While we as humans might struggle to survive the intense desert conditions for long without the proper supplies and outside nourishment, many of earth’s creatures feel right at home in the Chihuahuan Desert‘s heat-heavy, water-deprived climate. Playing home to even some larger animals, perhaps the deserts most iconic dweller is the bighorn sheep, easily distinguished by its, you guessed it, big horns. The bighorn sheep population is very fickle, easily changing depending on the overall health and well-being of the desert itself. Thankfully, the Chihuahuan Desert’s relatively large population of bighorn sheep speaks to the desert’s continued favorable conditions and good fortune. Feasting on the juicy insides of cacti, found in particular abundance at lower elevations, the large sheep use their hooves and horns to rid the cacti of its prickly thorns, then enjoy the fruits of their labor. The pronghorn antelopes also find a naturally bountiful selection of food in the desert. With a diet consisting mostly of herbaceous flowering plants (i.e. clover, sunflower, milkweed), shrubs and grasses, pronghorns find plenty of nourishment even in the seemingly sparse offerings afforded by climates like the Chihuahuan Desert.Like in any ecosystem, while some animals feed off of the areas vegetation, other animals, in turn, feed off their plant-grazing counterparts. Mountain lions, coyotes, wolves and even bears to a lesser extent all make the Chihuahuan Desert a less than perfect place to call home. Of course, when you think of coyotes in the desert, a roadrunner can’t be far behind (or ahead in pretty much every cartoon episode). Unlike its fellow feathered desert companion the small elf owl, the roadrunner prefers running to flying, rarely leaving their feet by a few feet and only for a short period of time. The roadrunner might be an easier target for predators could it run as fast as 15 miles per hour, proving elusive as prey but also adept as hunters, striking fear into the hearts of lizards and other would-be bird food across the sands.
While we as humans might struggle to survive the intense desert conditions for long without the proper supplies and outside nourishment, many of earth’s creatures feel right at home in the Chihuahuan Desert‘s heat-heavy, water-deprived climate. Playing home to even some larger animals, perhaps the deserts most iconic dweller is the bighorn sheep, easily distinguished [...]
