COLD DESERTS
The main form of precipitation in a cold
desert is snow -- but only ten inches or less of snow per year.
Great Basin ~ Cold Desert
Location: Western United States (Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, and Utah)
Physical: Covered by sand, gravel, and clay. Many moutains ranges, basins, and large expanses of salt flats.
Plants: greasewood, sagebrush, shadscale
Animals: bighorn sheep, jackrabbit, pocket mouse, poor-will, pronghorn antelope, sage thrasher, side-blotched lizard
HOT DESERTS
The main form of precipitation in a hot desert is rain -- but only only ten inches or less of rain per year.
Mojave ~ Hot Desert
Location: Southwestern United States (Arizona, California, Nevada)
Physical: Covered by sandy soil, gravelly pavement, and salt flats.
Plants: creosote bush, desert sand verbena, joshua tree, mesquite
Animals: bighorn sheep, chuckwalla, coyote, jackrabbit, sidewinder, zebra-tailed lizard
Sonoran ~ Hot Desert ~
Sonoran Desert
Location: Southwestern United States (Arizona, California) and parts of Mexico (Baja Peninsula, Sonora)
Physical: Covered by sand, soil, and gravelly pavement. Gets more rain than any other North American desert.
Plants: agave, coulter's globemallow, creosote bush, desert mariposa lily, mesquite, ocotillo, paloverde, saguaro
Animals: coati, elf owl, gila monster, kangaroo rat, pack rat, roadrunner, sidewinder, tarantula
Chihuahuan ~ Hot Desert
Location: North Central Mexico and Southwestern United States
(Arizona, New Mexico, Texas)
Physical: High plateau covered by stony areas and sandy soil.
Many mountains and mesas.
Plants: cacti, chihuahuan flax, creosote bush, lechuguilla, mesquite, mexican gold poppy
Animals: coyote, diamondback rattlesnake, javelina, kangaroo rat, roadrunner