The great American deserts cover over
two-and-a-half million square kilometres.
Here, roasted by the sun and blasted by the wind,
the rocks disintegrate and mountains, particle by particle,
are reduced to sand.
These pillars are all that remain of a plateau
where dinosaurs once roamed.
Few animals can now survive here.
In summer, as in all deserts, the enemy is heat.
And it returns every day.
At seven in the morning,
the temperature is already 25C.
The clock is ticking for one unusual descendant
of the dinosaurs.
A roadrunner,
found only in the deserts of North America.
Built for a life on the ground.
He can run at over 30km an hour,
but the prey he seeks are one step ahead.
The roadrunner's challenge is picking the right target.
A Gila monster –
too big.
By mid-morning, it will be 40C.
Even the smallest lizards will soon head for cover.
A centipede,
slim pickings for a morning's work.
Hunting should get easier and prey will stay out longer
once the summer's peak begins to fade.