A lot of different mammals exist in deserts across the world, the most well-known being the camel, including the one and two hump varieties. Large cats also frequent the desert regions, including mountain lions, jaguar, cheetah and snow leopard. Smaller mammals like rabbits, raccoons, bobcats, skunk and porcupines also are found in desert regions. North American deserts are home to the black bear, prairie dogs, gray foxes, white-tailed deer and wolves. African deserts have larger mammals like zebra, hippopotamus, rhinoceros and giraffe.
The desert is home to a diverse collection of reptiles, especially snakes, including rattlesnakes, cobras, desert-horned vipers, coral snakes, copperheads and gopher snakes. Other reptiles include bullfrogs and toads, plus several species of lizards, including iguana, horned lizards and gila monsters.
Birds that are found in the desert regions usually only spend part of the year in this habitat, migrating to the wetlands for part of the year. Hawks are associated with the desert. About seven different varieties are represented, including northern harriers, sharp-shined hawks, ferruginous hawks and marsh hawks. The ostrich, a flightless bird, can survive desert conditions, as can hummingbirds pelicans and storks.
As minimal water exists in the desert, few fish species reside in these regions. The desert pupfish is the only known desert fish. The kanab ambersnail, also known as the kas, is an endangered species of snail, which is a hermaphroditic breeder. The kanab ambersnail is part of a protection and repopulation program.
The desert is home to the revered fire ant, the red imported fire ant, as well as two other species of ant: harvester ants and velvet ants. Spiders adapt well to desert conditions. Large wolf spiders and tarantulas are found in the desert, as well as smaller varieties, such as the black widow spider and the brown recluse spider. Other insects of the desert include varieties of moths, butterflies and various flying insects.
