Animals In The Desert That Eat Cactus
And we are looking at some of the inhabitants of the driest and hottest places on earth!
Animals in the desert that eat cactus. The animals of the desert are called “xerocoles”. Small animals such as the pack rat, and pocket mice will come to eat the cactus. The plants are adapted to live in extremely dry desert climates, and store large quantities of water in their stems.
Rodents that eat prickly pear cactus. Not all desert animals are carnivores. Cactus fruits are also edible.
The torrey yucca, or spanish bayonet, a signature plant of the chihuahuan desert, closely resembles the banana yucca, with both having similar leaves and radiating root systems, and the two species, in fact, may be hybridizing, according to clark champie in his cacti and succulents of el paso.the torrey yucca, however, has a rising and shaggy skirted stem that may reach 15 feet or more in height. Which animals can eat cactus? That’s especially true for animals that don’t have a special way to store water in their body.
The main target is the prickly pear cactus. Other times, farmers burn the thorns so that the cattle can feed on them. They have adapted themselves to eating food like cactus, succulent plants, seeds, or the blood and body tissues of their prey to get the water and nourishment.
All desert animals have learned ways and have adapted themselves either voluntarily or involuntarily to avoid the heat of the desert by simply staying out of it as much as possible. The jackrabbit normally eats grasses, but it will eat cacti during droughts. Many desert animals get their water from the food they eat.
Reptiles eat cacti and their flowers. Did you know there are other animals that eat cactus? The collared peccary, a type of hog, eats the prickly pear cactus.