inches long). They can be 2 feet tall and weigh up to
30 pounds.Coyotes once only lived in Western America, but people have
forced them to find other habitats.Coyotes can be found in the United States,
Canada, and Mexico. They live in all kinds of habitats including deserts,
prairies and mountains. Coyotes have even been found on Cape Cod.

Desert Bighorn Sheep

The desert bighorn sheep have a solid, stocky, and muscular body on short
legs. They are not as stocky as the Rocky Mountain bighorn, and their horns
are flatter and spread out more from their heads. The horns can weigh as
much as 30 lb (14 kg). Their muzzle is narrow and pointed, while their ears
are short. They have very acute eyesight which helps them gage distances
when jumping from rock to rock. Their sharp-edged cloven hooves are elastic
and concave. Their coat is smooth and made up of an outer coat of stiff guard
hairs and a short, wavy undercoat. In the summer it is a rich, glossy brown
color with a white rump patches. By late winter the color face.

Javelina
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The javelina is the only wild pig in North America. It looks exactly like a real
pig except a little bigger. It is a grizzled blackish-gray color with a yellowish
band which runs under the neck. The name collared peccary comes from the
ruff of hair around its neck. It has small, round ears and beady eyes. Its body
is barrel-shaped with short legs. Its head is pointed, ending in a disc-like
nose. Javelinas have 3 toes on each hind foot. The upper tusks (1.5 inches
long) are pointed down, instead of up like some other wild pigs. The javelina
grows from 46 to 60 inches long, and can weigh up to 60 pounds. Javelinas
live in the canyon area of the desert. They live there because it is bushy and
there are water holes everywhere. They need the bushes for the shade and
they need lot's of water to live.

Thorny Devil
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The strangest of lizards is the Thorny Devil. This is the only species in its
genus. The lizard's body has conical spines all over, including spines above
each eye and a hump behind its head which is spiny. The tail is also spiny. Its
spines make it easy to identify. The color changes on the Thorny Devil's body
from yellow to reddish brown to black, depending on which type of soil it is

crossing. They change colors to be camouflaged and makes it easier for them
to hide. The total length they can grow is 20 cm. This lizard is a harmless
reptile. When the lizard walks, the lizard's tail lifts and it walks in a shaky way.
People say its a slow moving creature. The Thorny Devil is found in Western
Australia, and North and South Queensland.
Cactus Ferruginous Pygmy Owl
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For a tiny bird, the cactus ferruginous pygmy-owl has a very long name. It is
small enough to hold in your hand. It averages 6.5 inches (17 cm) in length
and weighs only 2.5 ounces (62 g). Females usually weigh a few tenths of an
ounce more than the males. The feathers on their back are creamy-brown,
and the underside is cream-colored with reddish-brown stripes. The top of
their heads are slightly streaked and on the back of the head they have two
black eye spots outlined in white. Their eyes are yellow and round. Their tails
are longer than most owls, and they have no tufts on their ears.

Desert Tortoise

The Desert Tortoise can be found in the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts of
southern California, two of North America's four deserts. They inhabit semiarid grasslands, gravelly desert washes and sandy canyon bottoms below
3,500 ft. The Desert Tortoises is a land dwelling turtle belonging to the
Testudinidae family. The Desert Tortoise is also known as a gopher tortoise
because it belongs to one of 4 species of the Gopherus genus. Its front legs
are muscular and flattened with long claws, and are very well adapted for
digging deep burrows. Desert Tortoises can make hissing, popping, and
poinking sounds, usually out of fear or distress. Its domed, brown shell
(carapace) can grow to be 9-15 inches in length, 4-6 inches high, and the
tortoise can weigh from 8 to 15 lbs. They usually live to be about 80 years,
but some have been known to be a 100 years old.