ECOSYSTEM SNAPSHOT: DESERTS

FEATURED POPULATION: ROADRUNNERS

ANIMAL FACTS - ROADRUNNERSInteresting Facts:• Roadrunners prefer walking or running.• Roadrunners are quick enough to catch and eat rattlesnakes.• Roadrunners prefer walking or running and attain speeds up to

20 miles per hour. Home: • The deserts of the Southwestern United States, Mexico, and

Central AmericaShelter: • In the winter, they find shelter in trees or rocks to avoid the cold

winds.Food:• Snakes, lizards, gophers, rats, mice, bird eggs, insects, and fruit

ROADRUNNERS: BASIC NEEDS

Basic Needs

• air• water• shelter• food

Shelter

• trees• rocks

Food

• snakes, lizards, gophers, rats, mice, bird eggs, insects, and fruit

ANIMAL FACTSAdaptations – • Roadrunners prefer to walk or run. • They have long tails for balance.• They can run up to 20 miles per hour.• Their coloration helps them blend into

their habitat to avoid predators.

THE DESERT COMMUNITY

bull snake

hawk

coyote

scorpion

jackrabbit

THE DESERT ECOSYSTEM

THE DESERT ECOSYSTEM• Plant Life – Cacti , prickly pears, Joshua Trees,

small shrubs, succulents, and low lying plants

• Climate – The temperature ranges from 20F (-6.6C) in the winter to over 110F (43C) in the summer. The desert receives less than 13 inches (32.5 cm) of rain a year. In the winter, it may snow.

• Landscape – Rocky, hard soil with some areas of sandy soils