Discover the Surprising Ocean Connection in the Arizona-Sonora Desert
I was a teenager the first time I visited Tucson. The company my aunt worked for was temporarily based in the Old Pueblo, and she immediately fell in love with the desert Southwest and wanted to learn as much as possible about her temporary home.
She was eager to share her love with us, so one of the first places she took us to was the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. It was one of the best ways to learn about this unique environment, she reasoned, and to this day, it’s one of my favorite places to take visitors.
This living museum has grown and expanded over the years. In the summer of 2016, they opened the Stingray Touch Exhibit. It’s an interactive experience where visitors can touch and feed stingrays.
Why Are There Stingrays In The Desert Museum?
But wait, you may be thinking, you find stingrays in the ocean—why would they be included in a desert exhibit?
Finding the stingray touch tank in the middle of the Arizona desert might seem unexpected and unusual, but at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, it makes perfect sense.
The Sonoran Desert isn’t just sandy topsoil, cactus wrens, and coyotes; the desert stretches all the way to the Gulf of California, also known as the Sea of Cortez.
That sea is considered an essential part of the Sonoran Desert ecosystem, and even though it’s not the first thing we think of when we picture the desert, it’s an integral part of it.
In fact, experts say that without the Gulf driving the desert’s seasonal rains and biodiversity, we wouldn’t have the Sonoran Desert as we know it. This area is sometimes called the “lushest desert on earth.” The museum’s stingray touch tank is a fun way to learn about that ocean connection.
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What Stingrays Live In The Sea Of Cortez?
The Sea of Cortez is home to many species of marine life, including several species of stingrays. One of the species, the Cortez round ray, is a small, spotted ray that blends into sandy seafloors.
You’ll also find cow nose rays and various round stingrays that glide through shallow coastal waters. These species are adapted to warm, nutrient-rich waters that have a surprising array of marine life.
The Desert Museum has quite a few cownose stingrays, because they’re known for their gentle behavior and smooth, almost velvety skin.
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Stingrays in Tucson: the Bigger Picture
Seeing and interacting with stingrays in Tucson is a wonderful way to tell the bigger story of the Sonoran Desert. The area is deeply connected to the sea, and the Gulf of California splits the desert into two land regions, linking Arizona to Baja California through its shared ecosystem.
It’s an important connection that brings moisture, supports wildlife, and creates the perfect foundation for monsoon storms, plant growth, and everything that supports life in the desert.
The popular stingray tank is a great place for kids and grown-ups alike to learn about the ocean life that supports the delicate balance of our ecosystem, and a great way to experience an unexpected piece of our Sonoran Desert.
Check out this video. This is Joseph Zelinka, who works at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum's Stingray Tank Exhibit, talking about the stingrays. My husband Dave is asking the questions:
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