Desert

Brachypelma smithi
 * Jiyun Kim **
 * Invertebrate Fauna **
 * Scientific name: **

Mexican Red-kneed Tarantula
 * Common name:**

Mexican Red-kneed Tarantulas undergo three major stages in their lifetime. First stage, known as Ecdysis, is perhaps the most important time for the tarantulas. They have to shed exoskeleton (exterior skeleton) regularly in order to grow and fully mature. Young tarantulas go through molting, or the act of shedding their exoskeleton, several times during maturation process. Typically, older tarantulas molt only once a year or less. After Ecdysis, Mexican Red-kneed Tarantulas go through reproduction. When male tarantulas are mature and ready to mate, they weave a web mat on a flat surface and rub their abdomens on the surface of the mat. By doing so, they release semen. They insert their pedipalps (appendages) into the semen. Then they find suitable partners to insert their pedipalps into the opening in the lower surface of the female abdomen. The male tarantulas must leave right after, or else they will be eaten. Food: ** Mexican Red-kneed Tarantulas prey on insects, rodents, and birds. Three interesting facts: ** 1. Tarantulas’ bite is not as dangerous as other people may think. It’s no more worse than a bee sting. 2. Their hairs are designed to irritate; they can be lethal to small animals and cause rashes among humans. 3. Their legs can smell, taste, and feel.
 * Life/reproductive cycle:**

Fallugia paradoxa Apache Plume
 * Flora **
 * Scientific name: **
 * Common name: **

The flowers of Apache Plume bloom April through June. It normally grows four to six feet tall. It spreads stems from underground for survival. Like all plants, Apache Plume depends on water, soil, and ideal weather (heat, in this case) for growth. It, however, is drought-tolerant and can grow without much water. 1. The native people used the stems to create brooms and arrow shafts. 2. The leaves were used to make a tea that prevented hair loss. 3. The seeds are eaten by birds and small animals.
 * Life/reproductive cycle:**
 * Food: **
 * Three interesting facts: **

genus Microdipodops
 * Vertebrate **
 * Scientific name: **

Kangaroo Mouse
 * Common name:**

The breeding season starts from January to May. Male Kangaroo mice drum their feet while competing with their rivals for the right to mate with a mature female Kangaroo mouse. Female Kangaroo mice have more than one breeding cycle per year—they have an average of three breeding cycles in each season. Pregnancy lasts 30 to 55 days. Females can breed three days after giving birth. Usually born around May and June, young are able to breed two to three weeks after birth. Kangaroo mice feed on insects and carrion. Interestingly, they never drink water.
 * Life/reproductive cycle:**
 * Food: **

1. Kangaroo mice are nocturnal. 2. They are known for their jumping ability. 3. Their predators include owls, foxes, and badgers.
 * Three interesting facts:**

Jasmin Izzard Meerkat __(Suricata suricatta)__

> lizards, small rodents and scorpions > that they have either dug or  inhabited from a previous > animal. > weeks. The litter size  varies but usually is between 2 - 6 > pups.  >
 * M  eerkats eat mostly insects, but will also feed on
 *  M eerkats live in complex underground tunnel systems 
 * The pregnancy period lays of the m  eerkat is about 11




 * The Mojave Aster grows in the Sonoran, Great Basin and Mojave deserts of southeastern California. It tends to grow in creosote scrub growths on rocky slopes, in canyons or dry, flat areas at about 2,000 to 5,500 feet.
 * The Mojave aster is a member of the sunflower family


 * Mojave Rattlesnake**

jasmin izzard
 * This is one of the most dangerous of rattlesnakes in the Mojave Desert.
 * Its venoms, they feed primarily on small rodents
 * Adults range from 2-4 feet in length
 * Never will it run when trouble comes

Introduction Desert: desert covers 1/5 of the surfaces on earth.john augustine Barrel Cactus, Ferocactus,Wislizeni

The Barrel cactus can be easily distinguished from other cacti because of it cylinder-shaped body. The cactus usually reaches from around five to eleven feet tall, and at that height it is one of the largest cacti in the North American deserts.(JA)

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||  ||   || <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Georgia;">The nostrils of the Armadillo Lizard are formed into little tubes. The tubes help the Armadillo Lizards smell for food or predators. (JA) ||


 * __MIKE SIMMS__**

The brittlebushis a common plant of the Mojave and Sonoron deserts. It is a small deciduous shrub which grows as a low, roundish mound 2 to 5 feet high. Brittle branches sprout from a woody trunk. The leaves have serrated edges, and are broader at the base than at the tip. They are about 1 to 4 inches long. The leaves are covered with a thick mat of short hairs giving a gray-green appearance.
 * Common Names:** Incienso, White brittle bush



The average bobcat weighs 15 to 20 pounds, and is 2 feet tall and 3 to 4 feet long. The bobcat looks pretty much like a regular cat except bigger. One of the most common places is the southwest desert. They like it there the most because of the bushy, and rocky terrain. The bobcat's diet consist of rabbits, squirrels, mice, gophers,rats, and fish. They're good at catching all their prey because of their hunting ability. <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Georgia;">The bobcat's diet consist of rabbits, squirrels, mice, gophers,rats, and fish. They're good at catching all their prey because of their hunting ability. <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Georgia;">A bobcat's mating is a lot like a regular house cat's mating. That's one similarity that they have. Bobcats will have one litter of kittens a year. A litter of bobcats consists of 2 to 3 kittens. When food is scarce, a bobcat will not have a litter at all. = =
 * Common Names**: Bobcat