Wild burros are not considered native to the Mojave Desert, but they are certainly at home here. Burros must compete for water and forage with the cattle that have been set upon the land via the BLM selling "Grazing Acres" to ranchers. This trail was cut across the desert by dozens of burros walking between two sources of water: Halloran Spring and Bull Spring. If a person is lost in the desert and desperate for water, one has a better chance of finding water if one follows such a trail. These trails tend to fade out before reaching the actual water, but they will place a person close enough to find it. By the way: burros cause vastly less damage to the desert than cattle. Cattle are tolerated by the BLM because they generate money, whereas burros do not.
	A burro. They are generally very skinny, with tiny hoofs. They are also generally intelligent enough to know it is important to watch for car traffic on dirt roads, and to not walk along paved roads. When it comes to behavior, they are very cautious but also curious; I've had a burro examine me while I was sleeping on the ground about 50 yards West of Halloran Springs. When I opened my eyes and turned over a bit, we both screamed in terror like little girls.
	If it were not for hawks, the Mojave Desert would have too many rabbits, kangaroo rats, field mice, and assorted wee beasties running around. Hawks eat a "hellahvalotta" mice; they compete for prey with the Desert Kit Fox, the Mojave Rattle Snake, Coyotes, and assorted other teethy terrors of the night. The reason hawks manage to compete successfully with their competators is because hawks prey during the daylight hours, while the others prey at dawn and dusk (or in the case of the snakes, at night).
	A black-tailed jack rabbit. This bloke got a bum deal when it came to being named--- "jack" is short for "jackass" which was derived from the ears; the jack rabbit is a hare, not a rabbit.
	This is of course a coyote, some times called "The Barking Dog" (as in Canis latrans). A coyote will eat a great many jack rabbits, and it will also eat some plants. Kangaroo rats, field mice, and lizzards also fall prey to the coyote. House cats, family dogs, chickens, and picknic baskets can also become coyote meals.
	Tortoise (Testudinidae). These are endangered, and thus protected from harm via threat of federal prosecution. One must never pick up one of these tortoises unless the tortoise is in extreme danger of being run over by cars. If one must move a tortoise out of danger, one must only lift it an inch or two off the ground and move it to the side of the road to safety; never list the tortoise high off the ground. A tortoise will urinate if frightened, and that loss of fluid can result in the tortoise dying of thirst.

	This is an image of the "friendly" Mojave Rattle Snake. I try very hard to avoid stepping on these, and I suggest everyone else do the same. Most human adults will not die from the venom, but they can be crippled so badly by the venom that the sun will then finish the job. After that, the coyotes and the buzzards will scatter the bite victim's bones.
	I poured some water on the ground, and later a Mojave Rattlesnake came along and licked the wet grass. It later tried to hide from me by passing through my pickup's wheel. Rattlesnakes do not like biting people: people are far too big to eat, and the waste of venom is undesirable for the snake. When one sees a rattle snake, one should warn one's friends and family to avoid the area where the snake is, and then LEAVE THE SNAKE ALONE.
	I shared my camp site with this lass. She was minding her own business, so I ignored her. Unfortunately the person I was camping with insisted that the snake be moved. The snake was there first, and had every right to remain there, but was driven off by a mob of nasty, evil humans.
	"Click on" the image to see a larger image.
	"Click on" the image to see a larger image.
	"Click on" the image to see a larger image.