Summer solstice marks the first official day of summer! This is when the sun reaches its northernmost point from the equator. On June 20, the sun will be higher in the sky during the day and its rays will hit Earth directly. This causes higher temperatures and it will be the day with the most…

“I woke up like this. Flawless.” – Beyoncé Insects dominate the animal kingdom. They occupy every niche imaginable and have evolved to make meals of every substance available. Winged or wingless, aquatic or terrestrial, solid or fluid feeders, insects have acquired the flexibility to adapt to their surroundings quickly. They are opportunistic, industrious, integral to…

Our Oceans, Our Future is the overall theme for World Oceans Day 2017. Join us and the rest of the world to celebrate our environment and oceans. The desert and the ocean? Yes! The Gulf of California (Sea of Cortez) is part of the Sonoran Desert, which plays a role in regulating our climate and…

Looking to add a furry member to your family? Look no further! Through the Desert Museum’s adoption program you can be a “proud parent” to one of our prairie dogs. Your donations allow our prairie dogs to have a healthy lifestyle at the Desert Museum. Adopt today! Need more reasons to adopt a prairie dog?…

They both like the temperature to be ‘just right’, of course! Puns aside – rattlesnakes, like many other animals here in the Sonoran Desert, practice a desert survival strategy known as avoidance. They refrain from exposure and surface activity when it’s too hot during southern Arizona’s summer months, and the cold limits their activity during…

Two desert parks devoted to protection and conservation, Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument and El Pinacate y Gran Desierto del Altar, are split by the international United States and Mexico boundary. The two parks run parallel along Federal Highway 2- the fronterra. Protected and respected on both sides, the two sister parks are seemingly back…

Avoidance: we all do it; it can be a part of every-day human interaction and life! One aspect of avoidance that thankfully is not a vital part of our daily affairs is predator avoidance. If you’re an insect, this means not getting the attention of another animal that would like to make a meal out…

I have studied jaguars in northwest Mexico and southwest United States for the last 14 years. In 2003 I had the opportunity to study jaguars in the Sierra Madre Mountains of Sonora, Mexico, about 125 miles south of the international border. I was lucky to see two (one female and one male) and several mountain…

Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, along with Organ Pipe National Monument and Pinacate Biosphere Reserve, have teamed up on a unique conservation and education project (funded by a grant from the National Park Service). The three organizations are uniting to help ensure species survival of Sonoyta pupfish (formally known as Quitobaquito pupfish) and the Sonoyta mud turtle.   Commonly referred…

The usefulness of detection dogs to our society seems just to grow and grow. Detection dogs have been trained to find explosives, illegal drugs, currency, gourmet fungus, human remains, contraband electronics, firearms, termites, bed bugs, cancerous tumors and low blood sugar emergencies in people with diabetes. And the dogs do this even if the scent…