A Natural History of the Sonoran Desert: Revised and Updated EditionSteven J. Phillips, Patricia Wentworth Comus The Sonoran Desert is one of the most wildly diverse and fascinating regions in the world. Covering southeastern California, the southern half of Arizona, most of Baja California, and much of the state of Sonora, Mexico, this vast area is home to an amazing variety of plants and animals. Its terrain varies dramatically, from parched desert lowlands to semiarid tropical forests and frigid subalpine meadows. A Natural History of the Sonoran Desert provides the most complete collection of Sonoran Desert natural history information ever compiled and is a perfect introduction to this biologically rich desert of North America. The authors—experts in many fields—begin with a general look at the region's geology, paleoecology, climate, human ecology, and biodiversity. The book then looks in depth at hundreds of plants, mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, native fishes, and invertebrates that live in the northern part of the Sonoran Desert. Throughout, the text is supplemented with anecdotes, essays, color and black-and-white photographs, maps, diagrams, and 450 finely-rendered drawings. This comprehensive, accessible natural history is written for nonscientists and will surely become an invaluable companion for nature enthusiasts, birdwatchers, hikers, students, and anyone interested in the desert Southwest. A copublication with the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum |
Contents
Sonoran Desert Natural Events Calendar | 19 |
The Deep History of the Sonoran Desert | 61 |
Desert Soils | 87 |
Human Ecology of the Sonoran Desert | 105 |
The Variety of Life that Sustains Our | 119 |
Flowering Plants of the Sonoran Desert | 153 |
Agavaceae and Nolinaceae agave and nolina families | 155 |
Aracaceae palm family | 165 |
Swallows | 417 |
Common Raven | 420 |
Verdin | 422 |
Wrens | 424 |
Blacktailed Gnatcatcher | 428 |
Mockingbirds and Thrashers | 430 |
Phainopepla | 434 |
Bells Vireo | 436 |
Aristolochiaceae pipevine family | 168 |
Asteraceae sunflower family | 170 |
Bignoniaceae bignonia family | 178 |
Brassicaceae mustard family | 179 |
Burseraceae torchwood family | 180 |
Cactaceae cactus family | 183 |
Chenopodiaceae goosefoot family | 219 |
Cucurbitaceae cucumber family | 222 |
Ephedraceae ephedra family | 224 |
Euphorbiaceae spurge family | 225 |
Fabaceae legume family | 227 |
Fouquieriaceae ocotillo family | 240 |
Krameraceae krameria family | 244 |
Liliaceae lily family | 245 |
Malvaceae mallow family | 247 |
Pedaliaceae sesame family | 249 |
Polygonaceae buckwheat family Sapindaceae soapberry family | 251 |
Scrophulariaceae snapdragon family | 254 |
Simmondsiaceae jojoba family | 256 |
Solanaceae nightshade family | 258 |
Viscaceae mistletoe family | 260 |
Zygophyllaceae caltrop family | 261 |
Desert Grasses | 265 |
Section Contents 283 A Vertebrate Looks at Arthropods | 283 |
Scorpions | 291 |
Spiders | 294 |
Tailless Whipscorpions and Sun Spiders | 304 |
Centipedes and Millipedes | 306 |
Grasshoppers | 309 |
Walkingsticks | 313 |
Termites | 316 |
Hemiptera and Homoptera | 320 |
Beetles | 324 |
Butterflies | 328 |
Moths | 333 |
Bees | 341 |
Wasps | 345 |
Ants | 349 |
Insects and the Saguaro | 353 |
Aquatic Insects of the Sonoran Desert | 357 |
Section Contents 367 The Desert Adaptations of Birds and Mammals | 367 |
Bird Accounts | 373 |
Vultures | 377 |
Hawks and Eagles | 379 |
Caracaras and Falcons | 382 |
Quail | 385 |
Marsh Birds | 387 |
Shorebirds | 389 |
Doves | 391 |
Greater Roadrunner | 394 |
Owls | 396 |
Nightjars | 400 |
Whitethroated Swift | 402 |
Hummingbirds | 404 |
Woodpeckers | 411 |
Tyrant Flycatchers | 413 |
Wood Warblers | 438 |
Tanagers | 441 |
Cardinals and Grosbeaks | 443 |
Sparrows | 447 |
Blackbirds and Orioles | 453 |
Finches | 457 |
Mammal Accounts | 459 |
Section Contents 461 473 Bats Coyotes and Foxes | 461 |
Racoons Ringtails and Coatis | 477 |
Mustelids | 480 |
Cats | 483 |
Hooved Animals | 487 |
Shrews | 492 |
Rabbits and Hares | 493 |
Ground Squirrels | 496 |
Pocket Gophers | 499 |
Kangaroo Rats and Pocket Mice | 501 |
Mice and Rats | 505 |
Section Contents | 511 |
Fishes of the Desert | 526 |
Section Contents 535 Couchs spadefoot | 535 |
Sonoran Desert toad | 536 |
Sonoran green toad | 538 |
Red spotted toad | 539 |
Canyon treefrog | 540 |
Northern casqueheaded frog | 541 |
Leopard frog | 542 |
Western box turtle | 543 |
Sonoran mud turtle | 544 |
Desert tortoise | 545 |
Western banded gecko | 548 |
Whiptails | 549 |
Gila monster | 551 |
Desert iguana | 553 |
Chuckwalla | 554 |
Common collared lizard | 555 |
Spiny lizards | 556 |
Tree lizard | 558 |
Horned lizards | 559 |
Sand lizards Western blind snake | 561 |
Rosy | 564 |
Garter snake | 565 |
Common kingsnake | 566 |
Longnose snake | 567 |
Coachwhip | 568 |
Sonoran whipsnake | 569 |
Western shovelnose snake | 570 |
Western hognose snake | 571 |
Gopher snake | 572 |
Night snake | 574 |
Lyre snake | 575 |
Arizona coral snake | 576 |
Rattlesnakes | 577 |
Afterword | 587 |
Other editions - View all
A Natural History of the Sonoran Desert Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum (Tucson, Ariz.) No preview available - 2000 |
Common terms and phrases
adult agaves animals areas arid Arizona Arizona Upland arthropods Baja California bats bees beetles birds body breeding brown buffelgrass burrows bursage butterflies cacti cactus canyons cholla color Colorado River common coyote creosote bush desertscrub DISTINGUISHING FEATURES eggs English names feed feet female flowers forage fruit Gila grasses grasshoppers grassland ground grow habitats hatch Hummingbird inches insects kangaroo rat Kenn Kaufman larvae leaves legs live lizards male mammals mate mesquite Mexico moths mountain nest North northern O’odham occurs ocotillo palo verde plants pollination populations predators prey prickly pear rain RANGE riparian rock rocky rodents saguaro scorpions season seeds shrubs snake soil Sonoran Desert Sonoran Desert region SONORAN DESERT SPECIES southern Spanish names spiders spines spring stems summer surface tail tall temperatures Thrasher trees tropical Tucson Tucson Mountains usually vegetation wasps western wings winter yellow young yucca