The Desert Isn't Dead Trivia Quiz

Answer: black-tailed jackrabbit

Jackrabbits are actually hares, which have taller hind legs and longer ears than rabbits. In the hot desert, jackrabbits get rid of excess body heat by radiating it through the many blood vessels in their large ears. If the weather cools, the ears curl a bit so there is less heat loss. Because of this, jackrabbits do not pant or sweat, which helps conserve their internal moisture.

Answer: red tailed hawk

The red-tail is a large bird, the male can have a wingspan of almost 5 feet (152 cm). They are also known as chickenhawks, although they rarely attack chickens. Usually feeding on rodents, if food is scarce they will eat insects and earthworms.

Answer: Arizona bark scorpion

It may look big in the picture but the Arizona bark scorpion gets to be only about 3.14 inches (8 cm) long. They are found in the Sonoran Desert as well as the Mojave. They have a very painful, but rarely fatal, sting, but an immediate trip to a medical center is called for to be safe. Their normal diet is small insects.

Answer: bighorn sheep

The desert bighorn sheep is Nevada's state animal. It can survive for long periods without water; that's good because water is very scarce throughout the desert. It is thought that the sheeps' ancestors crossed over the Bering land bridge from Siberia, Russia, as much as 35,000 years ago.

Answer: California quail

This guy looks like he would break a surfboard if he landed on it! Most quail are somewhat slimmer than this one. They can fly but usually prefer to run away from humans, often running to cover but chirping and giving away their location even when people get within a couple of meters of them. They are a silly bird!

Answer: kangaroo rat

Native to western North America, not Australia, kangaroo rats move about on their hind legs, much like a kangaroo. That's how they got their name, but they're not related. They like sandy soil so they can burrow easily and mostly eat seeds, which is how they get moisture.

Answer: black widow

The black widow's venom is up to 15 times more potent than that of a rattlesnake. The good news is that they inject less of it in a victim than a snake does. Their bites are not often fatal but immediate medical attention is called for to be sure. They prefer privacy and would rather live in a garage or shed than in your house.

Answer: whip tail lizard

There are many species of whip tail lizards, the largest growing to about 9 in. (23 cm). Some have tails longer than their bodies. While many desert dwellers sleep during the day, the whip tail lizards are the opposite and hunt for bugs and worms. They range throughout the desert southwest.

Answer: Western diamondback rattlesnake

Many people learned about the Western diamondback from watching western movies. They are as much a part of the old West as U.S. Marshals and gunslingers. Diamondbacks have been known to grow to 7 feet (2.15 m) in length. They are pit vipers, meaning they have heat-sensing pits behind each nostril to find prey (a heat-seeking guided missile was named after the diamondback's cousin the sidewinder).

A bite by one of these means a trip to a medical center right away because they have a very potent venom and can deliver a lot of it in one bite.

They have a warning rattle on their tail which is made of keratin, like your fingernails.

Answer: greater roadrunner

The roadrunner is related to the cuckoo; it is sometimes called the ground cuckoo. They grow to about 24 in. (62 cm). Although not as speedy as the roadrunner in the cartoons, they can move up to 20 mph (32 km/h) and get their prey by running after it. They are brave birds and will go after black widow and tarantula spiders, scorpions and small rattlesnakes as well as mice and lizards.