Joshua Tree National Park, California, USA Photograph by John Morrison   Western North America: Western United States Deserts and Xeric Shrublands   50,400 square miles (130,600 square kilometers) -- about the size of Alabama Relatively Stable/Intact

· Welcome to the High Desert
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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Welcome to the High Desert

The Mojave is a "high desert" because it occurs largely at higher elevations, but the ecoregion as a whole ranges from below sea level to over 5,280 feet (1,600 m). The famous Death Valley lies at 482 feet (146 m) below sea level. The Mojave is the smallest of the four North American deserts. It receives between 2.6 and 7.6 inches (65 and 190 mm) of precipitation each year. Dry lakes are common in this landscape.

Special Features

Ephemeral plants found here have an unusual adaptation. These plants have adapted to take advantage of the rare rains of the Mojave by flowering and lasting for only a very short time after the rains, sometimes only one day! Once the plants have bloomed, they become dormant (in a resting state) until the next favorable rains. Perhaps 90 of the Mojave's 250 ephemeral plants are endemic.

	The desert tortoise has an amazing adaptation that helps it get through the dry months of the Mojave. It can store up to a quart (about a liter) of water in its bladder! In the spring it feeds on ephemeral plants, which give it enough water to store and make it through the rest of the year.

Wild Side

Many animals call the Mojave home, including the desert tortoise, Mojave ground squirrel, Amargosa vole, LeConte's thrasher, banded gecko, desert iguana, regal horned lizard, desert rosy boa, Mojave patchnose snake, and Mojave rattlesnake. Kelso Dunes, in the Mojave National Preserve, provide habitat for seven species of endemic insects, such as the Kelso Dunes Jerusalem cricket and the Kelso Dunes shieldback katydid. The dunes are also home to the Mojave fringe-toed lizard. Deserts have incredible, specialized plants, and the Mojave is no exception. The Joshua tree is probably the most recognizable plant of the Mojave. Plants you will find here include creosotebush, all-scale, brittlebush, desert holly, white burrobush, and numerous species of cacti: silver cholla, Mojave prickly pear, beavertail cactus, and many-headed barrel cactus. The flowering plants of the Mojave attract butterflies that include the Mojave sooty-wing and the painted lady.

Cause for Concern

The Mojave is in relatively good shape, compared to other ecoregions. Approximately half of the Mojave is intact. Reasons for habitat loss include the expansion of cities, primarily suburbs of Los Angeles and Las Vegas, demand for landfill space, development of farms along the Colorado River, grazing of livestock, use of off-road vehicles, and military activities. The underground water table has fallen to a dangerously low level. Roads have broken the remaining habitat into pieces, which is particularly harmful for desert tortoises. Collection of animals such as chuckwallas, gila monsters, and desert tortoises for the wildlife trade is an additional threat. Desert plants and communities are often very old and are highly sensitive to vehicles crushing them and disturbing soils.

For more information on this ecoregion, go to the World Wildlife Fund Scientific Report.