Desert Habitat

1. Desert Habitat

2. Desert Environment • Deserts are the world’s driest habitats. They get very little rain throughout the year. • Most deserts are very hot, but some are cold. • Deserts are usually very windy. • Some hot deserts have large sand dunes, which are large mounds of sand built up by the wind. • At night it can get very cold because there are no clouds to hold in the heat.

3. Where are the world’s deserts? -Hot Deserts: Sahara Desert in Africa, North American Desert, Arabian Desert, Australian Desert, Iranian Desert, Thar Desert -Cold Desserts: Gobi Desert in Africa, Patagonian Dessert, Namib Desert, Turkestan Desert

4. Desert Plants -Desert plants have adapted to cope with little rain fall. -The cactus is the most famous desert plant. They have thick stems that can store lots of water. Some have strong, sharp spikes to prevent animals from eating them. -The Welwitschia plant has leaves that absorb tiny droplets of water from fog that drifts across the desert.

5. Desert Animals -Desert animals have to survive hot days and cold nights. -Fennec foxes have a coat of fur that keeps them warm at night and cool during the day because of the light, reflective fur. -Jackrabbits lose heat through their large ears. -Desert squirrels flip their bushy tails over their backs during the day. This gives them shade from the sun. -Many animals cool down by panting or sweating.

6. Other Interesting Facts -The plants that are able to grow in the desert biome store water in their stem. They normally grow spaced out so that their roots can extend and find water. -Some deserts are so hot that when it rains, the water evaporates in the air before ever hitting the ground. -The driest desert on Earth receives on average 1 centimeter of rainfall every 5 to 20 years. -The desert habitat can be found on every continent except Europe.