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THE LIVING DESERT ZOO AND GARDENS LECTURE NOTES

The Living Desert was established in March 1970 as a 360 acre

wilderness preserve in the then remote city of Palm Desert. Since

then, it has grown to 1200 acres and it includes over 400 species

of plants and animals. Today it is one of the most unique institutions

in the country and stands out as the only American zoo and garden

dedicated solely to interpreting and conserving the deserts of the

world and it is the only zoological and botanical park specializing in

just one entire ecosystem.

Definition of a desert: Less than 10 inches a year

Where evaporation exceeds precipitation.

What are the causes of evaporation?

High Temps

High solar radiation

High Winds

What is the cause for our local deserts?

Rain Shadow

The Deserts of North America

1. Great Basin Desert – Calif., Utah, Nevada, and Idaho

Cold Desert – 150 + basins

2. Mohave – California, Nevada, Arizona

Hot desert – less than 6 inches of rain per year

Death Valley – Lowest point in U.S. –

Badwater CA - 282 feet below sea level

Air temps = 120 degrees (134 degrees is record)

3. Sonoran Desert – CA, Arizona, Mexico

Hot desert – Young (10,000 years old) subtropical

Air Temps: 120 degree

4. Chihuahuan desert – Arizona, N Mexico, Texas, Mexico

Hot desert – higher elevations

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Deserts of the World

% of earth’s surface: 33%

Largest (size): Saharan (3.3 million square mi)

Smallest (size): Carcross (1 square mi)

Small Animal House

Western Diamondback:

Greatest number of bites

Aggressive

Solitary

Primary hemotoxic

Speckled:

Motionless

Hemotoxic

Large amount of venom

Mojave:

Mixture of hemotoxins &

Neurotoxins

Nocturnal (crepuscular)

Sidewinder:

Sideway movement

Move on sand

Diff. areas touch sand to

Reduce burns

Eye hoods

Hemotoxic – less venom

Common King Snake:

Eats other snakes – immune

To venom

Gopher Snake:

Common snake,

Acts like rattlesnake w/tail in leaves

Round pupil

Gila Monster:

One of three venomous lizards

(Komodo dragon, beaded lizard)

Desert Iguana -

They are capable of tolerating

body temperatures of 42 °C (108 °F)

which is higher than any known vertebrate

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Pathway to Africa

Desert Willow Smoke Tree Creosote

Both deserts common to Joshua Tree NP Oldest tree 11,700 year old -clone

Desert washes Desert Washes Grows uniform – chemicals

Not a true willow – own family Pea family Good at absorbing water

Indicator of higher water table leaves only 3 weeks a year Both deserts - antioxidants

PS through stems

Giraffe: Greater Kudu: Ostriches:

18 feet tall 8 ft – 320 lbs

7 vertebrae Males - Black

Ossicones – calcified cartilage (thermoregulation) Spiral horned Female - Gray

Necking – maybe why they have long necks Growth pulses Males make nest multiple

18 inch tongue cover-dependent browsers females lays eggs in nest

Trifurcate teeth to deal with thorns on Acacia not grass Males care mostly for young

25 pound heart to pump blood up neck

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Anokole Cattle Warthog Leopard

Large horns (selective breeding) True Pig smallest large cat

Showing of wealth in Africa Tusks are canines no spots in rosettes

Warts???? Pulls prey into trees

Use for digging (heavier than them)

Killed by ranchers Opportunistic

(swine flu) Equiv. to Mt Lion in US

Hyena Camel Addax

Very strong Jaw Dromedary (one hump) sahara desert

Aggressive – high level of testosterone Bactrian (two humps) short stocky

Females have pseudopenis Hump is fat, ship of the desert color helps with heat

50 gals in 3 minutes (raise body temp) can go without drink

Lose 30% of their weight in water

Gambel’s Quail Humans

Raise body temp Lose 5% - hallucinate

Lose 50%

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Cheetah Zebra African Wild Dogs

60- 70 miles per hour aggressive Work in groups

Fastest land mammal horse family run animals down

Only for one minute why striped? – confusion effect 2 dog chase - switch runners

1 out of 10 catches genetically – stand by stripes

Overheat hindgut fermintation

Most dog-like cat

Meerkats Eurasian Black Vulture Arabian Oryx Cinereous Vultures

Mongoose family Large vulture Found in middle east

Not solitary like others 4 ft tall extinct since 1972

Altruistic behavior 91/2 ft wingspan releasing back into wild

(guarding) 23 lbs color, reduce heat / hold heat

Thought the idea of unicorn

Non aggressive for a oryx

Madagascar Animal

Fossa

Plant Adaptations on Pathway: cat like – endemic to Madagascar (maybe near civet family)

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Palo Verde: Mesquite Saguaro:

Green Stem – State tree of Arizona up to 200 ft taproot State flower of Arizona

Most common tree of the Sonoron used for fuel, food, clothing Up to 75 yrs to grow side arm

Drought Deciduous Charcoal Sonoran Desert

Spiny stems

Grows on slopes (washes)

Nurse plant for Saguaro cactus

Scarification of seeds

Cactus:

Barrel Cactus: Beavertail Cactus: Mojave Prickly Pear:

Not good drink (old movies) glochids spines

Dehydrates (large amounts of solutes) Chladophyll Chladophyll

Lose water trying to open

Accordion shape allow them to expand

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Mojave Desert Plants:

Joshua Tree: Mojave Yucca: California Juniper

Monocot – Yucca family Yucca Moth Gin

Age by size Needed for reproduction relic species

Prophet Joshua Moth lays eggs and rubs on anther remnant of conifer forest

Only grows where it freezes for a flies to other yucca and lays on stigma found near Joshua trees

Certain amount of time per year babies have food to eat

Octillo Jumping Chollo California Fan Palm

Sonoran desert Cactus with spines Only native palm in US

Leaves for several weeks jump from species Needs fire (lightening)

PS through stem (breaks easy) reduces competition (water)

Red flowers used by migrants Skirt to ground

(hummingbirds)

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Mojave Desert Animals:

Desert Tortoises: Red-tailed Hawk: Desert Pupfish

Endangered (just removed from list) Most common large hawk in US Up to 106 temp

Disappearing due to: urban relic species

Habitat destruction sometimes called chicken hawk Have we saved them?

Virus (pet trade) 4 ft wingspan

Ravens 3.5 lbs

Turkey Vulture: Roadrunner: Great Horned Owls:

Eat dead animals Color used for communication Pellets – fur and bone

Sense of smell black skin – torpor Turns neck 240-270 degrees

Cool by pooping on legs heat up in morning by pulling eyes locked in sockets

Feathers away nocuturnal

Asymmetrical ears to judge

distance

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Eagle Canyon

Coyote: Golden Eagle: Porcupine

Opportunistic 6-7.5 ft wingspan Quills

Keystone species 8-11 lbs Odor (rosette patch)

Great runners and jumpers large rodents 2nd largest us rodent

Urban – increased due to man disappearing due to man nocturnal

15-35 lbs talons can pop tractor tire

Mountain Lion: Thick-billed Parrot: Bobcat:

Largest small cat (same niche as leopard) Only native parrot alive small cat

8 ft / 220 lbs SE Arizona 4 ft long / 40 lbs

Can be dangerous (usually young) eats pine nuts ambush hunters

Danger due to habitat

destruction

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Ringtail: Badger: Javelina:

Also called miner’s cat found in the mustelid family not a true pig

Not a cat related to weasels 3 stomachs / non ruminating

Raccoon family lose skin on neck have latrines

Agile large claws need to be near water

Nocturnal hard to attack due to skin don’t regulate temp well

Used by miners to hunt mice hunts with coyotes

Mexican Wolf: Coati: Jaguar: raccoon family Rosettes w/ spots

Use to most widespread mammal turn ankles 180 degrees Large cats – once thought to

In the world go head first down tree be extinct in U.S. (Texas)

Gray wolved up to 90 lbs

These are smaller subspecies

(about 35 lbs)

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Burrowing Owl: American Kestrel: Peregrine Falcon: Prairie Falcon:

Diurnal owl smallest falcon fastest animals desert version of peregrine

Eats mice / insects Kites (in air) 220 mph in a dive little bigger

Next in ground eats insects / mice hunt birds little slower

Babies sound like DDT – almost extinct

Rattlesnakes to keep

Out predators

Pronghorn Big Horn Sheep:

not an antelope (own family) horns can weigh 40 lbs

Fastest land animal in US (55mph) need water every 3 days

Due to american cheetah males fight for females

Curious – white flag draws them in