Fauna at the Desert Museum

Moving right along from yesterday's post on the Desert Museum. Unfortunately I don't have many animal photos to show. They were rebuilding the cat's habitat so I can't show you any Lions or other cats. Lynne was too tired to make it to the Big Horn Sheep mountain and I was too unsure on my feet to go down to the Otter exhibit. Of course, those are the most photogenic animals, but I will show what I got.

This little guy is my favorite. He is, of course, a Prairie Dog and he isn't a dog at all. He is actually, ahem, a type of rodent. Or a type of Ground Squirrel if you prefer. They got their name because when they emit a warning signal it sounds like a bark. They grow 12-16" and weigh 1-3 lbs. I think this little critter must weigh 3 pounds because they are well fed at the museum. Their diet is all types of veggies and fruit. This chubby guy is a Mexican Prairie Dog.



The second photo shows a Docent holding an Owl. Docents give lectures on the inhabitants of the Sonoran Desert at different parts of the Museum . They also give lectures on the vegetation that grows here. There is nothing in the Museum that is not native to the desert (The Docents and visitors are, of course, the exceptions.)



Next we have another unidentified bunch of Arizona wild flowers. I just thought they were pretty.



And last we have the wily coyote. Our town houses were built next to Pantano Wash. It is usually a dry creek bed until a Monsoon rain makes it a raging river. It was a habitat for small animals including Mr. Coyote. Since there was still some undeveloped land between our buildings and the wash, the small animals remained. However, a developer put in houses and the poor animals had very little land left. Coyotes visited our area frequently before that happened and people didn't dare let their pets out unless they were on a leash. Little kitties and doggies could have been breakfast for the predators. Last summer I saw three emaciated coyotes looking for a rabbit or squirrel. A male walked ahead followed by two females. He walked up to my corner, looked up the street, and not seeing anything to eat sadly turned around and they wandered back to the remaining desert. I am not enamored of coyotes, but I couldn't help feeling sorry for those poor animals.