The Living Desert is located in the Colorado "Desert", one of the six subdivisions of the Sonoran Desert, which is one of the five sections of the North American Desert, which extends from Mexico all the way up into British Columbia.

The name of our local desert, Colorado, comes from the Colorado River, which is roughly its eastern boundary. Just north of us here in the Coachella Valley, is the Mojave Desert. The Mojave and Colorado regions are commonly called the "high" and "low" deserts, respectively, even though the Mojave claims Death Valley, the lowest spot in the Western Hemisphere at 282 feet below sea level. Most of the Mojave has an average elevation of 2,000-4,000 feet above sea level, and so is the cooler of the two regions. Average elevation of the Colorado desert is about 1,000 feet.

Frequently, a barrier of high mountains keeps moist air from entering deserts. The Atlas, Caucasus, Zagros, Sierra Nevada, Andes, Himalayas, and locally, the Santa Rosas, are among the formidable barriers to desert rains. It takes an extremely strong storm to surmount or skirt such mountains. Living Desert's summer rain storms often start as hurricanes in the Gulf of California.

Most zoos feature exotic animals from other parts of the world. Here at The Living Desert, we include animals that live in our own ecosystem, the deserts of North America. One of the first stops on a tour through the park is the After Sundown exhibit. This showcases small nocturnal or night-active desert animals. Due to the extreme daytime temperatures that occur May through October, many of the locals come out after dark. Bats, scorpions, screech owls, mice, lizards and snakes all seek the coolness of the evening temperatures to hunt for food. The darkened hall of this exhibit manifests an important characteristic of many desert animals: they are out and about when it’s cooler.

Along the paved pathways in the North American side of the zoo, you will encounter many birds of prey such as hawks, falcons, eagles and vultures. Creatures such as coyotes, badgers, wolves, mountain lions and bobcats all make for an interesting education about our own biome.

Many of the desert's birds are active during the day, including hummingbirds, quail, doves, cactus wrens, orioles, finches and roadrunners. In fact, most all of these animals live wild and free in the many beautiful gardens that you find here. Insects and lizards also abound in the park. You might even spot a chuckwalla, our desert’s largest lizard, sunning on the rocks before venturing off to have a delicious lunch of yellow flower blossoms!

The largest exhibit found in the North American section is Bighorn Mountain, which features the endangered Peninsular Bighorn sheep. This majestic animal, found only in this desert region, is rapidly losing its place in the environment. Through research and the tireless efforts of conservationists, this species is slowly being reintroduced in to its natural habitat.

Come enjoy the beauty and wonder of the North American deserts and feel at home with these incredible creatures.