ChaparralJacob Lawson, Cassie

Norton, Becca Linnabary, and Jolie Hasselbeck

Location• The Chaparral is located along the western coast of the United States.

• It also exists in the southern part of South America, southwestern Australia, Spain, and in the Sahara and Kalahari deserts in Africa.

Temperature

• The range of temperatures is from about 10° C in the winter to 40° C in the summer.

• This translates to about 30° F to about 100° F.

Precipitation

• The average precipitation annually is 10-17 inches.

• Most of the precipitation occurs during the winter months.

Plants• Examples of plants include blue oak,

corn oak, dwarf trees, scattered scrub, large shrubs, poison oak, scrub oak, yucca wiple, cacti.

Blue OakScrub Oak

Plant Adaptations

• Plants must adapt to heat, little moisture, and poor soil.

• Plants have small, hard leaves which hold moisture.

• Because brush fires are frequent, many plants are small.

Animals

• Animals in the Chaparral include coyotes, jack rabbits, mule deer, alligator lizards, horned toads, ground birds (like quail and thrashers), mountain lions, bobcats, grey fox, wild goats, rattlesnakes, and antelope.

Animal Adaptations

• Ground birds nest in brush to protect themselves from the heat and predators.

• Animals with fur have short fur that can change lengths with season and match their surroundings in color.

• Reptiles hunt at night to avoid heat.• Rabbits have large ears to release heat.

Coyotes Puma

Rattlesnake

Roadrunner Jackrabbit

Kangaroo Rat

• Kangaroo rats vary from 10 to 20 centimeters and 35 to 180 grams. Their most distinctive feature is their large hind legs.

• They have the ability to convert the dry seeds they eat into water.

• However, the Giant Kangaroo Rat is now an endangered species because much of its habitat has been lost to agricultural uses.

Conditions

• The dry, hot conditions make natural brush fires common. They clear out the area and cause the plants to be small.

• In November of 2009, more than 200 homes were destroyed by brush fires.