Vertebrates and Invertebrates of the Rio Salado

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Vertebrates and Invertebrates of the Rio Salado

• Produced by Bethune Elementary Science Club Fall
  2007
• Sponsored by

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Contents

• Animal Slide
• BLACK-TAILED JACKRABBIT 3
• BOBCAT 4
• CHECKERED GARTERSNAKE 5
• COMMON KINGSNAKE 6
• COACHWHIP SNAKE 7
• COYOTE 8
• DESERT SPINY LIZARD 9
• GOPHER SNAKE 10
• JAVELINA 11
• MOJAVE RATTLESNAKE 12
• RACCOON 13
• ROCK SQUIRREL 14
• SCORPION 15
• SONORAN DESERT TOAD 16
• SONORAN MUD TURTLE 17
• TIGER WHIPTAIL LIZARD 18
• WESTERN DIAMONDBACK RATTLESNAKE 19
• WHITE-TAILED WOODRAT 20

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BLACK-TAILED JACKRABBIT Lepuscailfarnicos

• Black-tailed jackrabbit eat a great variety of
  herbs and shrubs. They sleep during the day so
  they are nocturnal. They are 18 to 25 inches long
  are buff colored peppered with black above, a
  white tail, black striped ears. They have long
  ears to hear predators and strong hind legs to
  help escape from predators.

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BOBCAT Felis Rufus

• Bobcats are white, orange, and black. They have
  big paws and sharp teeth and claws. They eat
  small rodents like gophers, wood rats, and
  rabbits. They live in desert caves in the
  mountains. The only enemy of the bobcat is humans.

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CHECKERED GARTERSNAKE Marcianus Thammophis

• Checkered gartersnakes eat amphibians, bullfrogs,
  tadpoles, insects, leeches, earth worms, rodents,
  lizards, birds and fish. They sleep near ponds
  and streams. They have a small head, skinny tail
  and are four feet long. They are black, white,
  and brown.

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COACHWHIP SNAKE Masticophis Flagellum

• The coachwhip snake eats lizards, rodents, and
  small birds. They sleep at night in grassy areas.
  They can grow between 50 and 72 inches. They have
  a black head, a tan neck, and a light brown body.
  They move quicker than any other snake.

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COMMON KINGSNAKE Lampropeltis Getula Holbrooki

• The common kingsnake eats small rodents, snakes,
  lizards, birds, their own eggs, and even turtles
  and frogs. They are striped, usually black and
  white, and can grow up to 48 inches. When
  attacked, they will roll up into a ball with
  their head in the center and smear the offender
  with musk, a strong smelling substance, and
  feces.

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COYOTE Canis Latrans

• The coyote eats rabbits, birds, and other small
  rodents. The coyote is brown and grey with a
  white belly and has fluffy ears. They have fluffy
  black tails and are aggressive when approaching
  people.

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DESERT SPINY LIZARD Genus Rhrynosoma

• The desert spiny lizard eats insects, spiders,
  moths and butterflies. They live near, and sleep
  under, rocks. They have very wide, flattened,
  toad-like bodies. Their tails are short but
  broad. If threatened, they have been known to
  squirt blood from their eyes as far as five feet.

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GOPHER SNAKE Genus Pituophis

• The gopher snake kills and eats its prey, mice
  and rats, every ten days. During the summer they
  sleep during the day, usually in communal dens.
  They grow between 36 and 96 inches, and have
  colors ranging from cream-yellow to green-gray to
  tan with large black, brown, or red spots. They
  can live up to 25 years and protect themselves
  with scales.

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JAVELINA Peccary Angulatus

• Javelinas eat roots, fruits, insects, worms and
  reptiles. They have large heads and long snouts
  with thick coats of dark or gray bristly hair and
  a band of white around their neck. They got their
  name because of their razor sharp tusks and the
  Spanish word for spear is Javelina.

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MOJAVE RATTLESNAKE Crotalus sutalus

• A mojave rattlesnake eats small rodents. They
  sleep under crevices or under burrows when it is
  hot outside. They have a white body with black
  patterns on their backs. They hibernate during
  winter and can live for up to two years.

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RACCOON Procyon lotor

• The raccoon eats a variety of things ranging from
  berries to small snakes. Raccoons live in large
  rodent burrows, caves or abandoned mines.
  Typically, they are two to three feet long, weigh
  fifteen to twenty pounds, and are distinguished
  by their bear-like shape, black and white color,
  masked face and bushy ringed tail. Their tails
  serve as a fat reserve during winter and as a
  balance when climbing.

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ROCK SQUIRREL Spermophilus Variegatus

• The rock squirrel eats seeds, insects,
  mosquitoes, beans, fruits, small birds and eggs.
  They sleep in their burrows. They are grayish
  black or brown. They have large teeth and weigh
  only 1.5 pounds.

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SCORPION Hadrurus Arizonensis Pallidus

• Scorpions eat insects like spiders, centipedes
  and even other scorpions. They are nocturnal
  which means that they sleep during the daytime
  and are awake at night. They have six legs and a
  poisonous tail that can be lethal if stung. They
  have big sharp claws.

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SONORAN DESERT TOAD Bojo Alavarices

• The sonoran desert toad eats rodents, insects,
  and reptiles. They live in puddles. They are only
  four inches and are fat and bulgy. They have a
  lot of bumps and are slimy.

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SONORAN MUD TURTLE Kinosternon sonoriense

• The sonoran mud turtle is usually found near
  springs, ponds, intermittent streams or creeks.
  They are active year round, although they may not
  feed in colder months. They feed mostly on
  insects, snails, fish and frogs, though they will
  eat plant matter in a pinch. Nesting occurs
  between May and September, with egg batches
  ranging from one to eleven eggs.

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TIGER WHIPTAIL LIZARD Chemidophotos

• Tiger whiptail lizards eat scorpions, spiders,
  and small insects. They mainly live in the
  Southwestern United States and Northwestern
  Mexico. They sleep in yucca bushes and mesquite
  trees. They are striped and have scales. They use
  their sharp claws to run fast.

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WESTERN DIAMONDBACK RATTLESNAKE Crotelus Atrox

• The western diamondback rattlesnake eats pocket
  mice, prairie dogs, and fox squirrels. They
  hibernate in caves or burrows sometimes with many
  other species of snakes. They sleep during the
  day. They have brown diamonds on their backs and
  adults can grow up to 120cm in length. They can
  live for as long as two years in the wild without
  food.

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WHITE-TAILED WOODRAT Neotoma Albigula

• Woodrats eat spiny cactus, yucca pods, bark,
  berries, nuts and seeds. They live at the base of
  prickly pear or cholla cactus. They are
  nocturnal. They range between 11 and 16 inches
  and are brownish grey or grey with white feet and
  tails.