Archive All Issues May 2024

OUR WILD SIDE

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In Arizona, the Grand Canyon tends to overshadow most things, including wildlife. Yet, with more than 800 native fish and wildlife species, our state has the most biodiversity of any inland state in the nation.

Featured in the May 2024 Issue of Arizona Highways

BY: Lisa Altomare,Jeff Kida

A PORTFOLIO EDITED BY LISA ALTOMARE AND JEFF KIDA

A pair of North American river otters (Lontra canadensis) rest amid riparian vegetation along the Salt River, a key Central Arizona waterway. Found along the Salt and Verde rivers and their tributaries, river otters can hold their breath underwater for up to eight minutes.

BRUCE D. TAUBERT

CANON EOS 7D, 1/200 SEC, F/10, ISO 640, 18 MM LENS

TOM BROWNOLD CANON EOS 5D MARK IV, 1/400 SEC, F/5.6, ISO 200, 108 MM LENS

PRECEDING PANEL: Yellow-headed blackbirds (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus) fill the sky over Whitewater Draw, a Southeastern Arizona site known for attracting resident and migratory birds. Famous for forming large flocks, these blackbirds are also known for their call, described as sounding like a rusty gate opening.

Prickly pear cactus pads surround a bobcat (Lynx rufus) in a Tucson backyard. Found throughout Arizona, bobcats are usually solitary and possess excellent night vision; their prey typically consists of rabbits, rodents and birds.