Desert Animals – All Shapes and Sizes

Desert animals are a mystery to many people and perhaps that’s why they spark so much interest world wide. Since they are located in such unique locations few people get to see them in their natural habitat outside of programing on nature channels. The majority of the population will always want to know more about Gila monsters, the kangaroo rat and other excursion marrakech merzouga animals.

The desert Gila monster is one of the most intriguing desert animals in existence. With the ability to inject poison into their victims the Gila monster is often considered deadly, although when it comes to humans the toxins are rarely fatal. They are night time predators that typically target birds and small mammals as well as eggs.

These large lizards are generally located in the deserts located in southwest North America including Utah, Nevada, California, Arizona and New Mexico.

Oddly enough the Gila monster has even made it’s way into the medical lab recently. Their saliva has been used for test treatments for type 2 diabetes because of a similar protein makeup that the lizard shares with a hormone in the human digestive tract. It was found to help regulate insulin for longer time periods than the human hormone does.

The desert mule deer is an impressive beast that can weigh in at anywhere from 125 to over 300 pounds while standing over three feet tall. While most people think of Bambi when they hear the word deer, these desert animals are quite different from their forest roaming cousins.

Mule deer have much larger feet which allow them to dig up to two feet underground in search of water in their dry environment. They are also far less graceful than deer are normally considered. Instead of leaping through the air with great agility, they often stiffen up when scared and hop around landing on all four feet at once.

The desert kangaroo rat is far more adorable than your average city rat. With a mousier appearance and kangaroo like qualities, they are almost cute enough to pick up and cuddle. From the tip of the nose to the end of their cotton ball tipped tail they grow up to 14 inches in length.

These desert animals share their home with the Gila Monster in the Sonoran and Mojave deserts of Arizona, Nevada and California and often fall pray to the prowling lizards, coyotes, foxes and owls in the area.

Wild animals will always intrigue people of all ages from toddlers to full grown men. Curiosity is part of human nature and everybody loves to learn about the mysteries of the world around them. For generations to come our never ending search for knowledge will live on as we continue to seek out more information about space, the sea and even, desert animals.