Sonoran Desert Museum

     For the third day of our vacation, we went to the Sonoran Desert Museum outside of Tucson. It is a natural museum with large botanical gardens, and everything inside is living.

The first picture is of a deer. Deer have thin fur and little white tails.  They usually are symbols of peace. In the next picture, we have a black bear. Black bears are among the smallest species of bears. They are fuzzy and black and are easily scared. If you yell at them or see them in the woods, they will go away. In the next picture, we have a western screech owl. These creatures are very tiny and only come out at night. They love hunting fish and moths. They are also very cute. Next, we have a prairie dog. They are adorable. They have dark, tan skin and live in burrows. They live in huge families of 10-20, and one always stands watch. They are one of the few animals that can stand on two legs. In the next picture, we have a bobcat. Bobcats generally look like big house cats. They have short tails and long, pointy ears with tufts on the end, and they are very good at climbing. The next picture is of a red fox. It is curled up and taking a nap and looks very cute. Unlike dogs, foxes are long, skinny and weasel-like. Next, we have a javelina (hah-vuh-lee-nuh). They are related to wild peccaries, but they live in the desert. They have specially designed mouths so they can eat cacti without getting hurt. The cacti applies lots of nutrients and water. Next we have a coyote. If you live in the United States, you have probably seen one. They are related to dogs and are brown and gray. Next we have a river otter. These are related to sea otters like the ones in my visit to Monterey Bay Aquarium post. Except these are from freshwater lakes and streams. Next we have an underwater habitat. Can you find the two minnows in this picture? There are transparent little fish in this huge underwater habitat. Next we have some big-horned sheep. These are very, very good at climbing and live on mountains. In this exhibit, there were four. In the same exhibit, we saw a large desert iguana, that is also a picture in this collage. Next we have a beaver diving underwater. Beavers have their own language that they speak by moving their tail. Next we have a large red flower. There is a hummingbird on the stem of this flower. These hummingbirds are really cute. They are blind to any color except red, so they love red flowers. We went inside an aviary which was filled with 12 different types of hummingbirds. It was a great experience and I learned a lot.