The desert biome has the lowest rainfall of any biome: less than 20 inches per year. Plants and animals have evolved and adapted in different ways to survive such extreme conditions.

Listed below are the plants and animals found on display in the Biomes: Life in the Balance exhibit, one of the many Habitat exhibit series.

Plants

Scientific NameCommon NameEOL Web AddressAdditional Resources
Carnegiea giganteaSaguaro Cactushttps://eol.org/pages/483624https://www.nps.gov/articles/saguaro-cactus-facts.htm
https://www.nps.gov/sagu/learn/nature/how-saguaros-grow.htm
https://plants.usda.gov/core/plantProfile?symbol=CAGI10
Opuntia engelmanniiPrickly Pear Cactushttps://eol.org/pages/47134172https://plants.usda.gov/core/plantProfile?symbol=OPEN3
Atriplex lentiformisBig Saltbushhttps://eol.org/pages/586497https://plants.usda.gov/core/plantProfile?symbol=ATLE
Dodonaea viscosaHopbushhttps://eol.org/pages/582326https://plants.usda.gov/core/plantProfile?symbol=DOVI
Ericameria laricifoliaTurpentine Bushhttps://eol.org/pages/467556https://plants.usda.gov/core/plantProfile?symbol=ERLA12
Krascheninnikovia lanataWinterfat https://eol.org/pages/61834/media
https://plants.usda.gov/core/plantProfile?symbol=KRLA2
Fouquieria splendensOcotillohttps://eol.org/pages/487543https://plants.usda.gov/core/plantProfile?symbol=FOSP2
Agave chrysanthaGolden Flowered Century Planthttps://eol.org/pages/1083864https://plants.usda.gov/core/plantProfile?symbol=AGCH2
Vauquelinia californicaArizona Rosewoodhttps://eol.org/pages/632901https://plants.usda.gov/core/plantProfile?symbol=VACA5
Encelia farinosaBrittlebushhttps://eol.org/pages/850167https://plants.usda.gov/core/plantProfile?symbol=ENFA
Simmondsia chinensisJojoba https://eol.org/pages/47130985/media
https://plants.usda.gov/core/plantProfile?symbol=SICH

Animals

Scientific NameCommon NameEOL Web AddressAdditional Resources
Melanerpes uropygialisGila Woodpeckerhttps://eol.org/pages/45509736https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/gila-woodpecker
Micrathene whitneyiElf Owlhttps://eol.org/pages/45510743https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/elf-owl
https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Micrathene_whitneyi/
Centruroides sculpturatusArizona Bark Scorpionhttps://eol.org/pages/8542/articles
https://www.nps.gov/articles/bark-scorpion.htm