Behold Saguaro National Park plant life. such as the saguaro cactus, unique to the Sonoran Desert
Learn about the saguaro cactus, a plant unique to the Sonoran Desert, as found in Saguaro National Park, southern Arizona, U.S.
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Transcript
NARRATOR: The southwestern portion of Arizona lies largely within the Sonoran Desert. Saguaro National Monument, which became a national park in 1994, was established to preserve the special desert environment.
RICHARD HAYES: Hello. My name is Richard Hayes. I'm a park ranger here at Saguaro National Monument. Most people think the desert is barren, but if you just take the time to look, you'll find that it supports a rich variety of plant and animal life.
The plants—they have all evolved to either conserve water or to sleep during those times when water is unavailable to them. The spines, of course, is a protection to the plant. I haven't found an animal yet that likes to stick their nose into a cactus.
What we have here behind me is a saguaro cactus. It's one of the largest cactuses found in the United States.
[Music in]
The saguaros will get up to about 40 or 50 feet in height. The saguaro at 25 years is only 2 feet high. Now, between 75 and 80 years is when it will put out its first arm. They'll live up to about 200 years. The saguaro cactus is only found in the Sonoran Desert—nowhere else in the world.
It is hard to explain why the desert is so unique. You have to take a while to be there to see how those plants and animals have adapted to such a harsh environment. You can't sit down and, you know, learn it in an afternoon.
[Music out]
RICHARD HAYES: Hello. My name is Richard Hayes. I'm a park ranger here at Saguaro National Monument. Most people think the desert is barren, but if you just take the time to look, you'll find that it supports a rich variety of plant and animal life.
The plants—they have all evolved to either conserve water or to sleep during those times when water is unavailable to them. The spines, of course, is a protection to the plant. I haven't found an animal yet that likes to stick their nose into a cactus.
What we have here behind me is a saguaro cactus. It's one of the largest cactuses found in the United States.
[Music in]
The saguaros will get up to about 40 or 50 feet in height. The saguaro at 25 years is only 2 feet high. Now, between 75 and 80 years is when it will put out its first arm. They'll live up to about 200 years. The saguaro cactus is only found in the Sonoran Desert—nowhere else in the world.
It is hard to explain why the desert is so unique. You have to take a while to be there to see how those plants and animals have adapted to such a harsh environment. You can't sit down and, you know, learn it in an afternoon.
[Music out]