Geographers have divided the deserts of California into two different categories. The high desert region is called the Mojave Desert. The Colorado Desert covers the lower desert regions. Both deserts contain a number of fascinating animals.
Human residents of the deserts in California confess to having a strong interest in one of those desert animals. The desert tortoise has been described as the "most beloved animal of the desert." That is good news for the desert tortoise, as that slow creature has been placed on the list of endangered species.
Respect, rather than love, swells in the heart of the desert dweller that happens to spot the most magnificent four-legged animal of the desert. That is the bighorn sheep. The bighorn sheep bounds along on the deserts' rugged rocks and then looks down on the flora that dots the deserts in California.
Perhaps the best studied of the animals found in the deserts of California is the desert rattlesnake. Scientists have observed closely the eating habits of the rattlesnake. They also keep a close eye on the way that the rattlesnake finds shelter within the deserts in California. Some literature on the desert rattlesnake provides details on how it responds to the weather. Other literature on the noisy reptile discusses the reproductive habits of the rattlesnake.
A close examination of the literature on the desert rattlesnake points-out the changing nature of the way that business looks at the resources of the deserts in California. Whereas fifty years ago borax was an important product of the desert, today snake fans have enjoyed an acknowledgement of their value. The fangs can be colleted and used to produce an anti-venom agent.
The passage of time has also led to an increased interest in the insects of the desert. The deserts in California contain some of the world's most unique dragonflies. Today even young children can read about the beauty of those winged creatures.
Today larger numbers of Americans visit the deserts in California. The state now has two National Parks that contain parts of the California Desert. The state's newest National Park is the one over by Twenty-nine Palms, CA. The flora in that Park is probably its most distinguishing feature. That Park contains many Joshua Trees.
During one Spring season in the mid 1990's many Californians flocked to the deserts. Their journey to the deserts followed a winter of El Nino. They went to the deserts in California to see all of the wildflowers that had enjoyed renewed growth, thanks to the winter rains.