# Mojave Desert Animals and Plants

URL: https://sciencestruck.com/biology/mojave-desert-animals-plants
Category: Biology
Published: 2011-06-27T02:25:00
Updated: 2011-06-27T02:25:00
To survive in the Mojave Desert, the plants and animals here have to adapt themselves to some harsh abiotic factors that exist here. As you go through the following write-up, you will come across some adaptations that these species resort to for survival.

The Mojave Desert spans across the United States of America, covering the states of California, Nevada, Utah, and Arizona. In terms of total area covered, this desert spans across approximately 25,000 sq mi; which makes it the third largest desert in the United States after the Chihuahua desert and the Sonoran desert. The topographical elevation of this desert ranges between 2,000-5,000 ft. Though not the largest, Mojave does boast of being the hottest desert in North America. The Death Valley - the lowest, driest and hottest place in North America, is also located in this region. The temperature in this region ranges between 8°F in January and 119°F in August; the latter being the characteristic temperature of the Death Valley for a large part of the year. The humidity levels in Mojave desert seldom exceed 40 percent, thus making it one of the driest places on the planet. 

## Mojave Desert Flora and Fauna

The abiotic conditions of Mojave Desert make it one of the most unfavorable places for human inhabitation. It is one of those places on planet wherein temperature fluctuation is such that the days are extremely hot and nights extremely cold. While human inhabitation is virtually impossible, certain species of plants and animals have adapted to this harsh environment. Their survival in this region can be attributed to the amazing behavioral and physical adaptation skills that they boast of. Given below are the lists of plants and animals which defy all odds to make this scorching desert their home.

### Plants

A vast expanse of land, with numerous sand dunes - that’s what most of the people out there tend to picture a desert as. Obviously, sand dunes are characteristic landforms of deserts, but that doesn’t mean that there is no soil there. The presence of plants hints at the fact that soil does exist in deserts, even though there is very little of it and it is not as fertile as soil found in other biomes of the world. Mojave Desert is one of those deserts wherein the presence of soil, though in very little amount, forms a base for the growth of vegetation. This desert is believed to be the home for around 1,750 and 2,000 species of plants. While compiling a list of all these thousand species will be difficult, here is a list with some of the most popular Mojave plant species.

### Some Other Mojave Desert Plants

Arizona firecracker (_Ipomopsis arizonica_)

Banana yucca (_Yucca baccata_)

Barrel cactus (_genera Echinocactus and Ferocactus_)

Beavertail cactus (_Opuntia basilaris_)

California fan palm (_Washingtonia filifera_)

Caltha-leaved phacelia (_Phacelia calthifolia_)

Cooper dyssodia (_Adenophyllum cooperi_)

Creosote bush (_Larrea tridentata_)

Death Valley monkeyflower (_Mimulus rupicola_)

Desert candle (_Caulanthus inflatus_)

Desert five-spot (_Eremalche rotundifolia_)

Desert larkspur (_Delphinium parishii_)

Desert lily (_Hesperocallis undulata_)

Desert rock pea (_Lotus rigidus_)

Desert senna (_Senna covesii_)

Desert snow (_Linanthus demissus_)

Joshua tree (_Yucca brevifolia_)

Jumping cholla (_Cylindropuntia fulgida_)

Mojave Desert star (_Monoptilon bellioides_)

Mojave lupine (_Lupinus odoratus_)

Mojave prickly poppy (_Argemone corymbosa_)

Mojave sage (_Salvia mohavensis_)

Mojave suncup (_Camissonia campestris_)

Mojave yucca (_Yucca schidigera_)

Newberry’s milkvetch (_Astragalus newberryi_)

Notch-leaved phacelia (_Phacelia crenulata_)

Single-leaf pinyon (_Pinus monophylla_)

Teddy-bear cholla (_Cylindropuntia bigelovii_)

Tidy fleabane (_Erigeron concinnus_)

Utah juniper (_Juniperus osteosperma_)

Western poison oak (_Toxicodendron diversilobum_)

White fir (_Abies concolor_)

White woolly daisy (_Eriophyllum lanosum_)

Wide-bannered lupine (_Lupinus microcarpus_)

These plants have adapted themselves to the harsh conditions of the Mojave desert very well. Most of the plants found here are either xerophytes (i.e. plants with spongy, shallow roots in which water is stored for future use), and phreatophytes (i.e. plants which sport long taproots which help them obtain water from deep inside the ground). Xerophytes have very few leaves, and instead are typically characterized by the presence of thorns or spines which help them reduce transpiration and save water. The phreatophytes, on the other hand, have roots which reach a depth of 20ft at times and help the plant obtain water from the water table. Other than xerophytes and phreatophytes, desert perennials are also found here in abundance. These perennials are adapted to go into dormancy mode for a part of the year, typically during the dry season, to tackle the issue of water scarcity. All these adaptations make sure that the species of plants enlisted above survive in this dry, arid desert.

### Animals

The desert biome is not as rich in terms of biodiversity as the rainforest biome, and that is something which can be attributed to the fact that the abiotic factors of desert biome are pretty harsh as compared to the same in rainforest biome. However, there do exist some species which are found in deserts; most of which are endemic to this biome. While some of the species found in the Mojave Desert are endemic, there also exist some which are found in all the deserts of North America..... or the world. These animals are able to survive in the harsh environment of the Mojave because of their specific physical and behavioral adaptations which help them survive the harsh conditions prevailing here. Given below is a list of Mojave Desert animals which has some of the most popular species found in the desert, enlisted in it.

### Some Other Mojave Desert Animals

Black-tailed jackrabbit (_Lepus californicus_)

Burrowing owl (_Athene cunicularia_)

California kingsnake (_Lampropeltis getula californiae_)

[Common chuckwalla](https://animalsake.com/chuckwallas-mojave-desert-animal)(_Sauromalus ater_)

Common side-blotched lizard (_Uta stansburiana_)

[Cougar](http://animalsake.com/interesting-facts-about-cougars-mountain-lions) (_Puma concolor_)

[Coyote](http://animalsake.com/facts-about-coyote-prairie-wolf) (_Canis latrans_)

[Desert bighorn sheep](https://animalsake.com/facts-about-desert-bighorn-sheep) (_Ovis canadensis nelsoni_)

Desert horned lizard (_Phrynosoma platyrhinos_)

[Desert iguana](http://petponder.com/desert-iguana)(_Dipsosaurus dorsalis_)

[Desert kangaroo rat](http://animalsake.com/desert-kangaroo-rat)(_Dipodomys deserti_)

Desert kit fox (_Vulpes macrotis arsipus_)

Desert night lizard (_Xantusia vigilis_)

[Desert tortoise](http://animalsake.com/desert-tortoise-food-habitat)(_Gopherus agassizii_)

Elf owl (_Micrathene whitneyi_)

Gila monster (_Heloderma suspectum_)

Great Basin collared lizard (_Crotaphytus bicinctores_)

Greater roadrunner (_Geococcyx californianus_)

Long-tailed brush lizard (_Urosaurus graciosus_)

Mojave green rattlesnake (_Crotalus scutulatus_)

Mojave ground squirrel (_Xerospermophilus mohavensis_)

Mojave fringe-toed lizard (_Uma scoparia_)

Mohave tui chub (_Gila bicolor mohavensis_)

Mule deer (_Odocoileus hemionus_)

Pronghorn (_Antilocapra americana_)

Red-spotted toad (_Bufo punctatus_)

Red-tailed hawk (_Buteo jamaicensis_)

Rosy boa (_Lichanura trivirgata_)

Western diamondback rattlesnake (_Crotalus atrox_)

Western Mojave glossy snake (_Arizona elegans candida_)

White-tailed antelope squirrel (_Ammospermophilus leucurus_)

Zebra-tailed lizard (_Callisaurus draconoides rhodostictus_)

Unlike animals in other biomes, these desert animals are subjected to the Sun’s radiations directly, as well as indirectly as a result of conduction and convection of heat by rocks and sand. In such circumstances, these animals are left with no option but to adapt to these harsh conditions, and that is something which they are very good at. Some of the most peculiar animal adaptations that you get to see in Mojave Desert are enlisted below:

-   Nocturnal behavior, wherein certain species of animals only leave their dwelling at night.
-   Estivation, wherein species go into a hibernation-like mode during hot months.
-   Flying at considerable heights, wherein temperature is relatively cold due to the absence of atmospheric conduction and convection.
-   Feeding on plants, and preying on animals, to obtain water from them.
-   Long legs, which make sure that the animal stays well above the ground.
-   The peculiar ability of reabsorbing of water stored in their bladder and making most of it.
-   Migrating to relatively cold regions in other parts of the world during summer.

If all these plants and animals have successfully defied all odds to inhabit the Mojave Desert, it is only because of their physical and behavioral adaptations. Scientists are of the opinion that the increase in precipitation over the last couple of decades is helping the plants here to spread, which, in turn, is also helping animals that are dependent on these plants for water. With all these fascinating adaptations to its credit, the desert biome is undoubtedly the best example of the phrase, “adaptation is the key to survival’.