Strong eyes and keen hearing send the powerful legs into motion. Young are born well furred. To survive in the desert on seeds alone is a challenge few can meet. Seed metabolism produces nutrients and minimal water, enough for this conservative rodent. Large hind feet are adapted for travel over desert sand.
Cheek pouches minimize night foraging and exposure to predators.
This bird is a specialist with a body designed for desert life. Powerful legs rather than wings, serve the bird well. This small and mostly nocturnal rattlesnake moves by looping sideways in J-shaped curves, an efficient mode of travel on soft sand dunes and washes it inhabits. It waits in ambush for small rodents it detects by sight or body temperature. Stinkbug Stilting across the sand, this large black beetle freezes in a handstand pose at the slightest disturbance.