Arizona's Top Desert Denizens

The Sonoran and the Chihuahuan deserts, which spread across southern Arizona, are home to all kinds of creatures that love the hot, dry climate or have adapted over the years to live here. Here are a few of the more exotic critters you're likely to encounter — although not necessarily up close and personally and almost definitely not in your hotel room. Want to know more? One of the best places (aside from frat bars) to learn about local animal life is Tucson's Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, where you can view the creatures described here in their habitats — and at a safe distance.

Coyotes

The coyote — a type of wild dog roughly the size of a German shepherd — is the speedster of the canid species: It can sprint up to 40 miles per hour and cover several hundred miles in a single night. Coyotes are social, often traveling in packs, and they're domestic: They mate for life, and the pups often hang out with their folks for more than a year. In addition, the coyote is very intelligent and has a larger, more sophisticated vocabulary than that of any other type of dog, communicating through growls, whines, yips, barks, and howls, as well as such body language as tail wagging, lip curling, and mock fighting. The most distinctive of the coyote's calls — a series of barks and yelps followed by a drawn-out howl and a few short, sharp yaps — is used to gather group members together before or after a hunt. Its verbal nature has earned the coyote the name "song dog" in several Native American languages.

These animals keep to themselves during the day, so you may not see any, but you're very likely to hear them at night. And, no, coyotes don't wear bandanas.

Hummingbirds

Southern Arizona is hummingbird heaven; nowhere else in North America can you find such a wide variety — as many as 22 species. These adorable birds flit and hover, helicopter-like, around flowers — but what they're actually doing is pigging out. With the highest metabolic rate of any warm-blooded vertebrate, hummingbirds eat all day long to keep from starving.

Jackrabbits and Desert Cottontails

You're most likely to see jackrabbits and their cousins, the desert cottontails (the latter's ears are smaller, and they have cute, fluffy tails), hopping around at dawn or dusk. Both types are constant noshers; they nibble voraciously on a variety of plants, including cacti.

Javelinas

Also called collared peccaries, these animals resemble small wild boars — although they're not actually in the pig family (or related to spears, for that matter). Their closest relative is, oddly enough, the hippo. Javelinas are the desert version of raccoons: They like to root through the garbage in the more remote housing developments. Several resorts in Greater Phoenix and Tucson have resident javelina families. They're cute, but my, what big teeth they have (the better to nibble cactus, prickles, and all, my dear), so steer clear.

Lizards

Small, pinkish, and delicategeckos are notable for the round pads on their fingers and toes — helpful in climbing the walls, literally. These lizards are far more common — you may be relieved to hear — than the two-feet-long, black-and-orange-striped Gila monster.The largest native lizard in the United States, the Gila monster is the only venomous animal protected by state law. Don't be deceived by its placid, sluggish demeanor; Gila monsters can bite with a vise-like grip. Pick one up, and you may need to pry it off with a screwdriver, and then head for the nearest emergency room. Gila monsters aren't considered deadly to humans, but you don't really want to test that theory.

Quails

These chubby, plumed birds tend to cross the road together in family groups called coveys. The mother quail shepherds her babies on outings. These birds may also turn up on your dinner plate — but let's not discuss that here.

Rattlesnakes

Arizona public relations people like to point out that rattlers are present in nearly every state in the United States. However, said PR people aren't likely to mention the fact that the Southwest has more species of rattlesnakes than does any other single region in the Americas. The good news: Rattlers don't really want to tussle with you; that rattling sound means "go away." Nor do they want to waste venom on you — you're too large to kill and eat. If you do get bit, chances are 50/50 that the bite is dry (nonpoisonous). The bottom line: Watch where you step in the wild, but don't make yourself miserable with worry. You're 20 times more likely to be struck by lightning than bitten bit by a rattlesnake.

Roadrunners

You're just as likely to see one of these large (about two-feet-long), crested birds sprinting across the parking lot of your hotel room in Tucson as you are to see it running along the remote desert floor. You probably won't see on being pursued by a coyote, however, or hear one go "beep, beep." Roadrunners eat rattlesnakes whole, they prefer to run rather than fly, and they can sprint as fast as 15 miles per hour.

Scorpions

These miniature lobsters like to hang out in dark, dry spots. All varieties are nearly invisible in the dark (although they glow under ultraviolet light). If your shoes have been under your bed all night, shake them out before sticking your feet back into them. The scorpion's bite is painful, but not dangerous. Their sting is venomous, but they only sting humans in self-defense, and most species' stings just cause a painful swelling. The exception (out of the 30 species common to Arizona) is the small bark scorpion, which can cause convulsions and, occasionally, heart failure. Log on to this Website to find out about its distinguishing characteristics.

Spiders

Big, hairytarantulas are the most conspicuous of the desert spiders, but they're harmless — honest; some people even keep them as pets. The spiders you really want to give a wide berth are the much smaller, but far more poisonous black widows.A black widow spider's bite can be deadly, but, fortunately, they're not aggressive; just don't go poking your fingers in their faces or into dark corners. You can recognize the venomous females by the bright red, hourglass-shaped markings on their chests.