Joshua Tree National Park

Wildlife of Joshua Tree

For many visitors, the Joshua trees are not only the essence but the whole of their park experience. Joshua Tree National Park, however, is much more than a tableau of twisted yucca and beckons the explorer with a diversity of desert environments, including sand dunes, native palm oases, cactus gardens and jumbles of jumbo granite.

Joshua Tree—High Desert Woodland

Probably the most distinctive of the Mojave Desert communities, the Joshua tree woodland is found at altitudes from 2,500 to 4,500 feet, on well-drained desert slopes. The Joshua tree woodland can be found In northwest end of Joshua Tree NP near Yucca Valley..

The Joshua tree provides shelter for a number of small desert animals, particularly rodents, such as the kangaroo rat, desert wood rat, and ground squirrel. Birds, including the pinyon jay, loggerhead shrike and Scott’s oriole, make their nests in the gnarled branches. Reptiles inhabiting the community include the chuckwalla, desert night lizard and desert tortoise. The yucca moth enjoys a symbiotic relationship with the Joshua tree. The moth fertilizes the trees’ flowers by transporting pollen from stamen to pistil; some of the germinated seeds then serve as food for the moth larvae.

Creosote Bush—Low Desert Scrub

This drought-tolerant community is the most common in the Mojave, found primarily in the low, dry valleys at less than 2,000 or 3,000 feet in elevation. A particularly good example thrives in Wildhorse Canyon, near Hole-in-the-Wall. Most of the creosote bush community consists of widely spaced shrubs which grow three to six feet tall.

Some of the animals that inhabit this community are small, nocturnal rodents and are rarely seen by desert visitors. Instead, the presence of the animals—ground squirrel, jackrabbit, kangaroo rat, and pocket mouse—is indicated by their tracks.

More easily observed species include several birds: the roadrunner, Costa’s hummingbird, common raven, cactus wren, black-throated sparrow. Others that might be seen are the zebra-tailed lizard, iguana, and the desert tortoise.

Snakes

The Mojave Desert sidewinder’s means of locomotion is unique to say the least. Unlike snakes that use their bottom scales to crawl along, the sidewinder tosses its head forward; then, using its head as an anchor, it pulls the rest of itself along. This style of travel is particularly effective in sandy areas.

The poisonous Mojave rattlesnake is regarded as one of the most dangerous rattlers in the Mojave Desert. It generally inhabits the creosote bush community at an elevation of 2,000 to 4,000 feet. With coloring ranging from green-gray to yellowish hues, and with white-edged diamond shapes along its back, the Mojave rattlesnake resembles the diamondback rattlesnake.