Life In The Desert - North America (1950)

[Music] this is the desert big dry hot at first look it appears to be a place of thirst and death but this cactus is alive and growing it thrives in the desert planet so order this night loving kangaroo wrapped and this young great horned owl and this oka teal actually the Desert teems with life and beauty for there are many animals and plants which are adapted to the harsh desert conditions but just what conditions do these animals and plants have to stand well there's heat so hot that the colored lizard must find shade and so must the Linnet the cunning kit pack stops its hunting and waits for evening they must and wind choking dust and the blast of Gale driven sand bitter cold at night and long hot dry windy days one after another without rain day after day without water what causes the desert to be so dry here time-lapse photography shows how rain clouds approaching the desert are dissolved by rising air currents most of their moisture is spilled on the slopes of surrounding mountain ranges which are effective rain cloud barriers then to evaporation and absorption of water is very rapid in the burning desert sands so that streams literally disappear water holes dry up and the mud cracks in the Sun because water is so scarce in the desert plants and animals must in some way conform become adapted in order to survive it these barrel cacti have spongy cores in which they store the infrequent rain water when it does come the desert tortoise has water storage capacity within this evaporation proof shell like many other desert animals it also has the ability to extract water from the food it eats and store that water within its own body some plants shed their leaves in the driest weather this prevents loss of the water that would otherwise escape through the leaves many desert animals move about only in the cool of the night when humidity is highest and thus minimize evaporation of body moisture but sometimes the desert overcomes its inhabitants a whole civilization once existed here before a drought dried up their water supply when the wind blows the desert sands into moving dunes plants in the way of the dunes are buried slowly but they continue to fight for survival until the rising tide of sand finally smothers the last spark of life yes the desert seems to demand a hard struggle for life but many living things are right at home in this harsh environment and make it a place of colorful interest beyond description maybe the harsh conditions add a little beauty to the desert primrose for the Indian Paintbrush for the desert dandelion even the delicate lilies changes its form for living on the desert we call this a Joshua tree but it is a relative of the lily family the nectar of the super osa blossom provides both food and drink for hummingbirds a Gambel's quail thrives on seeds and insects and the Harris ground squirrel finds plenty of plant food moth larvae also eat plants they are big eaters and could strip the desert of foliage if they were not controlled but fortunately larvae are an easy to get them satisfying meal for the desert iguana which keeps an alert lookout for its own enemies the Palmer Thrasher - eats larvae and feeds them to its ever hungry young a Gila monster searches for the eggs and young of other lizards or snakes and ground nesting birds its fat tail indicates that its diet is plentiful in the desert a lizard also makes a fine morsel for a young Roadrunner night Hawks and some other birds catch their food on the wing another bird the vulture soars high above the desert floor graceful tireless it searches out the carcasses of dead animals upon which it feeds some of these are left over from the kill of a wildcat or other desert predator survival in the desert often depends much on successful fight or successful flight the roadrunner streamline for speed is fast on its feet it has spotted a meal of whiptail lizard but lizards which the roadrunner seems to enjoy chasing and eating are fast too [Music] this time the roadrunner proved itself the faster but most of the time the lizard scampers to safety in a nearby hole and the roadrunner finds an insect just this tasty for itself or is hungry family but speed and cunning are not the only means by which animals in the desert escape their enemies the horned lizard in this picture blends so well with the ground that you may not see it until it moves when it lies flat casting no shadow you could easily pass by without noticing it the Jackrabbit too blends very well with its surroundings but it has an even better defense in its long strong legs for fast running birds also have to defend themselves here well hidden in the branches of a Choya cactus is the home of a cactus wren few enemies will try to penetrate the barrier of cactus spines to get at the rim as it finds security in the nest as a matter of fact the needle-like thorns of the cactus helped to protect the plant itself a Gila woodpecker makes its home high up in the trunk of a saguaro cactus after it raises its family and moves out and elf owl may take over the already furnished apartment a white-winged of chooses a crutch in the saguaro as a safe place for its nest some creatures spend much of the time in the air above the desert some live underground beyond the reach of the extreme heat and out of the sight of enemies but most spend the time on the ground and have one or another means of defending themselves the desert is a fascinating place everything is available for a rich green life everything but water when there is water the desert blooms and beauty and is rich and cool green foliage but we have seen that even it dragged as it is not lifeless for here we have found a community a combination of plants and animals soil and climate all woven together in a unique life pattern competing and cooperating pursuing and being pursued faced always were the problems of finding food and safety once again we are shown how all living things depend upon one another for survival though the desert may seem harsh it abounds with life and beauty