Hobbies And Interests
Jack Rabbits
Unlike a cottontail, the jack rabbit is considered a true hare because it does not make nests. Two species of jack rabbits are common to the Southwest. They are true vegetarians feeding on a variety of desert herbs and shrubs. These animals can easily become a major pest to farmers in the region, who with large patches of irrigated fields often produce abundant opportunities for feeding. In the desert, the jack rabbit is an important link in the food chain, providing meals for coyotes, bobcats, foxes, owls, hawks and snakes.
Pyrrhuloxia
The desert cardinal or Pyrrhuloxia is common throughout the American Southwest and Northwestern Mexico. The bird is mostly gray with red markings and lives in the arid country year-round. As evident by its big beak, this bird is primarily a seed-eater, often feeding on fruits, herbs and seeds. Its preferred habitat are mesquite thickets. Because this bird sometimes feeds on insects, its diet is not strictly vegetarian. Unlike this cardinal, many other birds of the desert are migratory.
Chuckwalla
Like the jack rabbit, the chuckwalla is another strict vegetarian. This large lizard is common throughout the Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts of the United States and Mexico. The chuckwalla lives among large rocks and boulders. Its diet consists of fruit, leaves, buds and flowers. The lizard is 11 to 18 inches long and likes to sun itself in the early morning. Once it body temperature reaches 100 degrees Fahrenheit, the reptile will begin moving about the rocky landscape and feeding. When it senses danger, the chuckwalla has the peculiar habit of climbing into rock crevices and inflating its body until it is wedged tight in the fissure.
Rodents
Rodents come in many varieties and can be found across the world's deserts. In the United States and Mexico, rats, mice, chipmunks and ground squirrels are common, along with the previously mentioned jack rabbit. To survive the harsh climate, these animals often dwell in underground burrows and tunnels. Like the kangeroo rat, many of these animals are nocturnal and feed on grains and seeds. Some have special mechanisms for conserving water.