10 Fun Facts about Critters of Arizona

In  Alex Troutman’s Critters of Arizona, 63 critters of the Grand Canyon State are showcased with a professional-quality photograph paired with important-to-know information on Arizona’s mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians. Each species has a “Did You Know?” paragraph that provides fascinating trivia. Here are 10 fun facts about Critters of Arizona. 

1. The elf owl is the world’s smallest raptor and owl! They are about the size of a juice box or a sparrow. When caught by predators, they will play dead until the coast is clear. 

2. Horned lizards are named for the crown of horns on their head. Although sometimes called horned toad, horned frog, or horny toad, they are not amphibians but reptiles. When threatened, horned lizards will inflate themselves with air to look larger. If this technique doesn’t work, they can spray blood from the corners of their eyes, confusing predators and allowing them to escape.

3. Female bears weigh between 90 and 300 pounds and are smaller than the average adult human male in the US. But don’t let their small size fool you; with a bite force of around 800 pounds per square inch (PSI) and a swiping force of over 400 pounds, these bears are not to be taken lightly.

4. Badgers are solitary animals, but they will sometimes hunt with coyotes in a team. A coyote will chase prey into the badger’s den, and the badger will chase or dig out the prey that coyotes like. The badger’s den has one entrance with a pile of dirt next to it. When a badger is threatened, it will back into its burrow and show its teeth.

5. The western tiger salamander can grow up to 14 inches long and and live over 20 years! Western tiger salamanders migrate to their birthplace to breed. Tiger salamanders have a hidden weapon! They produce a poisonous toxin that is secreted or released from two glands in their tail. This toxin makes them taste bad to predators and allows them to escape.

6. Desert shrews have glands that produce a musky odor that they use to signal when they are ready to mate and claim a territory. Like bats and dolphins, desert shrews use echolocation to find food.

7. Mountain lions are the second-largest cat in the western part of the world. The largest is the jaguar. Mountain lions do not roar like other big cats, but rather they scream! They also make other sounds similar to pet cats, like hissing and purring. Mountain lions can jump as high as 18 feet off the ground into a tree.

8. The Gila monster is the largest lizard native to the US. It is a member of the Helodermatidae family, the only family of venomous lizards in the world. The Gila monster can eat a third of its body weight in one sitting. There is a medicine that helps manage diabetes that is based on the protein that is found in the saliva (spit) of the Gila monster; the medicine is sometimes called lizard spit.

9. When threatened, the western banded gecko will freeze and mimic a scorpion by holding its tail above its body and moving it side to side; if that doesn’t work, it will detach its tail and run away, leaving the predator to go after its flopping tail. The tail has storage areas for fat and water that can be used when food is scarce.

10. The red-tailed hawk is the most abundant hawk in North America. The red-tailed hawk’s scream is the sound effect that you hear when soaring eagles are shown in movies. Eagles do not screech like hawks, so filmmakers use hawk calls instead! Red-tailed hawks can’t move their eyes, so they have to move their entire head in order to get a better view around them.

If you enjoyed this post, sign up for our newsletter. Order your copy of the book HERE. #bewellbeoutdoors