Animals in the Desert Scrub

Ground-dwellers

• Pocket mice, jackrabbits, kangaroo rats, prairie dogs and ground squirrels can all be found within desert scrub areas. They live part of their lives underground for protection from the elements, and survive on cactus and grasses.

Reptiles

• Thousands of reptiles inhabit desert scrub areas. It is common to find many types of lizards in addition to snakes and tortoises. Animals that live in desert areas have made adaptations to survive. For example, tortoises have short stumpy legs with blunt ends that help them walk through deep sands, and many lizards that live in the desert are equipped with sharp claws to dig into tough desert surfaces.

Birds

• A number of birds live in desert regions. Migratory birds occupy the desert from season to season. Common birds include the roadrunner, which prefers running to flying, and owls that are known to be strong and resilient. Desert birds feed primarily on the ground-dwellers and are commonly nocturnal because ground-dwellers leave their underground homes at night to search for food.

Bats

• Flying mammals, bats also inhabit desert areas. They feed on rodents, including rats and mice, and insects such as grasshoppers, scorpions and crickets. Bats are able to find shelter easily in desert scrub areas because they can survive in rock crevices and in caves.