Home›Species›Ecosystem›Mojave DesertEcosystemMojave DesertDesertReference and ClassificationVerifiedThe Mojave Desert is a desert of the southwestern United States, lying mainly across southeastern California and southwestern Nevada with smaller portions reaching into Arizona and Utah, held in the rain shadow of the southern Sierra Nevada and the Transverse Ranges. Covering roughly 81,000 square kilometers, it is the smallest and driest of the four major North American deserts, and its basin and range topography of parallel mountain chains and valleys includes Badwater Basin, the lowest point in North America. Annual precipitation runs only two to six inches, most of it arriving as Pacific storm moisture between November and April, while summer temperatures regularly top 100 degrees Fahrenheit and winters can bring hard freezes. The desert is best known for the Joshua tree, a spiky yucca endemic to the region, and its wildlife includes desert bighorn sheep, mountain lions, black-tailed jackrabbits and desert tortoises among roughly 230 bird species and 98 mammal species recorded across the desert. Beyond its ecology, the Mojave has long supported ranching, military training grounds and mineral extraction of silver, tungsten, iron and gold.FactsMojave DesertConnectionsIn the Other AtlasesSourcesTake a Related QuizComments (0)Reader Challenges (0)FactsClassificationBiogeographic RealmWell-attestedNearctic 1Area (sq km)Well-attested140,000 2Mojave DesertFilter Results11 entriesCommon GroupAllCarnations And Cacti (Caryophyllales) (1)Dragonflies And Damselflies (Odonata) (1)Gnetophytes (Gnetales) (1)Lizards (Lacertilia) (1)Other Bony Fish (1)Palms, Bananas And Gingers (Arecales/Zingiberales) (1)Passerines (Songbirds) (1)Scorpions (1)Snakes (Serpentes) (1)TaxonomyAllArtiodactyla (1)Asparagales (1)Bovidae (1)Cactaceae (1)Corvidae (1)Crotalus (1)Cyprinodontiformes (1)Helodermatidae (1)Odonata (1)Plantae (1)Scorpiones (1)HabitatAllAlpine (1)Desert (8)Grassland (1)Wetlands (1)Xeric Shrubland (1)Conservation StatusAllExtinct (2)Least Concern (6)Near Threatened (1)Not Evaluated (1)Everyday GroupAllCarnations And Cacti (Caryophyllales) (1)Dragonflies And Damselflies (Odonata) (1)Gnetophytes (Gnetales) (1)Lizards (Lacertilia) (1)Other Bony Fish (1)Palms, Bananas And Gingers (Arecales/Zingiberales) (1)Passerines (Songbirds) (1)Scorpions (1)Snakes (Serpentes) (1)DietAllCarnivore (4)Herbivore (2)Omnivore (2)Photosynthetic Autotroph (3)System (Realm)AllFreshwater (1)Marine (1)Terrestrial (10)Terrestrial and Freshwater (1)Relationship to PeopleAllAgricultural or Structural Pest (2)Eaten or Drunk by People (2)Hunted or Fished (2)Invasive or Introduced Species (1)Kept as Pets (2)Source of Dye (1)Source of Fibre (1)Used in Traditional Medicine (3)Venomous or Dangerous to Humans (1)Living or ExtinctAllYes (10)Where It LivesAllAfrica (1)Bangladesh (1)Belgium (1)Cambodia (1)Denmark (1)Laos (1)Luxembourg (1)Mexico (3)Myanmar (1)North America (10)Norway (1)Philippines (1)Russia (1)South Asia (1)Spain (1)Sweden (1)Thailand (1)Ukraine (1)United States (1)Vietnam (1)Show ResultsBrowseCompareSelect all 11Bighorn SheepMojave DesertCommon RavenMojave DesertDesert bighorn sheepMojave DesertDragonflyMojave DesertEchinocereus engelmanniiMojave DesertGiant Desert Hairy ScorpionMojave DesertGila MonsterMojave DesertJoshua TreeMojave DesertMormon TeaMojave DesertSidewinderMojave DesertTecopa pupfishMojave DesertConnectionsDemonstratesSuperbloom, Natural Phenomena Well-attested Source Encyclopaedia Britannicatier 1HostsBighorn Sheep, Species Well-attested Source Wikidata: Bighorn SheepAdditional Source Mojave Desert (Wikipedia)Article texttier 2Common Raven, Species Well-attested Source Common Raven (Wikipedia)tier 2Desert bighorn sheep, Species Well-attested Source Desert bighorn sheep (Wikipedia)Dragonfly, Species Well-attested Source Dragonfly - WikipediaEchinocereus engelmannii, Species Well-attested Source Plants For A Future: Echinocereus engelmanniiGiant Desert Hairy Scorpion, Species Well-attested Source Wikipedia: Hadrurus arizonensisGila Monster, Species Well-attested Source World Wildlife FundJoshua Tree, Species Well-attested Source Wikipedia: Yucca brevifoliaMormon Tea, Species Well-attested Source The Gymnosperm Database: Ephedra nevadensisSidewinder, Species Well-attested Source Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology: Animal Diversity Web: Crotalus cerastesTecopa pupfish, Species Well-attested Source Tecopa pupfish (Wikipedia)In BiomeDesert, Biomes Well-attested Source World Wildlife FundIn the Other AtlasesFound InUnited StatesAlso in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.Sources1. Wikipedia: Mojave Deserttier 2WikipediaIntroductionQuote, IntroductionThe Mojave Desert ( ; Mohave: Hayikwiir Mat'aar; Spanish: Desierto de Mojave) is a desert in the rain shadow of the southern Sierra Nevada mountains and Transverse Ranges in the Southwestern United States.View the Source2. Mojave Desert (Wikipedia)tier 2WikipediaLead section, desert area and land-use sentenceThe 54,000-square-mile (140,000 km2) desert supports a number of human activities, including recreation, ranching, and military training.Hosts: Bighorn Sheep, Article textNotable species of the Mojave Desert include bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis), mountain lions (Puma concolor), black-tailed jackrabbits (Lepus californicus), and desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizii).View the SourceWorld Wildlife FundWorld Wildlife FundIn Biome: DesertHosts: Gila MonsterView the SourceEncyclopaedia Britannicatier 1Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.Demonstrates: SuperbloomView the SourceWikipedia: Yucca brevifoliaHosts: Joshua Tree, Wikipedia intro: "cally California, Arizona, Utah, and Nevada), and northwestern Mexico. It is confined mostly to the Mojave Desert between 400 and 1,800 m (1,300 and 5,900 ft) e..."View the SourceTecopa pupfish (Wikipedia)Hosts: Tecopa pupfish, Wikipedia intro: "nsis). The small, heat-tolerant pupfish was endemic to the outflows of a pair of hot springs in the Mojave Desert of Inyo County, California. Habitat modificati..."View the SourceCommon Raven (Wikipedia)tier 2Wikimedia FoundationHosts: Common Raven, Conservation and managementQuote, Hosts: Common Raven, Conservation and managementIn the western Mojave Desert, human settlement and land development have led to an estimated 16-fold increase in the common raven population over 25 years.View the SourceDragonfly - WikipediaHosts: Dragonfly, Distribution and diversityQuote, Hosts: Dragonfly, Distribution and diversityIn the Mojave Desert they are active in shade temperatures between 18 and 45 °C (64 and 113 °F); these dragonflies survive body temperatures fatal to individuals not adapted to that environment, even those of the same species.View the SourceWikipedia: Hadrurus arizonensisHosts: Giant Desert Hairy Scorpion, HabitatQuote, Hosts: Giant Desert Hairy Scorpion, HabitatIn the United States, it is found in the western two thirds of Arizona, the Colorado Desert and Mojave Desert regions of southern California, southern Nevada, and extreme southwestern Utah.View the SourceDesert bighorn sheep (Wikipedia)Hosts: Desert bighorn sheep, DistributionQuote, Hosts: Desert bighorn sheep, DistributionThe range of the desert bighorn sheep includes habitats in the Mojave Desert, Sonoran Desert, Great Basin Desert, and Chihuahuan Desert, as well as the Colorado Plateau.View the SourceAnimal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology: Animal Diversity Web: Crotalus cerastesAnimal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of ZoologyHosts: Sidewinder, Geographic RangeQuote, Hosts: Sidewinder, Geographic RangeSidewinder rattlesnakes ( Crotalus cerastes ) inhabit the southwest corner of the United States of America, extending as far west as the Mojave Desert in southern California and as far east as the Sonoran Desert in Arizona.View the SourcePlants For A Future: Echinocereus engelmanniiPlants For A FutureHosts: Echinocereus engelmannii, HabitatsQuote, Hosts: Echinocereus engelmannii, HabitatsIt occurs in Sonoran and Mojavean Desert, montane forest, chaparral, great plain grassland and juniper-pinyon woodlandView the SourceThe Gymnosperm Database: Ephedra nevadensisThe Gymnosperm DatabaseHosts: Mormon Tea, Distribution and EcologyQuote, Hosts: Mormon Tea, Distribution and EcologyUS: Oregon, California, Arizona, Nevada & Utah in the Mojave and Colorado deserts at 700-1900 m on dry, rocky slopes and hills, rarely in sandy flat areas (Jaeger 1969, Stevenson 1993 ).View the SourceTake a Related QuizWetlands, Reefs and Deltas: New EcosystemsCovers this kind of entry.Comments (0)No comments yet. 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