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Desert Animals of Southern ArizonaThe common, the unique, the funny-looking
Little Critters After rains, especially during the monsoon season, you can hear, and maybe see, bullfrogs. I used to live across from a University of Arizona agricultural area and the road would be littered with squished toads after the rain. Ick! Colorado River Toads are especially poisonous to dogs, who often like to chase and try to eat them. Look in the right places and you might see a red spotted toad too. Gophers are the bane of homeowners. Dirt mounds on your land are a sure sign of gopher inhabitation and ankle-twisting land mines. 
As kids, my friends and I caught many a Horny Toad (or Horned Toad) in the desert. These little guys can squirt blood from their eyes! When you're souvenir shopping, you'll find postcards of the Jackalope. Is it real or just a dressed up jackrabbit? Of particular annoyance, and expense, to mobile home owners are pack rats. If you leave your car undriven for too many months, you'll come to hate these critters, too. I've never seen a porcupine around here, but they apparently do live nearby. 
Prairie dogs, however, are abundant and often mistaken for gophers. One of my childhood friends had a raccoon in her backyard as a pet. Not a common site. Ring tailed cats and river otters are desert animals you may not see too often, outside of the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. And you don't want to get too close to either scorpions or skunks.  But if you see a desert tortoise crossing the road, stop and let him get across safely. That is, if it's safe for you to stop. Back to Top Big CrittersSome of the big critter desert animals stay more in the mountain areas: Bears, bighorn sheep, bobcats, cougars, jaguars, mountain lions, pronghorn sheep, and wolves. But some of these animals are coming down into residential areas when food gets sparse. But down in the lower lands, you might spot deer, elk, coyotes, javelina (peccary), and mule deer. We've had several up-close encounters with javelina and mule deer. Back to Top Bird CrittersThe cactus wren is the state bird, and one you'll see a lot of. They're odd in that they'll make their home in the middle of a super-spiny cholla cactus! Crazy birds! The roadrunner likes to make it's meal of freshly caught rattlesnake and scorpion. Yum! At the lakes, you'll see ducks, egrets, herons, and sandhill cranes.  We're blessed enough to have a hawk family living in a giant eucalyptus tree behind our house. They come to our dying mulberry tree to snap off twigs for the nest. Especially if you live or stay in a desert area, step outside in the morning and you'll hear mourning doves cooing and if you're here during baby season, you'll see the adorable trail of 10-12 baby quail following their parents. Pigeons and woodpeckers are pesky birds and quite plentiful. Turkey and ring neck pheasant are more often found in the open desert areas, not the inhabited city. If you see a red male cardinal, take a picture! We don't have many common colorful birds, but this is one. 
Adorable Fluffball, "Little Hoot" We also have golden eagles though I've never seen one, and Great Horned Owls. Here's the story of "Little Hoot", a baby Great Horned Owl. If you have any kind of flowers around, you'll likely see hummingbirds . We have two that hang out in the same dying mulberry tree that the hawk frequents. We watch him (her?) hunt flying bugs in the morning and evening. Back to Top Other Flying CrittersIn the summer, at the right bridges, at dusk, you can see bats flying out from underneath, or even watch them flying around certain neighborhoods. Bees are pretty prevalent. Ever hear a swarm of bees coming near, only to watch it fly right over you? Wow! We've got lots of hornets and wasps too. Lucky us. 
Butterflies and dragonflies are pretty common. We like to sit out back and watch the territorial fight between two dragonflies over our pool. Mosquitos. Ugh. Lots. And two desert "animals" I've never heard of or seen (that I know of) are the sphinx moth and tarantula hawk. Back to Top Lizard CrittersWe have lots of western fence lizards that live...yup, in and around our fence! They're also known as blue-bellies. The collared lizard looks like it's wearing a collar. Geckos often hang around our front door (eating bugs) and inside the house, too. Love 'em! You might see a chuckwalla too. A desert animal you don't want to see too close is a gila monster They bite and grind and don't let go!  Also spiny-looking, but not as dangerous, is the iguana. Back to Top Slithery Snake CrittersSnakes? We've got your harmless garter snakes and king snakes, but also the poisonous coral snake and assorted rattlesnakes Back to Top Spider CrittersDriving through the desert in the night, you might see a tarantula crossing the road. They're basically harmless, but big, fuzzy, and scary looking. The daddy longlegs is even more harmless. But take care not to cross paths with the black widow or brown recluse Back to Top Beetle & Bug CrittersSome of these desert animals aren't as fun or intersting, but you still might encounter them. Kissing bugs are part of the Assassin bug species. Even though they're called kissing bugs, don't take that as an invitation! They hurt and may swell you up like a balloon. We have tons of ants and even velvet ants which aren't ants at all, but wasps. During the summer and evenings, you'll hear the distinct buzz of cicadas. You might be unfortunate enough to run across a palo verde beetle borer. Ick. They're harmless, but big and ugly. I have two gross stories about them, but I'll spare you. 
Two bugs that are fun to watch are the praying mantis and the walking stick. Also on the gross and pesky side are ticks and termites. There are two kinds of houses in Tucson. Those with termites and those that will have them. Back to Top You'll see at least some of these desert animals while you're in Tucson, but certainly not all of them. That is why one of the top Tucson attractions you should see is the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum. You can see these cool desert animal critters up close and the creepy critters from behind glass.
Desert Animal Encounter? |
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