Ringtail Cat (Bassariscus astutus)

I think I've seen two of these awesome critters! Or, maybe it was the same one twice. But, I'm not entirely certain what I saw was a ringtail cat, though. The thing is, both times I saw it, I didn't know what I was looking at so I tried to memorize as much as I could about it. Now here's the catch, I don't remember rings on the tail. Every desciptive thing I've read about the animal matches what I saw perfectly, but the rings on the tail. Identifying factors for me were; the long tail; the cat-like face; and other fox-like attributes and behavior. The ones I have seen are so cool! I'd like to see one up close though.

Coyote (Canis latrans)

I haven't seen one yet, though I do hear the coyotes often.  It's a wonderful music that reminds me of home (Island Park, Idaho).

White-tailed Antelope Squirrel (Ammospermophilus leucurus)

These cuties are fun to watch and plentiful out here.  They're small, and I actually thought they were chipmunks, but according to the Red Cliff's Desert Reserve, they are a White-tailed Antelope Squirrel.

Black-tailed Jackrabbit (Lepus californicus)

I have always wanted to see a jackrabbit, Idaho used to have plenty, but not any more.  Now that I live out here, I have seen a bunch.  I wish there were more all over, they make great moving targets.

Desert Cottontail (Sylvilagus audubonii)

Growing up in Idaho, I always wanted to have more rabbits around.  Someday I'll transplant a few hundred back home so I have something fun to shoot at.

Ord's Kangaroo Rat (Dipodomys ordii)

There is definitely plenty of these nocturnal critters around.  Sometimes I wake up at night to the little buggers scratching on the tent, or sometimes, they even come inside and run around on top of me while I sleep.  At times, I have had hole ridden tents.  Though I kept the holes blocked off as best as I could, sometimes it was not good enough.

Desert Tortoise (Gopherus agassizii)

Actually, though the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve loves to advertise the fact that it is prime habitat for the Desert Tortoise, I have only seen two in the entire 2 years, 2 months I've lived in the St. George area.

Common Sagebrush Lizard (Sceloporus graciosus)

Lizards are hard for me to tell apart, but I think this is the most common lizard I've come across out here in the desert.  I haven't got a camera, so I had to pick the closest looking specimens out of other people's pictures on the web.  I chose this picture because it shows the more correct leg thickness than the Chuckwalla, which is known to inhabit the area.

Chuckwalla (Sauromalus obesus)

I'm not entirely sure I've seen to Chuckwalla lizard or not.  The coloring in this image is 'colder' than the lizards I see everyday, but the body texture looks more accurate than other pictures on that website.

Desert Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma platyrhinos)

Having never seen a Gila Monster, I avoided this little Desert Horned Lizard when I started seeing it thinking that it was a Gila Monster.  I was glad to discover I had less to worry about than I originally thought.

Gopher Snake (Pituophis melanoleucus)

There are plenty Bull Snakes out here, and I'm afraid this image doesn't do it justice.  The ones I see often look exactly like the Western Diamondback Rattle Snake with the exception of the head and tail.  I've never heard it called a Gopher Snake before finding this image.  They are a very slow moving laidback snake that couldn't care less about people. 

Banded Sand Snake (Chilomeniscus cinctus)

These little guys are great.  I didn't know what to make of them when I started seeing them.  They are really teeny-tiny and move sort of like a sidewinder on asphalt.  They come out at night and I was extremely cautious about snuggling into my bedroll after I first spotted them.  I had no idea what kind of snake they were.  When I would study them, they would show the peculiar behavior of looking like they were trying to run away while suspiciously side winding closer to me.  The ones out here are a lot more vivid in color with a really bright-dark red.

Unidentified Brown Snake

This picture matches exactly a snake common to this area, only it is a picture of a Smooth Earth Snake (Virginia valeriae) that lives in wetter climates.  The snakes I'm trying to identify here by this picture are quick things about the same size as the Bull Snake.  In fact, I had thought that it was a Gopher Snake before I knew the two were the same thing.  If anyone has any idea what this snake is, I'd sure like to know.  I know they are not Bull/Gopher Snakes because they move too fast- on top of the grass, if you can believe that- every time I've approached them.  They are definitely a skittish snake.

Indigenous friends I haven't met yet:

Bobcat (Felis rufus), Mountain Lion (Felis concolor), Mule Deer (Odocoileus hemionus), Gila Monster (Heloderma suspectum), Desert Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus magister), Collared Lizard (Crotaphytus insularis), Long-nosed Leopard Lizard (Gambelia wislizenii), Zebra-tailed Lizard (Callisaurus draconoides), Side-blotched Lizard (Uta stansburiana), Western Banded Gecko (Coleonyx variegatus), Western Whiptail (Cnemidophorus tigris), Common Kingsnake (Lampropeltis getulus), Glossy Snake (Arizona elegans), Coachwhip Snake (Masticophis flagellum), Western Patch-nosed Snake (Salvadora hexalepis), Sidewinder (Crotalus cerastes), Western Great Basin Rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis lutosus)

For information concerning these species and other wildlife of the deserts of America, visit: Desert USA.