Chihuahuan Desert
Species
© WWF-Canon / Fritz Pölking
Wildlife abounds in this desert region - home to more than 500 of the world's 1,500 species of cactus, as well as plant species such as creosote bush, tarbush, resurrection plant, whitethorn acacia, and numerous species of cacti, including several opuntia species.
Animal species include the jaguar, fast-running pronghorn, collared peccary or javelina, desert cottontail and bighorn sheep. Among the bird species are the rare zone-tailed hawk, aplamado falcon, and a tremendous variety of hummingbirds.
Once a year the monarch butterflies migrate from Canada to southern Mexico, and during their amazing migration trip, they are responsible for the cross pollination of thousands of plants along the way - including numerous cacti species.
