Animals

Desert Tortoise

Tortoises are reptile species of the family Testudinidae of the order Testudines (from the Latin name for tortoise). They are particularly distinguished from other turtles by being land-dwelling, while many (though not all) other turtle species are at least partly aquatic. Like other turtles, tortoises have a shell to protect from predation and other threats. The shell in tortoises is generally hard, and they retract their necks and heads directly backwards into the shell to protect them.

Tortoises are unique among vertebrates in that the pectoral and pelvic girdles are inside the ribcage rather than outside. Tortoises can vary in dimension from a few centimeters to two meters. They are generally reclusive animals. Tortoises are the longest-living land animals in the world, although the longest-living species of tortoise is a matter of debate. Galápagos tortoises are noted to live over 150 years, but an Aldabra giant tortoise named Adwaita may have lived an estimated 255 years. In general, most tortoise species can live 80–150 years.

Coyote

Coyotes are common to abundant residents in our area. They live in almost all habitats and successional stages to elevations as high as 9840 ft. elevation. Coyotes frequent open brush, scrub, shrub, and herbaceous habitats, and croplands. They may also be found in forest and woodland with low to intermediate canopy, and shrub and grassy areas.

Coyotes are omnivorous opportunists. They primarily eat mice, rats, ground squirrels and gophers. They have been observed eating some insects, reptiles, amphibians, fruits, and occasionally birds, their eggs, and deer fawns. As they hunt, they commonly search and pounce, stalks and chase, and may dig out prey. Hunts either solitarily, in pairs, or in small packs (family groups).

Red Tailed Hawk

Red-Tailed Hawk eats small mammals up to hares in size, small birds, reptiles and amphibians. They search by soaring and perch to pounce on prey below. With a wingspan of up to 5 feet this fierce looking bird of prey soars using the slight movement of feather tips to guide its way within thermal uplifts to search for victims. A Red-tail with its superb vision will fold its wings against its body and power dive at speeds of up to 100 miles an hour to catch a variety of lizards, snakes (including rattlesnakes), rodents and every now and again, a bird.

In the courtship, a pair of Red-tailed Hawks soars in wide circles at a great height. The male dives down in a steep drop, then shoots up again at nearly as steep an angle. He repeats this maneuver several times, then approaches the female from above. He extends his legs and touches or grasps her briefly. The pair may grab onto one other and may interlock their talons and spiral toward the ground.

The Desert Cottontail (Sylvilagus auduboni) is the most abundant and well known of the desert mammals. Desert cottontails are herbivorous. They graze and browse on a wide variety of grasses, forbes, tree and shrub leaves, twigs, fallen fruit, acorns, and tender bark. The Desert Cottontail have a very high reproductive rate (1 to 5 in a litter 26-30 days after mating), a necessity as they are prey for a wide variety of carnivores. They are about 14 inches tall on the average and a large one can weigh up to 4 pounds.