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Size: 38,000 sq mi.
Av. Rainfall: -10-18 in./yr
Characteristics:
Rugged plateaus to wooded mountain slopes. It occupies the extreme western part of the state eastward generally to the Pecos River. This is a region of diverse habitats and vegetation, varying from the desert valleys and plateaus to wooded mountain slopes. Mountain outwash materials haved formed the soils of the Trans Pecos. Surface textures and profile characteristics are varied. Soil reaction is generally alkaline. Due to the diversity of soils and elevations, many vegetation types exist in the region.
Although most of Texas is located on flat plains or rolling plains, there are substantial mountains in the Trans-Pecos region or far West Texas. The highest point in the state is Guadalupe Peak at 8,749 feet above sea level. Sea level is the lowest elevation in Texas and can be found in all coastal counties. Elevation naturally rises from east to west and south to north. |
Alpine--16.89 in / 4,485 ft
Balmorhea--14.28in / 3,205 ft
Big Bend Ranch--13.02 in / 1,850-7,835 ft
El Paso--8.39 in / 3,762 ft
Fort Davis--16.78 in / 5,050 ft
Fort Stockton--10.64 in / 2,954 ft
Marathon--12.04 in / 4,043 ft
Marfa--15.88 in / 4,688 ft
Pine Springs--20.17 in / 5,634 ft
Pecos--10.99 in / 2,580 ft
Presidio--10.8 in /
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Gradient from dry to wetter with increasing elevation: Desert shrub- land and succulent shrubland, grassland, oak-juniper- pinyon woodlands; evergreen forests
Texas madrone
Chisos red oak
Chinkapin oak
Big-toothed maple
Mtn. mahogany
Texas kidneywood
New Mexican locust
Mexican buckeye
Mexican pinyon pine
Ponderosa pine
Sand sage
Saltbush
Red barbery
Yucca
Lechiguilla
Prickly pear
Rare Plants and Habitat
Bunched cory cactus:
Rocky slopes, ledges and flats in the Chihuahuan Desert on limestone
Chisos hedgehog cactus:
Open shrublands on gravely flat alluvial fan deposits
Davis green pitaya:
Rocky hillsides of novaculite (a particular kind of rock) outcrops with sparse vegetation
Nellie cory cactus:
Dry, rocky limestone outcrops, on slopes in mountains of Chihuahuan Desert
Sneed pincushion cactus:
Dry, rocky limestone outcrops, on slopes in mountains of Chihuahuan Desert
Hinckley's oak:
Found along arid limestone slopes at mid-elevations in Chihuahuan Desert
Little aguja pondweed:
Known to occur only within quiet seepage pools in Little Aguja Creek in the Davis Mountains
Lloyd's mariposa cactus:
In full sun on limestone outcrops or rocky, alkaline soils on slopes or mesas
Terlingua Creek cat's-eye:
Barren, dry, gypseous clay or chalky shales on low rounded hills and slopes with sparse vegetation |
Antelope
Squirrel
Hooded skunk
Coyote
Javelina
Desert bighorn sheep
Mule deer
Mountain lion
Cactus mouse
Collared lizard
Western diamondback rattlesnake
Montezuma quail
Cactus wren
Roadrunner
Peregrine falcon
Painted redstart
Townsend's big eared bat
Black bear
Tarantula
Horned frog
Rare Animals and Habitat
Greater long-nosed Bat:
High desert regions of Big Bend National Park
Mexican spotted owl:
Canyon woodlands in mountain ranges of West Texas
Desert spring fishes:
Comanche Springs Pupfish; Leon Springs Pupfish; Pecos Gambusia; Big Bend Gambusia:
Spring-fed desert wetlands and streams
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