Animals In The Desert That Eat Cactus

The Cactus Wren needs very little water and can obtain much or all of its water from the food it eats.

Animals in the desert that eat cactus. Youll identify these rodents with their long tails of about 8. Desert Cottontail Sylvilagus audubonii eating cacti Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge New Mexico USA A Cactus Wren Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus perches in a tree in the desert in Lost Dutchman State Park in Arizona. Insects such as bees and butterflies drink the nectar of the cactus flower.

These are big teeth marks Bamberg. The plants are adapted to live in extremely dry desert climates and store large quantities of water in their stems. The carnivorous American Dippers which may appear at streams issuing from the mountains into the desert during the winter months feed on aquatic animal life at the bottom of the rushing waters.

During drought animals will often go for the most common type of cactus prickly pear. Cacti singular cactus are a class of plants that grow in desert regions. Usually the wrens will build nests in the prickly spines of a cactus such as a cholla see picture at right.

Many small animals such as bats and mice eat cactus in the dessert. Reptiles eat cacti and their flowers. Some animals that eat cactus or the cactus fruit are jackrabbits javelinas deer squirrels birds like Gila woodpeckers iguanas tortoises packrats ants mice and beetles.

Some of the animals that can eat cactus are Camels Ground Squirrel Jackrabbits Gophers Prairie dogs Galapagos Land Iguana Horses Packrats Woodpecker Eastern Cottontail Collared Peccary some cows and horses Alpaca etc. Similarly what animal eats cholla cactus. Insects are the main food of all desert animals.

A number ofinsects are parasites on these cacti. The Cactus Wren is found in arid deserts of the Southwestern United States and Mexico. Camels are often called the ships of the desertDomesticated more than 3000 years ago the animals can tote 200 pounds dozens of miles.