Desert

Sahara Desert

A desert biome is an area that receives less than 25cm (about 9.8 inches) of rainfall a year. Deserts are found in the western part of North America, Western Asia, Central Australia, and along the coast of South America. There are hot deserts in Africa, such as the Sahara, with scorching hot weather during the day and chilly nights.

There are also cold deserts in South America, such as the Atacama, which may have below-freezing temperatures throughout the day and night. Deserts are very dry places. Most of a desert is made up of sand or snow, sand dunes or snowdrifts, and cacti or very small plants. Deserts cover at least 33% of the earth.

Animals and Plants

There are not many animals in the desert, but some animals have learned to survive in various ways. They have different ways to survive the intense conditions of the desert. Examples of animals that live in hot deserts are lizards, small rodents, snakes, and camels. Plants and animals in hot deserts must live with very little water.

Xerophytic plants which live in the desert have special adaptations. They may survive by growing roots that are very near the surface to absorb the rain that may fall before it evaporates. Plants such as the cactus have thick, fleshy stems that help them store water.

Animals such as lizards and small rodents often escape the hot rays by digging underground burrows where they live. They only come out at night to search for food. Like the plants, desert animals must live on as little water as possible. Most of the water used by these animals comes from seeds and stems that absorb and hold water. Camels survive in hot deserts by storing water in body fat in their humps. Like other desert animals, the camel loses little water in wastes.