Fun Facts

Roadrunners are quick enough to catch and eat rattlesnakes.

Roadrunners prefer walking or running and attain speeds up to 17 miles per hour.

Roadrunners are part of the cuckoo family!

The Roadrunner makes a series of 6 to 8, low, dovelike coos dropping in pitch, as well as a clattering sound by rolling mandibles together.

Scorpions are thought of desert animals, but in fact they occur in many other habitats as well, including grasslands and savannahs, deciduous forests, mountain pine forests, rain forest and caves.

The Desert Scorpion sometimes uses a stinger on the end of its tail to defend itself. The stinger acts like a hypodermic needle, injecting a painful chemical into the enemy. The enemy quickly learns not to tangle with a scorpion.

Curious Facts

The Desert Tortoise is able to live where ground temperature may exceed 140 degrees F.

95% of a Desert Tortoise’s life is spent in underground burrows

Ravens have caused more than 50 percent of juvenile Desert Tortoise deaths in some areas of the Mojave Desert.

Adult tortoises may survive a year or more without access to water.

Desert Tortoise populations have declined by 90 percent since the 1980s

Ravens are now one of the Desert turtle’s primary predators.

Much of the tortoise’s water intake comes from moisture in the grasses and wildflowers they consume in the spring.

It is unlawful to touch, harm, harass or collect a wild Desert Tortoise.

The Gila Monster is named for the Gila River Basin of the southwestern United States. Most of the Gila Monster's teeth have two grooves that conduct the venom, a nerve toxin, from glands in the lower jaw. The toxin is not injected like that of the snake, but flows into the wound as the lizard chews on its victim. While the bite can overpower predators and prey, it is rarely fatal to humans.

Fun Activities

Desert Word Finder