Knowledge 8 Lesson 3 Animals of the Sonoran Desert

hi boys and girls welcome back to another knowledge eighth lesson today is lesson three where we are going to learn about animals of the Sonoran Desert habitat as always let's hear those words that we're going to find in our story the first word is camouflage camouflage means to blend in with surroundings an example of this the green color of leaf insects hopes to camouflage them in the forest our next word carnivore an animal that eats only other animals polar bear is carnivore that eats seal and fish herbivores is our next word animals that eat only plants my pet rabbits are herbivores and eat only plants omnivore is our next word an animal that eats both plants and other animals grizzly bear is an omnivore that eats fish as well as berries and our last word to listen for is scavengers animals that eat meat and waste left by other animals an example those rats are quite the scavengers they eat all the leftovers in the alley remember what we know so far habitat for whether plant and animal or us humans needs to have food water and shelter and what have we learned so far about habitats yesterday we learned about the Arctic tundra and the Arctic Ocean we learned that the climate is cold and windy we learned about the in the Arctic tundra there's some water in spring and summer for melted ice are drinking and loads of salt water in the ocean that the animals can't drink we learned about the ground and that in the winter there's ice and it's frozen and in the summer it's wet muddy with some ice the ocean has chunks of ice floating in the salt water we learned about the plants that are moss and grasses on the tundra we learned about plenty of animals in the Arctic habitats musk oxen Wolverines caribou arctic foxes Arctic hares walruses seals and polar bears and we learned about many adaptations that those animals have heavy fur for coloring that change unique beat characteristics the hooves large paws and blubber that fact that keeps those animals warm today boys and girls we are going to be learning about habitat called desert and about some of the animals that live in the desert the temperature found in desert is almost exactly the opposite of that found in the Arctic the Arctic is very cold for as deserts are usually very hot the Arctic is wet and muddy in the summer whereas the desert is very dry and Sandy are you ready let's get started deserts are located in many different regions in the world but today we are going to hear about particular desert that is located in the northwestern part of Mexico and the south western part of the united states and parts of the states of Arizona and California this particular desert is called the Sonoran desert listen carefully to find out more about the Sonoran Desert and how animals have adapted to living there let's go on our adventure after nearly freezing and almost becoming polar bear snack in the Arctic thought we should go someplace where my whiskers and tail to thaw out and warm up so brought you to the desert there are many deserts all over the world you know you're in desert when it doesn't rain very much many deserts can also be very hot because it's so hot and dry only certain types of plants and animals can live there welcome to the Sonoran Desert in the southwestern part of the United States and the northwestern part of Mexico the temperature is quite hot during the day and it doesn't rain very much the heat and lack of rain make it hard for some plants and animals to live in the desert they must all be specially adapted to live in the hot weather and survive with very little rain how do they do it some plants can save and store water inside their plant parts when it does rain other plants grow only in shady areas near mountains or rocks because there are very few plants that can be used as shelter the animals that have adapted to living in the desert often seek shelter underground and make their homes under the sand living underground whoops and stay cool when it gets hot and it keeps them hidden from other animals that may want to eat them for lunch ouch what did walk into haha here is one plant that lives in this in the one desert the saguaro cactus it's the world's largest cactus cat don't have leaves they have prickly spines instead which is exactly why it hurts so much to touch this one the incredible Saguaro lives for up to 200 years and in that time can grow as high as house and can weigh as much several cars the most amazing thing about the Saguaro is that it is habitat in itself that's right not only does it manage to live and thrive in the desert habitat but just by being there it provides food water and shelter to many different animals let me get my climbing gear out and some gloves to protect me from those sharp spines and I'll meet you at the top you already know that it hardly ever rings in the desert but when it does the saguaro cactus saves and stores huge quantities of water in its roots and stems the cactus saves the extra water and uses it to survive during those times when it is very dry and does not rain in the spring white flowers grow on the Saguaro at night when the desert cools down these flowers open up to show sweet nectar which butterflies bats and birds feed on before the flower close the next day when it's once again becomes very hot in the summer red fruit begins to grow on the Saguaro many animals eat the fruit of the cactus here is an interesting bird called Gila woodpecker the Gila pecks holes in the soft cactus with its feet to make nest for its eggs the Gila woodpecker is an omnivore an omnivore is an animal that eats plants as well as other animals heelas feed on cactus fruit and berries as well as insects that have invaded the Saguaro thankfully brought sandwich so won't have to join these huge for buggy lunch it really is way too hot for regular rat like me to live here I'm glad brought my fan with me interestingly enough birds like this Gila woodpecker can live in the desert habitat because their feathers help protect them from the Hot Desert Sun by trapping cool air next to their skin still most birds only go out to feed in the early morning or evening when it's cooler outside from noon to late afternoon many of these birds seek shelter in the holes that they have dug in cactus or other shady places here's another bird that makes its home in the saguaro cactus the elf owl the elf owl the world's smallest owl is only five inches long that's just little bit bigger than one of your hands it moves into nests that have been abandoned by Gila woodpeckers when something isn't banding that means that it has been left for good the elf owl like most house is nocturnal which means that it rests during the day and wakes at night to hunt for food the elf owl is also carnivore carnivore is an animal that eats only other animals no plants it uses its large eyes to hunt in the dark night for bugs that live in the desert most owls eat mice and I'm sad to say rats but think I'm safe from the elf owl because I'm bigger than he is look here comes desert Cottontail rabbit another animal that lives in the Sonoran desert the desert Cottontail looks little like the arctic air we saw in the tundra but it has large ears and longer back legs desert Cottontail rabbits are herbivores herbivores are animals that eat only plants no animals the desert Cottontail eats grass and even cacti smaller animals like the desert Cottontail always need to watch out for larger animals in the desert that might eat them many animals and plants are part of cycle called the food chain you will learn more about the food chain in the next story coyotes for instance like to eat rabbit in fact there's coyote coming this way so let's stay up here and watch it coyotes are found all over the United States including the Sonoran Desert as you can see the coyote has light tan coat coat to help reflect the sun's rays and to camouflage it to camouflage something means to make it blend in with its surroundings the color of the Coyotes ferb blends in with the color of the desert sand so it is difficult for other animals to see the coyote in the desert background coyotes are carnivores like the elf owls coyotes have very good senses of smell hearing and vision and they can run very fast which means they are excellent hunters they are also scavengers scavengers are animals that eat meat and waste left by other animals coyotes live in dens which they make by burrowing into the ground think this one has smelled something because he's just run off now I'm getting down from this cactus before another coyote comes along to make me its dinner it seems like rats are on the menu everywhere go boys and girls wonder where we are going to go next time to learn about animals and their habitats come back tomorrow and we will find out have wonderful day enjoy the activities your teachers have planned for you