Great Basin National Park Reptiles

Reptiles are often the animals people think of when one says the word "desert". The Great Basin Desert is higher in elevation than the other North American deserts. Winter temperatures can be cold, yet summer days are hot. Like most deserts, there can be a vast temperature difference between daytime high temperatures and nighttime low temperatures. Reptiles are "cold-blooded" and must regulate their body temperature by seeking out shade in the summer and warm dens in the winter. Snakes, especially rattlesnakes, are among the best-known of the Great Basin reptiles.