Editing Rancho Mirage, California (section)

====Fauna====
[[File:Scorpion_rancho_mirage.jpg|thumb|right|180px]]
The fauna consists of over 20 species of mammals. Some native carnivores include the [[Gray fox]], [[Coyote]], [[Ringtail cat]], [[Bobcat]], and the [[Desert Kit Fox]].{{sfn|Clevenger|1980|p=4}} Other species include the [[Southwestern Willow Flycatcher]], [[Bell's Vireo]], [[Prairie Falcon]], and the [[Ovis canadensis nelsoni|Peninsular Bighorn Sheep]].<ref name="Rancho Mirage 2017 General Plan"/><ref name="yumpu.com">{{Cite web|url=https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/36579898/conservation-and-open-space-city-of-rancho-mirage|title = Conservation and Open Space |publisher=City of Rancho Mirage}}</ref> Another notable species of wildlife is the endemic [[Coachella Valley fringe-toed lizard]]. The [[Sonoran Desert]] has eleven species of [[rattlesnakes]] - more than anywhere else in the world.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://wc.pima.edu/~bfiero/tucsonecol109/boxes/rattlesnake.htm |title=Rattlesnake facts<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=July 11, 2021 |archive-date=July 21, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130721012557/http://wc.pima.edu/~bfiero/tucsonecol109/boxes/rattlesnake.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> Other notable species include the [[Gila monster]], [[Chuckwalla]], [[Horned lizard]], [[Desert iguana]], [[Vulture]], [[Desert tortoise]], [[Scorpion]], and [[Javelina]]. [[American black bear|Black bears]] are rare, however, they inhabit the surrounding mountains and have been sighted on numerous occasions.<ref>{{cite news |title=Bears live among us in the desert, here's a history of sightings |url=https://www.desertsun.com/picture-gallery/news/environment/2019/11/06/bears-live-among-us-desert-heres-history-sightings/2508241001/ |work=The Desert Sun |date=November 6, 2019 }}</ref> Four species of Scorpion are found in the Coachella Valley, none of which are considered dangerous to humans.<ref>Rundel, Philip W. and Arthur C. Gibson (2005). ''Ecological Communities and Processes in a Mojave Desert Ecosystem''. Cambridge University Press. Page 229. ISBN 9780521021418.</ref>{{sfn|Cornett|2008|p=35}} The most common species is the Dune scorpion or Desert sand scorpion (Paruroctonus mesaensis) but the valley is also home to the Giant hairy scorpion ([[Hadrurus arizonensis]]), which is the largest species of scorpion in the United States.<ref>Schoenherr, Allan A. (1992). ''A Natural History of California''. University of California Press. Page 504. ISBN 9780520909915.</ref>{{sfn|Blough|2019|p={{page needed|date=November 2021}}}}

Rancho Mirage has adopted the [[Ovis canadensis nelsoni|Peninsular Bighorn Sheep]] as its "community icon"<ref name="Rancho Mirage 2017 General Plan"/> and its official city symbol.<ref name=deTurenne20020102>{{cite news |last1=de Turenne |first1=Veronique |title=Bighorns Being Fenced Out to Save Their Lives |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-jan-02-me-19720-story.html |work=Los Angeles Times |date=January 2, 2002 }}</ref>{{sfn|Mahler|2005|p=125}} The city has also adopted a bighorn ram as its official city logo.{{sfn|Mallette|2011|p=7}} The Peninsular Bighorn Sheep has been on the U.S. federal list of endangered species since 1998 (or 2004{{sfn|Mallette|2011|p=7}}). In 2002, the city invested $1.2 million in constructing a 3.5-mile fence to separate the rams from civilization. The 8-ft. mesh fence was installed between the [[California State Route 111]] and the peaks of the [[Santa Rosa Mountains (California)|Santa Rosa Mountains]]. When the city was incorporated in 1973, 1,200 sheep lived in the [[Peninsular Ranges]] which consist of the [[San Jacinto Mountains|San Jacinto]] and Santa Rosa Mountains. By 1995, the number of sheep was 276 but reached 400 in 2002.<ref name=deTurenne20020102/>

The fauna consists of species adapted to desert, temperature extremes, and to lack of moisture. 450 [[vertebrate]] species have been recorded in the Coachella Valley including 347 species of birds, 58 species of mammals, 40 species of reptiles, and eight species of amphibians. The largest native mammal, the Bighorn sheep, can reach 200 pounds in weight. Large predators include the [[Bobcat]], [[Mountain lion]], [[Kit fox]], [[Ring-tailed cat]], [[Coyote]], and [[Gray fox]]. Some other species include the [[Antelope ground squirrel]], [[Roadrunners]], [[Side-blotched lizard]], and several species of scorpions, centipedes, and rattlesnakes. Some bird species, including the [[White-crowned sparrow]] and [[Ruby-crowned kinglet]], spend winters in the Coachella Valley before flying to colder climates during the hot summer months. The Coachella Valley is home to four endangered or threatened species, including the [[Desert pupfish]], [[Desert tortoise]], [[Desert slender salamander]], and the [[Coachella Valley fringe-toed lizard]].{{sfn|Cornett|2008|pp=33–34}} Threatened or endangered species in Rancho Mirage include the Peninsular Bighorn sheep, Fringe-toed lizard, Desert tortoise, [[Southwestern willow flycatcher]], Desert slender salamander, [[Peregrine falcon]], and [[Least Bell's vireo]].<ref name="Rancho Mirage 2017 General Plan">{{cite web |publisher=City of Rancho Mirage |year=2017 |title=Rancho Mirage 2017 General Plan |url=https://1elrsd35mlri2z7zmm3qkz2t-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Chapter_5_Conservation_and_Open_Space.pdf }}</ref>