The Roadrunner or Ground Cuckoo, Geococcyx californianus, is a bird that lives in thorny scrub, sparse grasslands, and deserts of Mexico and the southwestern USA. The Roadrunner can run at speeds of up to 15 miles per hour (24 km per hour). It rarely flies and does not migrate. When it is in danger, it runs or crouches to hide.
Anatomy: The Roadrunner is about 23 inches (58 cm) long. It has a shaggy crest on its head. The tail is long and narrow; it helps the Roadrunner with balance and lets it turn quickly when running. The wings are short and rarely used; the legs are long and make this bird a fast runner. Males and females are similar in appearance. Roadrunners make rattling and cooing calls.
Diet: Roadrunner eat fruit and small animals, including small lizards, scorpions, spiders, insects, eggs, small snakes, and some small rodents.
Reproduction: The Roadrunner is a type of cuckoo, but unlike many other cuckoos, it is not a nest parasite. It builds its cup-like nest in a thorn bush or a cactus. The female lays 3 to 8 white eggs.
Friday, May 14, 2010
DesertTortoise
DesertTortoise
Gopherus agassizii
The desert tortoise is a timid reptile that lives in sandy deserts (the Mojave and Sonoran) of southwestern North America. It can live from 50 to 80 years. It is listed as a threatened species.
Behavior: The desert tortoise is most active during the day (diurnal) or the morning and evening (crepuscular), depending on the temperature. This tortoise spends most of its life underground. It burrows under the sand to protect itself from extreme desert temperatures, which range from 140°F (60°C) down to well below freezing. Adults can survive for about a year without water. They produce a variety of sounds, including hisses and grunts. When in danger, tortoises can withdraw their head, legs, and tail into the shell.
Anatomy: The desert tortoise has a hard upper shell (the carapace) which is about 9 to 15 inches (23-38 cm) long. The flattened fore limbs are armored, muscular and used for burrowing. The rear limbs are column-like. They have a gular horn that extends from the front of the plastron (lower shell). When males fight other males, they use the gular horn to overturn an opponent. The tail is very short.
Diet: The desert tortoise is an herbivore (plant eater). It eats grasses, herbs, and a wide variety of desert plants.
Reproduction: The female lays 1 to 2 hard-shelled white eggs in each clutch. The eggs are laid in a shallow pit that she digs with her hind legs. She covers the eggs with sand, then abandons them. The temperature determines whether the babies will be male or female. Cool temperatures (79-87°F) result in male hatchlings; warm temperatures (88-91°F) result in female hatchlings.
Gopherus agassizii
The desert tortoise is a timid reptile that lives in sandy deserts (the Mojave and Sonoran) of southwestern North America. It can live from 50 to 80 years. It is listed as a threatened species.
Behavior: The desert tortoise is most active during the day (diurnal) or the morning and evening (crepuscular), depending on the temperature. This tortoise spends most of its life underground. It burrows under the sand to protect itself from extreme desert temperatures, which range from 140°F (60°C) down to well below freezing. Adults can survive for about a year without water. They produce a variety of sounds, including hisses and grunts. When in danger, tortoises can withdraw their head, legs, and tail into the shell.
Anatomy: The desert tortoise has a hard upper shell (the carapace) which is about 9 to 15 inches (23-38 cm) long. The flattened fore limbs are armored, muscular and used for burrowing. The rear limbs are column-like. They have a gular horn that extends from the front of the plastron (lower shell). When males fight other males, they use the gular horn to overturn an opponent. The tail is very short.
Diet: The desert tortoise is an herbivore (plant eater). It eats grasses, herbs, and a wide variety of desert plants.
Reproduction: The female lays 1 to 2 hard-shelled white eggs in each clutch. The eggs are laid in a shallow pit that she digs with her hind legs. She covers the eggs with sand, then abandons them. The temperature determines whether the babies will be male or female. Cool temperatures (79-87°F) result in male hatchlings; warm temperatures (88-91°F) result in female hatchlings.
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