"What is THAT?!" - Unique Wildlife of the Southwest Unveiled!
One of the strangest things about moving to a different biome is encountering new wildlife for the very first time. When you picture "American wildlife," do you feel like you have a pretty good idea of what animals live here? You might be surprised! These are some animals found in the American Southwest that visitors have often never heard of:
When I left my home state of Pennsylvania, I initially moved to Texas, where I was surprised to learn of this cute little local. I always expect to come across different species of birds, rodents, and reptiles that I don't know about, especially when I travel. But it was jarring to be confronted with a completely different mammal that I had no idea existed: a member of the raccoon family that looks like a cross between a ringtail lemur and a fox- and in my own country!
Ringtail cats (also known as just "ringtails") are actually native to most of the western United States. They are nocturnal animals that are adapted to climbing, with a diet consisting mostly of fruits, insects, and any other small animal they can get ahold of. Apparently I wasn't the only person unfamiliar with these elusive critters, as a very reliable source told me the zoo in my city had received several calls about potential "escaped lemurs"!
You can't move to Arizona without hearing all about the javelinas. Javelinas, also known as "peccaries," are in a different family than pigs, though it comes as no surprise that they are related. Although javelinas will opportunistically eat meat, they are primarily herbivorous, with one of their favorite foods being the prickly pear cactus! Traveling in herds and weighing up to 60 pounds, javelinas can be very dangerous, so don't make the mistake of trying to approach or feed them.
These are some of the biggest, scariest looking wasps you will ever see, and I just adore them. I was shocked to find that most sources only describe them as reaching up to 2 inches in body length, because I have definitely seen them reach at least 3 inches (a quick Google Image search will show you just how big they can get). These solitary wasps feed on nectar as adults, but as their name suggests, tarantulas do play a role in their diet: A female wasp will sting a tarantula to paralyze it, lay eggs in its abdomen, and trap it inside her burrow for her larvae to eat alive for several weeks. The larvae will actually avoid consuming the spider's vital organs, ensuring its survival as their food source until they reach adulthood. Aren't these wasps so cool?!
The tarantula hawk wasp is said to have one of the most painful stings in the animal kingdom, but don't worry- they don't tend to be aggressive. Just appreciate them from afar!
I know, I know.... Everybody knows the Southwest has lizards. But how about the only venomous lizard in the United States (and one of only two venomous lizards in the world)? The gila monster is a "monster" indeed; Growing up to 22 inches in length, it is the largest lizard native to the United States. These lizards are carnivores, feeding mostly on young rabbits, rodents, birds, and other reptiles. If you ever see one, count yourself lucky, because they spend the vast majority of their time underground, only emerging when weather conditions are right and only for a few hours at a time.
Never try to handle a gila monster. Although gila monster bites are unlikely to kill a healthy adult, they could pose a serious threat to children, elderly people, or people with health conditions. Gila monsters are also protected in every state in which they reside, so interfering with these beautiful creatures in any way could land you a hefty fine or even jail time.
I'm sure everybody reading knows what a jaguar is, but you might be surprised to find out that we actually have wild jaguars here in the United States! Three different individual jaguars have been spotted on trail cameras in Arizona in just the last few years, and eight individuals have been sighted in the American Southwest over the last three decades. This was all part of their original natural range, so I am thrilled to see that there are still at least a few in the area!
If you want to know more about any of these animals, click on each name to be taken to the source website. That's all for now, until the next blog post!
References:
National Park Service. https://www.nps.gov
Center for Biological Diversity. https://biologicaldiversity.org
.jpg)
Great article!
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteThey are all so cute! I hope we can bring the jaguar habitat back!
ReplyDelete