“From the smallest insects to the largest animals, every creature has a vital role to play in the Arizona desert’s delicate balance of nature.”
Kyle Oty (Coyote)
Fun facts about Kyle and his coyote friends. Coyotes are born blind and open their eyes after ten days. They are fast runners, often reaching speeds up to 43 miles per hour. Coyotes sometimes can be found near where people live. In Arizona cities, there are a lot of mountains and washes near houses, and coyotes live nearby. Coyote is a key figure in Navajo mythology.
Jack T. Rabbit (JackRabbit)
Rabbits are different from hares. Rabbits are usually smaller and have shorter ears than hares. Jackrabbits are actually hares and they are the largest members of the rabbit/hare family. Baby jackrabbits can run as soon as they are born. Adults can run as fast as 40 miles per hour and if they feel threatened, they will travel in 12-to-20-foot leaps. A fun jackrabbit fact involves their ears. They can pick up sounds as far away as almost two miles! Their long ears can be rotated 270 degrees to help detect the source of a sound and they can revolve independently to listen to different noises.
Raquel (Raccoon)
Raccoons look like they are wearing masks over their eyes. This mask serves a purpose. They are nocturnal, meaning they go out mainly at night and the dark mask helps enhance their night vision. They are very crafty when it comes to getting into garbage cans or anywhere they think they will find a tasty meal. Here is a fun fact about raccoons: they seem to have a habit of washing their food before they eat it. They have five fingers on their tiny little hands that they use to dip their food in water. Even though it looks like they are washing their food, they are really dipping their paws into the water because they have many sensory nerves in their paws.
Kisha (Kit Fox)
The kit fox is one of the smallest species of the fox family. It has large ears that help the fox lower its body temperature and gives it exceptional hearing. The kit fox is mostly nocturnal, meaning it comes out at night, but it sometimes ventures out of its den during the day. Its diet consists mainly of small animals and sometimes insects, lizards, snakes, and fish. If food is scarce, the kit fox has been known to eat tomatoes and cactus fruits. Here is a fun fox fact: foxes are more like cats than dogs. They can climb trees, they are nocturnal, and can use their whiskers to find their way through small spaces.
Katy (Katydid)
Here is a fun fact about katydids. They got that name because the noise they make was thought to sound like “Katy-did, Katy-didn’t.” Katydids have excellent eyesight and they will hide behind a leaf if they see you coming. When katydids hatch from their eggs, they look like adults, but they don’t have wings. As they grow, they molt. That means they shed their exoskeletons. Then as adults, they get their wings.
Jay (Blue Jay)
The blue jay is a beautiful bird which measures from 9 to 12 inches with a wingspan from 13 to 17 inches. This is a fun fact: Blue jays have a crown of feathers on the top of their heads. This tuft can be raised or lowered according to the bird’s mood. When the jay is excited or aggressive, the crest may be fully raised. When it is scared, the crest comes outwards like a brush, and if the bird is with other jays or resting, the crest is flattened to the head.
Quinn Quail (Quail)
Quails are plump little birds who have funny little plumes on their heads that bounce when they walk. A mother quail can lay up to 20 eggs at a time. When her babies hatch, the tiny little birds follow their mother as they walk through the desert searching for food. An interesting fact about baby quails is that unlike most other birds, when they are hatched, they can move around and feed themselves almost immediately.
Ann T. Lope (Antelope)
Antelopes can run extremely fast, and they can use their long horns to defend themselves. Antelopes gather in large groups called herds for protection. Some species of antelope can bounce on their springy legs when they are frightened. This alerts others in the herd of danger. Antelope antlers can be straight, short, or in a spiral. Unlike deer antlers which are shed every year, antelope antlers grow continuously. Here’s a fun fact about antelopes: they can make several different noises, including whistling and barking like dogs.
Milton (Mule)
A mule is a horse-donkey hybrid, which means a mix of two different animals. It is the offspring of a male donkey and a female horse. Mules are very patient, and they are capable of carrying heavy weights. They are also known to be very sure footed and can walk safely along dangerous passages, like canyons. Fun mule fact: a mule makes a sound similar to a donkey’s but also like a horse whinny. It starts with a whinny and ends in a “hee haw!”
Wyatt Taylor (White-Tailed Deer)
White-tailed deer are the smallest members of the North American deer family. The male deer are called bucks and have large antlers, which grow every year in the summer and fall and then fall off in the winter. A female is known as a doe and the young deer is called a fawn. The underside of the deer’s tail is white, giving the deer its name. Fun fact: the Disney cartoon deer, Bambi, was a white-tailed deer.
Rhoda Runner (Roadrunner)
You may have heard of cuckoo birds. Roadrunners are members of that family. They can fly, but they tire easily so they prefer to run on their strong legs. Roadrunners can reach speeds of over 15 miles per hour. Snakes, lizards, mice, and insects are good food for roadrunners. Sometimes the birds will hold their prey in their mouths and beat them against rocks to kill them. A fun roadrunner fact is about their footprints…they are shaped like an X.
Cowlotta (Cow)
Here’s a fun fact about cows: they can’t see the color red. Another interesting thing about cows is that they can walk up stairs, but they can’t walk back down because their knees don’t bend the right way. Cows only have one stomach, but it has four different compartments.
Benjamin “Daddy Bear” (Black Bear)
Bella “Mommy Bear” (Black Bear)
Buddy “Little Cub” (Black Bear Cub)
The Black Bear Family
Black bears are about the size of humans! The females weigh from 100-150 pounds and the males weigh between 150-180 pounds. Female bears gain more weight during the summer to prepare for a long hibernation and the birth of her cubs. When the mother bear emerges from hibernation, her cubs weigh about five pounds and they come out with her. A fun black bear fact is that they are always looking for a snack! They will spend up to eight hours a day foraging for food. They are mostly vegetarians because they aren’t very good hunters!
Elizabeth “Liz” (Lizard)
There are many different types of lizards. Some species that live in the desert are thought to be able to go their entire lives without drinking water. However, most species need fresh drinking water. Most lizards are not dangerous to be around but in Arizona, there are Gila Monsters, who have venom that is toxic to humans. A fun fact about lizards: some can detach their tails to escape from a predator!
Theodore (Beaver)
Beavers are the second largest rodent in the world. They build dams of wood and mud to provide deep pools of water to protect them from predators. They also use the pools to float food and building materials to their homes. Colonies of beavers build dome shaped lodges, which have underwater entrances that make it hard for other animals to gain entry. A fun fact about beavers is that their front teeth never stop growing! Beavers constantly gnaw wood, which keeps their teeth from growing too long.
Owlbert (Elf Owl)
Here is a fun fact about elf owls: they are tiny…no larger than a juice box! These little creatures make their nests in cacti or trees. They find holes that were pecked out by birds like woodpeckers, and they move in! Elf owls have excellent hearing and can catch their prey in total darkness by using their ears to locate it. They have something called “silent flight” which means they don’t make any noise as they approach their prey.
Shilah (Sheep)
Adult female sheep are called ewes and adult male sheep are known as rams. Lambs are young sheep. A fun fact about sheep is that they have a field of vision of around 300 degrees. That means they can see behind themselves without having to turn their head! Sheep become frightened if other animals come near, so they like to stick together in flocks for protection. Sheep’s wool is called fleece, which is used in many types of clothing.
Bobby (Bobcat)
Bobcats have the largest population out of all the wildcat species living in the United States. They got their name because of their bobbed tails. Bobcats hunt at night and they have great vision, good hearing, and a keen sense of smell. A fun bobcat fact is that they can’t roar! But they can meow, scream, snarl, hiss, and even bark.
Morris (Mouse)
Here is a fun mouse fact: Even though a mouse might be tiny enough to fit through a space the size of a dime, they have big appetites and eat between 15 and 20 times a day! Female mice can have up to 12 babies every 3 weeks. That adds up to 150 babies a year! Mice are super swimmers and they can jump a whole foot high in the air!
Javelina
Javelina live in large family groups. Each group defends a territory where they eat and sleep. They communicate with their own family group using sounds and smells. Javelina live in desert washes, saguaro and paloverde forests, as well as oak woodlands and grasslands. A javelina fun fact: they have long, sharp canine teeth which stick out from their jaws and they are so strong, the javelina can eat cactus!