I had believed that deserts had little greenery. Additionally, herbivores that live in the desert may have issues with the heat, water availability, and sand.
We consequently believed that only a few desert animals could survive in such circumstances. The reality, however, is quite the contrary.
The desert is home to a large population of herbivores. Antelope squirrels, kangaroo rats, desert tortoises, jerboas, and many more animals are examples of desert herbivores.
Let’s learn more about these fascinating herbivores in the desert now.
1. White-tailed Antelope Squirrel
The white-tailed Antelope Squirrel is the first herbivore on our list of desert animals. These small desert animals are active during the day.
They store food in case of calamities when searching for it. These squirrels are found in the desert regions of California and the Mexican border.
The habitats of the desert wash, desert riparian zone, and desert succulent shrubs are more typical with white-tailed antelope squirrels.
White-tailed antelope squirrels eat a variety of foods, including some meat. However, depending on the season, 60% of their diets consist of greens, seeds, fruits, or nuts.
Arthropods, carrion, and insects are other foods these herbivores eat in the desert. The cheek pouches of white-tailed antelope squirrels are where they store their surplus food.
2. Kangaroo Rat
Kangaroo rats have a characteristic in common with kangaroos despite their appearance as regular mice. Though not on their stomachs, they have pouches.
Kangaroo rats have pouches on their cheeks to store more food. These desert herbivores have big hind legs to replicate the kangaroo’s vertical jump.
Kangaroo rats can flee from their predators by jumping. They can also be found in the United States, most notably in the arid southwest and west.
Although they live in dry locations, Kangaroo rats get access to a wide array of desert plants. Mesquite beans, seeds, and greens comprise most of the kangaroo rat’s diet.
3. Black Tailed Deer
Long ears and a tail with a black hue are characteristics of black-tailed jackrabbits. These herbivores that live in the desert can endure in a dry area despite having so much fur covering their body.
They are frequently encountered all around the country. However, black-tailed jackrabbit sightings are uncommon in areas with high elevations.
These rabbits remain in grassy areas, nascent woods, and desert plants.
Black-tailed jackrabbits are solely herbivores, unlike the other desert herbivores described. These rabbits favor eating forbs and grasses.
However, if forced to, black-tailed jackrabbits will consume any greens.
The season also impacts the diets of black-tailed jackrabbits. Although they occasionally eat herbs, they mostly eat bushes.
Surprisingly, these herbivores that live in the desert do not depend substantially on water, given their arid environment.
Although black-tailed jackrabbits rarely drink water, they will if they come across a watering hole.
4. Desert Cottontail
Desert cottontail rabbits can also be found in Sacramento Valley, although only at higher altitudes.
They are more unique from their jackrabbit cousins since they are widespread throughout the region.
Due to their rapid reproduction, they are also a favorite meal for many predators, including hawks, foxes, and weasels.
Although desert cottontails also only eat plants, they eat more than just grasses. Desert cottontails consume bushes, twigs, fallen fruits, trees, sensitive bark, acorns, and forbs.
Desert cottontails do not migrate despite the varying seasons and do not have a set schedule of activities.
While some rabbits are diurnal and active only during the day, others are active at night. The nocturnal animals spent most of their time in the shadows.
5. Desert Bighorn Sheep
Large desert animals are known as desert bighorn sheep. Even though they are animals that consume plants, they are quite frightening to look at.
These desert herbivores can be found in Mexico’s northwest and the west and southwest of the United States.
These sheep are nearly the same size as a mule deer, with big bodies and stocky build. Bighorn sheep from the desert can weigh up to 280 pounds.
Their ramming horns, which are curled, add to their menacing appearance.
Desert bighorn sheep have unusual concave elastic hooves that help them walk up steep, rocky hillsides.
Due to their ability to comfortably fluctuate in body temperature, they can even exist in the desert.
Desert bighorn sheep love cooling themselves in the shade when the temperature is at its highest.
Desert sheep prefer nibbling on grasses, sedges, and clover as far as their nutrition is concerned.
6. Small Desert Jerboa
The smallest herbivores that live in the desert on our list is possibly a little desert jerboa.
Hopping rodents like these little desert dwellers can be found in the deserts of North Africa and Asia. They are cute creatures that are occasionally mistaken for mice.
Small desert jerboas, however, have extraordinarily large ears and tails. These jerboas can jump like kangaroos, like their relatives, the kangaroo rats. Their well-adapted legs are to blame.
Small desert jerboas devour insects and green plants. In drought or dry plants, they consume the plant’s root, which holds most of the moisture.
Additionally, they don’t water and get their water from plants and insects. Small desert jerboas can survive in deserts because their bodies can maintain a comfortable temperature.
These rodents conceal themselves in their burrows to avoid the heat and predators. They then spend most of the day napping and cooling off.
7. Mouflon
The mouflon is another species of sheep on our list of herbivores that live in the desert. Interestingly, this breed is referred to as the parent of all contemporary domesticated sheep.
Mouflons are found in Armenia, eastern Turkey, Iran, and Azerbaijan. Mouflons, particularly those from Laristan, are mainly found in desert reserves near southern Iran.
With dark back stripes, mouflons have reddish to dark brown coats. Although some female mouflons have horns, they typically only grow in males. Their horns have an almost round curvature.
Mouflons are still regarded as wild animals that can only be hunted by those with a hunting license.
They are under conservatorship to preserve their population. Regarding nutrition, mouflons enjoy grass grazing but occasionally consume shrubs and trees.
8. Dorcus Gazelle
Ariel gazelles, also referred to as dorcas gazelles, are elegant herbivores that live in the desert. Only about 40,000 of these wild creatures are left, and they are considered fragile.
The deserts of Northern Africa and Arabia are just two of the many habitats where they can be found.
Mountain and dorcus gazelles are related, although the former has longer ears and stronger horns.
Dorcas gazelles can survive without drinking water due to their adaptation to life in the desert. They consume plants that keep them hydrated, just like the other herbivores on our list.
Dorcas gazelles mostly eat leaves, flowers, twigs, bush fruits, and acacia pods as part of their diet.
They can stand on just their rear legs and stretch out for trees. When threatened, Dorcas gazelles leap with bouncing motions, their heads held high.
9. Desert Tortoise
The most thrilling creature to see in a desert is the desert tortoise. The tortoise is typically thought of as a water creature.
This reptile is indigenous to the Mojave, Sonoran, and Sinaloan thorn scrub deserts. Desert tortoises have a low reproduction rate despite having a lifespan of up to 80 years.
The desert tortoise spends its daylight hours in burrows, pallets, and rock shelters to control its body temperature. As a result, the tortoise loses less water.
The desert tortoise’s diet consists mainly of grass. However, it occasionally consumes fruits, young cacti, plants, wildflowers, and herbs.
These herbivores that live in the desert consume greens, which provide them with water needs.
When it rains, it will begin drinking hurriedly in any water puddle. To aid the desert tortoise in eliminating solid urates.
10. Gambel’s quails
Gambel’s quails, the solitary bird on our list, are chubby, short-necked birds found in the deserts of California, New Mexico, Arizona, and Colorado.
On their heads, they have a characteristic topknot that is fuller on the males. Cream, chestnut, and grey make up the vibrant color pattern of Gambel’s quails.
When searching for food, quails prefer to eat grasses and cacti fruits. Medium-sized predators, including coyotes, bobcats, and snakes, mainly prey on these birds.
Gambel’s quails use no self-defense mechanism. These desert herbivores rely heavily on hiding within their foliage.
11. Camel
The most well-known herbivores that live in the desert are undoubtedly camels. These beasts with humps have been domesticated and used as cattle for thousands of years.
Since they are real herbivores, camels typically eat oats, grains, grass, twigs, and cacti. These resilient animals will occasionally go days without eating.
No other animal is as well-adapted to such extreme desert circumstances as these critters. Amazingly, they can go six to seven months without drinking water.
12. Iguana-like Chuckwalla
The second-largest lizard species in America is the chuckwalla. This lizard belongs to the iguana family and is found in the deserts of the American Southwest.
With a maximum length of 16.5 inches, the chuckwalla is the second-largest American lizard behind the Gila monster.
The chuckwalla has loose skin folds across the neck and shoulders and a potbellied look.
As a youngster, the chuckwalla may consume a few insects, but it only consumes plants beyond its first year of life.
The chuckwalla eats desert wildflowers, leaves, and fruits and gets its water from the vegetation it consumes.
When startled, the chuckwalla flees into a rocky fissure and inflates its body to wedge between the stones, making it tough to remove.
13. Desert Tortoise
The desert tortoise is ending our list of herbivores that live in the desert. It avoids the intense heat of the desert summer by spending the daytime hours in an underground burrow.
This reptile will hibernate during the winter, with many beginning as early as September.
These desert herbivores feed on the grass in the early morning and again in the late afternoon.
A desert tortoise can grow up to 14.5 inches long. Because of its short, stubby legs and domed shell, it resembles an elephant.
The creosote bush, cacti, and other thorny vegetation that the desert tortoise needs to survive will be nearby where it will live.
