The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is one of Tucson's great attractions, with good reason. Part zoo, part natural history museum, and part botanical garden, the facility is set on 21 acres and is home to numerous animals that roam freely within invisibly fenced enclosures.
The coyote is without a doubt the most famous desert animal, the very symbol of the west. He is prominently figured as the Trickster as well as the Wise One in Native American myths and legends. The coyote fascinates us with its intelligence and adaptability. It can survive eating anything from saguaro fruit to road kills, and is able to live in any habitat from cactus forest to the city. The coyote has expanded its range throughout the United States despite human attempts to eradicate it.
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Ferruginous Hawks soar with their wings held slightly raised but with the wingtips held almost flat. They also turn into the wind and hover or kite in place as they hunt. They often hunt on the ground as well.
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The great horned owl, also known as the tiger owl or the hoot owl, is a large owl native to the Americas. It is an extremely adaptable bird with a vast range and is the most widely distributed true owl in the Americas.
Owls are fierce predators that can take large prey, including raptors such as Ospreys, Peregrine Falcons, Prairie Falcons, and other owls.
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Ferruginous hawk coming in.
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The Desert Museum traditionally adopts orphaned mountain lions, which have not been suitable for release into the wild. Cruz, male mountain lion, was adopted when he was five and a half-month old. He was found in San Jose, CA in March weighing only 15 lbs. Rescued and nursed back to health by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, but unsuitable for reintroduction into the wild, its adoption by the Desert Museum was arranged through the Arizona Game and Fish Department.
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