Animals & Plants in the Great Basin Desert
- Big horned sheep prefer the rugged terrain of the Great Basin Desert.Big Horn image by michael langley from Fotolia.com
The Great Basin Desert is home to beavers, big horn sheep and other animals. According to the Desert USA website, the Great Basin is the largest desert in the United States, spanning 190,000 square miles. This desert is bordered by the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada range. The elevation is higher than most deserts, resulting in cooler weather during the winter months. - According to the National Park Service's website, the singleleaf pinyon pine grows in the Great Basin Desert at heights between 5,000 and 9,000 feet. The needles of the tree are round with sharp edges. Native Americans relied on this tree as a source of food, and its nuts are rich in nutrients and high in calories. The Indians also used this pine tree for wood in fires and to build structures to live in.
- Big horned sheep are seen in several regions across the Great Basin Desert. They are very robust animals, able to survive extreme cold and heat. These adaptable sheep will eat just about anything, such as shrubs, weeds and even flowers found throughout the desert. Male rams can weigh up to 275 pounds, and females top the scale at 150 pounds. Their average life span is 17 years.
- According to the National Park Service's website, Holgrem's buckwheat is found in the Snake Range (home to Great Basin National Park) in Nevada. The plant grows in the form of a ball with small, tightly packed leaves. Circular pink flowers sprout outward in all directions, creating a very distinctive look. This plant is food to sheep and other animals in the desert.
- Pygmy rabbits are found throughout the entire Great Basin Desert. These rabbits dig holes and make their homes near sagebrush, where they can hide from predators. They are very small animals, able to fit inside the palm of your hand. These rabbits are easy to distinguish from other rabbits because they are much smaller. Their ears and hind legs are also very short. Their coats are gray with mixtures of white and brown speckles throughout. The bottom half of their legs are usually brown.
