Animals In The Desert That Eat Cactus

Jackrabbits the ones with the large ears eat prickly pear particularly at the base of the plant where there are few or no spines.

Animals in the desert that eat cactus. The jackrabbit normally eats grasses but it will eat cacti during droughts. What can a desert animal eat. Jackrabbits eat Prickly Pear cactus and do so near the base where there are no large spines.

Usually the wrens will build nests in the prickly spines of a cactus such as a cholla see picture at right. Bats and moths and some birds eat the nectar. The Cactus Wren is found in arid deserts of the Southwestern United States and Mexico.

The fruit is eaten by jackrabbits peccaries deer squirrels birds iguanas tortoises and beetles. Pack rats eat Prickly Pear as well and also avoid large spines eating around them. Camels are often called the ships of the desertDomesticated more than 3000 years ago the animals can tote 200 pounds dozens of miles.

Some of the animals that can eat cactus are Camels Ground Squirrel Jackrabbits Gophers Prairie dogs Galapagos Land Iguana Horses Packrats Woodpecker Eastern Cottontail Collared Peccary some cows and horses Alpaca etc. Many small animals such as bats and mice eat cactus in the dessert. Ranchers burn off the spines so that cattle can graze on them.

The collared peccary a type of hog eats the prickly pear cactus. During drought animals will often go for the most common type of cactus prickly pear. Insects such as bees and butterflies drink the nectar of the cactus flower.

Reptiles eat cacti and their flowers. There are few animals in the desert that dine on cacti and theyusually restrict the menu to the prickly pear cactus. Reptiles eat cacti and their flowers.