Sonoran Desert Habitat

Exploring the Plants and Animals that call the Sonoran Desert home!

Learning Goals…Describe what a habitat is.

Identity where the Sonoran Desert is, and it’s characteristics as a habitat.

Describe how plants and animals within a habitat are dependent on each other.

Explain how specific adaptations of plants and animals allow them to live in specific habitats.

Think, Pair, Share…

What is a Habitat?Where in the world is the

Sonoran Desert?How do you describe the habitat of the Sonoran

Desert?

What makes a desert so… desert-like?

There is less than 15 inches of rain a year.

Generally has some types of trees, shrubs, and grasses.

Plants and animals have adapted to survive the dry, hot season.

May have a short rainy season.

Sonoran DesertThe Sonoran Desert is an arid (dry) region covering 120,000 square miles in southwestern Arizona and California, as well as most of Baja, California, and the western half of the state of Sonora, Mexico.

The Sonoran Desert is a subtropical desert receiving most of its moisture during the Monsoon season, but also gets a good amount of moisture from the rains.

They have 2 (TWO!!) distinct rainy seasons!!!

The Sonoran Desert includes 60 mammal species, 350 bird species, 20 amphibian species, 100+ reptile species, 30 native fish species, and more than 2000 native plant species. The Sonoran Desert is also home to Jaguars and the Saguaro cactus.

https://vimeo.com/55016996

The Saguaro cactus is one of the world’s largest.

They are also very old.

With the right conditions, they can live to be 150-200

years old.

They are very slow growing.

A 10 year old saguaro may only be 1.5 INCHES

tall.

But they can grow up to 40-60 feet tall and weigh between 3,200 and 4,800 pounds!!!

I can…

Create a relief drawing of a Saguaro with glue and chalk.

Observe the characteristics of the Gila Woodpecker and Elf Owl in order to create a drawing of each.

Jenny WilligrodFrom Prescott, AZ

Works in chalk pastel.Inspired by the bursts of color often seen in the

desert.

Gila Woodpecker:Life inside of a

SaguaroBoth female and male Gila Woodpeckers have a brown face and a black and white zebra striped back. Adult males have a red cap of feathers on their head.

They have adapted to pecking into saguaros by having a strong head and neck, a long, pointed beak and a long, sticky tongue to reach food.

Woodpeckers nest in saguaros by digging holes into the cactus with their beaks.

These holes are called “boots.”

The boots provide a safe, cool place for woodpeckers to live and raise their young.

They often have 3-4 eggs from early April until late May.

Gila Woodpecker:Life inside of a Saguaro

The Elf Owl:Moving in :)

Elf Owls do not have “ear tufts” or feathers on their heads.

Their feathers are grayish in color.

Their eyes are pale yellow and are highlighted by thin white “eyebrows.

They are the smallest owls in the Sonoran Desert.

Elf owls are very adapted to living in the desert.

They have excellent night vision and hearing. They catch their prey by hearing it instead of seeing it.

They have “silent flight” which means they don’t make any noise when they approach their prey.

When a predator approaches, the elf owl will usually play dead until all danger has passed.

They often move into abandoned Gila Woodpecker boots and make their homes. These homes are usually 15-35 feet above the ground.

The female elf owl will usually lay 2-4 eggs in these homes they’ve taken from the woodpeckers.

The Elf Owl:Moving in :)