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Arizona Sonora Desert Museum

  
(Images from the Museum's website)
The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is a world-renowned zoo,
natural history museum, and botanical garden all in one place!
It is one of my favorite zoos in the world; I had a membership
back in the 90's when Ken was a student at the University of AZ

The website can be accessed by clicking here

We went to the Museum on Wednesday, January 4, 2006
 
 
Here the mountain lion (Felis concolor) is sharpening it's claws on an old log.


Can you find the mountain lion in this photo? 

 
Wow - about as close as we want to get! Photo Op!


We got pretty close to this prarie dog! (Genus Cynomys) 

 
Andrew goofing around with the same prarie dog - it was very friendly!


Another prarie dog peeks out of his hole.


Here mountain sheep (Ovis canadensis) play on the rocks.


The coatimundi (Nasua narica) is believed to be a symbol
of the Holy Spirit by the Tohono O'odham (Papago),
southern Arizona Native Americans, as the dove is in Christianity.

 
A California quail (Callipepla californica)
is in the lower central part of this photo. 


Water birds are also part of the Sonoran desert - in the riparian areas.
I think that this is a Black-necked Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus) 



In the lower central part of this photo is a roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus).


The elf owl (Micrathene whitneyi), which can fit into your palm,
is one of the smallest owls in the world. It typically lays 
three white eggs in a deserted woodpecker hole in a cactus or a tree.
When captured, this tiny owl likes to play opossum and feigns
death until it is sure that all danger has passed.


Typical Sonoran desert view.


The "gang" in the desert; me, Ken, Kayla, and Andrew.

The remaining photos were taken out in the National Park:


Ken and Kayla at a scenic overview.


Driving through the park



We decided to venture out into the desert to see what
we could see!


On the hike, Ken got some Saguaro ribs from a dead Saguaro,
and gave one to Kayla and one to Andrew.


In the Park as the sun sets.

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