Hot Desert
Hot Desert Climate
> It could be over 100 degrees fahrenheit during day and below 32 at night.
> Violent rainstorms can cause flash floods in the desert.
> After a storm, the desert may not see any rain for weeks or months.
Plants in the hot Desert
Ocotillo Plant
Saguaro Cactus
Ghost Flower
Animals in the Hot Desert
Western diamondback rattle snake
Rattlesnakes are species of poisonous snakes generally called "pit vipers". The Western Diamondback can exceed seven feet in length, and is the king of our twenty odd species of Southwestern desert rattlers.
The color of this striking snake ranges from brown to gray to pinkish, depending on the shade of its habitat. Its back is lined with dark diamond-shaped blotches outlined by lighter-colored scales. The spade-shaped head is distinguished by two dark stripes, one on each side of its face, which run diagonally, like Zorro’s mask.The Western Diamondback eats small mammals such as chipmunks, prairie dogs, gophers, ground squirrels, rabbits, mice and rats.
Red tail Hawk
The red-tailed hawk has a broad, rounded tail that shows a rich, russet red.The eyesight of a hawk is eight times as powerful as a human's.The red-tailed hawk is usually found in grasslands or marsh-shrub habitats, but is a very adaptable bird, being equally at home in deserts and forests, and at varying heights above sea level.
Desert Road Runner
The roadrunner feeds almost exclusively on other animals, including insects, scorpions, lizards, snakes, rodents and other birds. Up to 10 % of its winter diet may consist of plant material due to the scarcity of desert animals at that time of the year.Because of its lightening quickness, the roadrunner is one of the few animals that preys upon rattlesnakes. Using its wings like a matador's cape, it snaps up a coiled rattlesnake by the tail, cracks it like a whip and repeatedly slams its head against the ground till dead.