White Sands National Monument flora and fauna · Flora and fauna in White Sands National Monument
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Flora and fauna in White Sands National Monument
Flora and fauna in White Sands National Monument
Most of the animals of White Sands have developed nocturnal habits to escape predators and the desert heat. In addition, due to the white sands some animals have evolved lighter coloration; there are forms of white reptiles, mammals, and invertebrates that blend with their white background (you probably won't see them unless they move). However, of the 44 species of mammals, 26 species of reptiles, 6 species of amphibians and nearly 100 families of insects recorded on the monument, the vast majority have normal coloration. Lizards can be readily observed in the interdunal areas where vegetation can be found for shade and protection. The park's mammals are primarily noctournal, so are not as easily observed. The light-colored amphibian, the spadefoot toad, only ventures from underground following thunderstorms when water is available for breeding and egg-laying in the pools of rainwater, where tadpoles quickly develop into adults and burrow into the moist sand, where they await the next season's storms.
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White Sands National Monument Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.