The Monument Valley is home to few wonderful and beautiful animals. If you take one of our riveting tours you can witness these spectacular animals in their habitats.
In the photo above, is the mountain lion or the Puma con color. If you were to visit the beautiful Monument Valley you would be able to witness these stunning creatures in their natural habitat. The mountain lion is a large cat with an elongate body, powerful limbs, small head, short face, short rounded ears, long neck and a long, round, black-tipped tail. An adult total length is from 171 to 274 cm in males, 150 to 233 cm in females; adult tail length is 53 to 81 cm; greatest length skull is 172 to 237 mm in males and 158 to 203 mm in females. Adult males weigh from about 150 to 190 pounds. Adult females weigh from about 70 to 120 pounds. The mountain lion is an athletic animal. It can climb the trees and steep rocks. It can climb tall cliffs, and run at a very high speed. Also, it is huge and yet a very sleek animal. However, these adaptations have developed because they are being forced to depend on deserted landscapes as they are looking for solitude. Another adaptation we can notice in the mountain lions other than their size is their large paws and long tail. These paws help them jump greater heights and the tail balances the act of jumping. When they jump steep edges, their tail helps to balance the body.
Another interesting animal found in the Monument Valley is the long-nose leopard lizard or the Gambelia wislizenii, located in the photo above. This lizard is relatively large ranging from 3 1/4 to 5 3/5 inches (8.3 to 14.6 cm) snout vent length, which does not include their tail. It has a large head, long nose, and a long round tail that can be longer than its body. It is closely related to the "blunt-nosed lizard" which closely resembles the long-nosed leopard lizard in body proportions, but has a conspicuously blunt snout. The long-nosed lizard is endangered because of habitat destruction. The lizard has a granular dorsal scales that can be white, cream, or gray with irregular brown or dark gray spots along its body and head. Sometimes they have dark bars across their back. One adaptation that the lizards have developed is extra thick skin so that since they are living in the desert their skin does not get dried out. Another adaptation that the lizards have developed is that their tails would break off if they are grabbed by a predator enabling the lizard to escape.
In the picture above is the red-tailed hawk or theButeo jamaicensis. who is another common animal in the Monument Valley. Red-tailed hawks are large hawks with typical Buteo proportions: very broad, rounded wings and a short, wide tail. Most Red-tailed Hawks are rich brown above and pale below, with a streaked belly and, on the wing underside, a dark bar between shoulder and wrist. The tail is usually pale below and cinnamon-red above, though in young birds it's brown and banded. Red- tailed hawks average 48 to 65 centimeters in length. Their wingspan is approximately 4 feet or 122 centimeters. There is sexual dimorphism in size: females are 25% larger than males. This kind of sexual dimorphism, where females are larger than males, is common is birds of prey. Red-tailed hawks have adapted to survive in a wide variety of habitats, climates and altitudes, from deserts to mountains to tropical rain forests. They have also adapted well to human construction. Red-tailed hawks often use telephone poles to scout for prey along roadsides. They would also use fences.
The tree sparrow is found in the Monument Valley especially in the winter and is located in the picture above. American Tree Sparrows or Passer montanus are small, round headed birds that often fluff out their feathers, making their plump bodies look even chubbier. Among sparrows, they have fairly small bills and long, thin tails. A rusty cap and rust (not black) eyeliner on a grey head, a streaked brown back, and a smooth gray to buff breast in both male and female American Tree Sparrows give an overall impression of reddish-brown and gray. A dark smudge in the center of the unstreamed breast is common. Since this bird is a seed-eater they have developed short, thick conical bills for cracking seeds which is one adaptation. These birds have also developed nail-like toes to be able to scratch the soil for food.
The picture above is a picture of a jack rabbit and it is found in the monument valley. Jackrabbits are actually hares, not rabbits. Hares are larger than rabbits, and they typically have taller hind legs and longer ears. There are three types of jack rabbits; white-tailed jackrabbits, black-tailed jackrabbits and antelope jackrabbits. All three types are located in the Monument valley but the most common one there is the white-tailed jackrabbit. Jack rabbits weigh between 2.5 and 7 kg. They are also 45 to 65 cm in length and their life span is 5-7 years. One adaptation of a jackrabbit is that they developed a layer of fur over their feet that will keep them from burning their feet on the hot desert sand. Another adaptation of the jackrabbit is their large ears. The skin of those ears are thin and full of blood vessels. When temperatures start to rise, jackrabbits can regulate the flow of blood through their ears by dilating their blood vessels. This allows heat to escape into the air around the jackrabbit, cooling it off in the process.
The animals in the Monument Valley are truly diverse. There are all kinds of diversity of life including mammals such as mountain lions, jackrabbits and coyotes, reptiles such as lizards and iguanas and there are birds such as the red-tail hawk and tree sparrows.
The animals in the Monument Valley are truly diverse. There are all kinds of diversity of life including mammals such as mountain lions, jackrabbits and coyotes, reptiles such as lizards and iguanas and there are birds such as the red-tail hawk and tree sparrows.
Sources:
http://www.historyrocket.com/evolution/adaption/Mountain-Lion-Adaptation.html
http://fieldguide.mt.gov/speciesDetail.aspx?elcode=AMAJH04010
ickr.com/9/8037/7933887964_087d550027_z.jpg- -- https://www.sdnhm.org/archive/fieldguide/herps/gamb-wis.html
http://resources.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/homework/adaptations/lizards.htm
http://www.naturephoto-cz.com/photos/mraz/long-nosed-leopard-lizard-xxx09e611.jpg- http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-tailed_Hawk/id
http://www.ehow.com/info_8651668_adaptations-redtailed-hawk.html
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/PHOTO/LARGE/red_tailed_hawk_1.jpg
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Tree_Sparrow/id
http://www.biologyjunction.com/bird_adaptations.htm
http://images.nationalgeographic.com/wpf/media-live/photos/000/006/cache/mallard-duck_619_600x450.jpg
http://animals.pawnation.com/adaptations-jackrabbits-stay-cool-desert-7542.html
http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/jackrabbit/
http://www.historyrocket.com/evolution/adaption/Mountain-Lion-Adaptation.html
http://fieldguide.mt.gov/speciesDetail.aspx?elcode=AMAJH04010
ickr.com/9/8037/7933887964_087d550027_z.jpg- -- https://www.sdnhm.org/archive/fieldguide/herps/gamb-wis.html
http://resources.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/homework/adaptations/lizards.htm
http://www.naturephoto-cz.com/photos/mraz/long-nosed-leopard-lizard-xxx09e611.jpg- http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-tailed_Hawk/id
http://www.ehow.com/info_8651668_adaptations-redtailed-hawk.html
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/PHOTO/LARGE/red_tailed_hawk_1.jpg
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Tree_Sparrow/id
http://www.biologyjunction.com/bird_adaptations.htm
http://images.nationalgeographic.com/wpf/media-live/photos/000/006/cache/mallard-duck_619_600x450.jpg
http://animals.pawnation.com/adaptations-jackrabbits-stay-cool-desert-7542.html
http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/jackrabbit/