Thursday, September 27, 2012

Arizona Sonora Desert Museum

The Arizona Sonora Desert Museum in Tucson is a must see for visitors to Southern Arizona. It is a combination wildlife preserve, zoo, and botanical garden. It has a wonderful Hummingbird Aviary where you can walk amongst dozens of hummingbirds. There is also a Bird Aviary which you can walk through as well. Although I don't sell photos from zoos or other captive locations, nor do I include them in any of my books, it's hard not to take a photo when I go to the Desert Museum. 

Below are photographs of four of the five cats of Southern Arizona and Sonora, Mexico. The fifth, the Jaguar is not at the museum. Of the five, the Bobcat is the most common (approximately 750,00 in the US). I have included many Bobcat photos from the wild in previous posts. The Mountain Lion is also  common in the Western US  (approximately 30,000). Next comes the Ocelot, which although common in Mexico and South America is nearly extinct in the US (about 50 - 100 in Texas, and less than 10 in Arizona). Jaguars have been sighted in the Southern Arizona mountains that border on Mexico -- almost always by tracking dogs. Sightings are once every couple of years.  The Margay, is not found in the US but has a northernmost range that includes Sonora, Mexico and southernmost range that includes Chile. (remember you can click on a photo to enlarge it): 

Bobcat

Margay

Mountain Lion

Ocelot

No comments:

Post a Comment