What is a Desert Like?
The desert is a land of extremes:
extreme heat and extreme dryness;
sudden flash floods and cold nights.
Because deserts are such a harsh
environment, deserts often have names
likes "Death Valley," "the empty
quarter," and "the place from where
there is no return."
Dryness
Deserts are usually very,
very dry. Even the wettest
deserts get less than ten
inches of precipitation a
year.
In most places, rain falls
steadily throughout the
year. But in the desert,
there may be only a few
periods of rains per year
with a lot of time between
rains.
Desert in Bloom
When it does
rain, there may
be quite a
downpour!
After the rain,
desert flowers
bloom.
Hot During the Day,
Cool at Night
Everyone knows that during the day many deserts are hot, very hot.
Temperatures in excess of 100 degrees fahrenheit are not uncommon.
Yet at night, the same deserts can have temperatures fall into the 40s or
50s? Why?
Other biomes are insulated by their humidity (water vapor in the air).
Temperate deciduous forests, for example, may have 80 percent
humidity or more during the day. This water reflects and absorbs
sunlight and the energy it brings. At night the water acts like a blanket,
trapping heat inside the forest.
Since deserts usually have only between 10 and 20 percent humidity to
trap temperatures and have so few trees and other vegetation to retain
heat, they cool down rapidly when the sun sets, and heat up quickly
after the sun rises.
Types of Deserts
Believe it or not, deserts come in
two varieties: hot and cold.
Hot Deserts
Cold Deserts
Hot Deserts of the World-1
The main form of precipitation in a
hot desert is rain. But that's only ten
inches or less of rain per year.
Arabian, Australian,
Chihuahuan, Kalahari, Mojave,
Monte, Sahara, Sonoran, Thar.
Hot Deserts of the World-2
Hot Deserts of the World
Name
Location
Size
Physical
Features
Some
Plants
Animals
Arabian
Arabian
Peninsula
900,000
mi2
2,300,000
km2
Covered
almost
entirely by sand;
has some of the
most
extensive
stretches of sand
dunes in the world.
acacia, oleander, saltbush
desert locust, dromedary
camel,
gazelle,
lizard,
jackal, oryx
Nomadic
Bedouin
tribes
have
travelled
through
the
Arabian Desert
for thousands of
years.
Australian
(Great
Sandy,
Victoria,
Simpson, Gibson,
and
Sturt)
Australia
890,00 mi2
2,300,000
km2
(1/3
of
Australia)
Great
Sandy,
Victoria,
and
Simpson are sandy;
Gibson and Sturt
are stony.
acacia, casuarina tree,
eucalyptus,
saltbush,
spinifex grass
blue-tongued
lizard,
dingo, fat-tailed mouse,
kangaroo,
marsupial
mole,
rabbit-eared
bandicoot, sand goanna,
spinifex hopping mouse,
throny devil
Aborigines have
lived
in
the
Australian
deserts for over
30,000 years.
&
Special
Facts
Hot Deserts of the World-3
Chihuahuan
North
Central
Mexico and
Southwester
n
United
States
(Arizona,
New Mexico,
Texas)
175,000
mi2
455,000
km2
High plateau
covered
by
stony areas
and
sandy
soil.
Many
mountains
and mesas.
cacti,
chihuahuan
flax, creosote
bush,
lechuguilla,
mesquite,
mexican gold
poppy
coyote,
diamondback
rattlesnake,
javelina,
kangaroo rat,
roadrunner
Largest North American
desert.
Big
Bend
National Park located
here; more species of
birds seen in Big Bend
than
in
any
other
National Park in the U.S.
Kalahari
Southwester
n Africa
200,000
mi2
520,000
km2
Covered
by
sand
dunes
and
gravel
plains.
acacia, aloe
gazelle,
gerbil,
ground
squirrel,
hyena,
jackel,
sandgrouse,
springbok
Bushman have lived in
the Kalahari for 20,000
years.
Hot Deserts of the World-4
Mojave
Southwestern
United
States
(Arizona,
California,
Nevada)
25,000 mi2
65,000 km2
Covered by sandy soil,
gravelly
pavement,
and salt flats.
creosote bush,
desert
sand
verbena, joshua
tree, mesquite
bighorn sheep,
chuckwalla,
coyote,
jackrabbit,
sidewinder,
zebra-tailed
lizard
Death Valley
in this desert.
Monte
Argentina
125,000
mi2
325,000
km2
Covered by sand and
soil
cardon
cactus,
creosote bush,
paloverde
armadillo, cavy,
jaguarundi,
puma, tinamou,
tuco-tuco
Very similar to
Sonoran Desert
Sahara
Northern Africa
3,500,000
mi2
9,100,000
km2
Covered by mountains,
rocky areas, gravel
plains, salt flats, huge
areas of dunes. Areas
in
the
central
sometimes get no rain
for years at a time.
acacia, grasses,
tamarisks
addax antelope,
dorcas gazelle,
fennec
fox,
horned
viper,
jackal,
jerboa,
sandgrouse,
spiny-yailed
lizard
Largest desert in the
world. Fewer than 2
million
inhabitants
(mostly nomads such
as
the
Tuareg).
Crossed
by
Arab
caravans
since
the
10th century.
located
the
Hot Deserts of the World-5
Sonoran
Southwester
n
United
States
(Arizona,
California)
and parts of
Mexico (Baja
Peninsula,
Sonora)
120,000
mi2
312,000
km2
Covered by sand,
soil, and gravelly
pavement.
Gets
more rain than any
other
North
American desert.
agave,
coulter's
globemallow,
creosote
bush,
desert mariposa lily,
mesquite,
ocotillo,
paloverde, saguaro
coati, elf owl, gila
monster, kangaroo
rat,
pack
rat,
roadrunner,
sidewinder,
tarantula
Most
complex
animal-plant
community
of
any
desert.
One of the
most
beautiful
deserts
in
the world.
Thar
India
and
Pakistan
77,000
mi2
200,000
km2
Majority of desert
covered by sand
dunes; rest covered
by gravel plains
acacia, euphorbias,
grasses, shrubs
black
buck,
dromedary
camel,
great
Indian
bustard,
Indian
spiny-tailed
lizard,
jackel, sandgrouse
Small
villages
of
ten
to
twenty
houses
scattered
throughout
the Thar.
Cold Deserts of the World-1
The main form of precipitation in a
cold desert is snow -- but only ten
inches or less per year.
Antarctica, Atacama, Gobi,
Great Basin, Iranian, Namib,
Takla Makan, Turkestan,
Cold Deserts of the World-2
Name
Location
Size
Physical
Features
Some Plants
Animals
Antarctica
Continent of
Antarctica
5,500,000
mi2
14,245,000 km2
Antarctica
is
about
98% thick
continental
ice
sheet
and
2%
barren rock.
small amounts of
lichen and moss
seal, penguin,
albatross, skua
The coldest, windiest,
driest continent.
Atacama
Coasts
of
Peru
and
Chile
54,000
140,000 km2
Covered by
sand dunes
and pebbles.
One of the
driest areas
on earth.
bunchgrass,
cardon
cactus,
tamaruga trees
lizards,
llama,
Peruvian
fox,
nesting area for
many seabirds
Only a few thousand
people
(mostly
farmers) live in the
inland desert areas.
Large
deposits
of
sodium nitrate are
found in the desert.
Sodium
nitrate
is
used
to
make
gunpowder.
mi2
&
Special Facts
Cold Deserts of the World-3
Gobi
Northern
China and
Southern
Mongolia
450,000
mi2
1,200,000
km2
Covered
by sandy
soil and
areas of
small
stones
called
"gobi."
camel's thorn,
grasses
bactrian
bamel,
gazelle,
gerbil, jerboa,
lizards,
onager, wolf
Crossed
by
Genghis Khan in
the early 13th
century.
Many
nomads
now
settling
on
government-run
farms.
Great
Basin
Western
United
States
(Idaho,
Nevada,
Oregon,
and Utah)
158,000
mi2
411,000 km2
Covered
by sand,
gravel,
and clay.
Many
moutains
ranges,
basins,
and large
expanses
of
salt
flats.
greasewood,
sagebrush,
shadscale
bighorn
sheep,
jackrabbit,
pocket mouse,
poor-will,
pronghorn
antelope, sage
thrasher, sideblotched
lizard
Great Salt Lake
located here.
Cold Deserts of the World-4
Iranian
Iran,
Afghanist
an,
and
Pakistan
150,000
mi2
390,000 km2
Covered
by coarse
gray soil,
stony
pavement,
and salt
flats.
grasses,
World's
largest
pistachio trees, salt flat located
shrubs
here.
monitor lizard,
onager, oryx,
scorpion
Namib
Coasts of
Southwes
tern
Africa
52,000
mi2
135,000 km2
Covered
by
sand
dunes
along the
coast and
gravel
farther
inland.
aloe,
bunchgrass,
lichens,
welwitschia
darkling
beetle, fringetoed
lizard,
golden mole,
jackal,
sidewinder,
viper,
webfooted gecko
Coast
of
the
Namib Desert is
world's greatest
source
of
gemstones.
Cold Deserts of the World-5
Takla
Makan
Western
China
600,000 mi2
1,600,000
km2
Covered
by sand
dunes
and
rocky
soil.
grasses,
shrubs
bactrian
camel, jerboa,
long-eared
hedgehog,
gazelle
The word "Takla
Makan" means
"place
from
which there is
no return."
Crossed
by
Marco Polo in
the
13th
Century.
Turkesta
n
Parts of
the
Middle
East and
Southwes
tern
Russia
215,000 mi2
559,000 km2
Covered
mostly
by
extensiv
e
stretches
of
sand
dunes.
alhagi shrub,
saxaul
tree,
sedges, thick
ground cover
desert
tortoise,
gazelle,
gerbil, saiga
antelope
Crossed
by
caravans
following
silk
route
from
China in Europe
in ancient times.
The great city of
Samarkand,
once a cultural
and
religious
center of central
Asia,
was
located here.
Where Are Deserts
Located?
Many deserts are found in bands along 30 degrees
latitude north and 30 degrees latitude south (between the
red lines on the map).
Location
Some deserts located by mountains and are
caused by the "rainshadow" effect. As air moves
up over a mountain range, it gets cold and loses
the ability to hold moisture -- so it rains or
snows. When the air moves down the other side
of the mountain, it gets warmer. Warm air can
hold lots of moisture, so it doesn't rain as much,
and a desert is formed.
Deserts of the World
The graph below compares the sizes of the world's largest deserts.
World's Largest Deserts
Desert
Location
Square
Miles
Square
Kilometers
Antarctica
Antarctica
5,500,000
14,245,000
Sahara
North Africa
3,500,000
9,065,000
Gobi
Mongolia-China
500,000
1,295,000
Kalahari
Great
Victoria
Great Sandy
Southern Africa
225,000
582,000
Australia
150,000
338,500
Australia
150,000
338,500
Deserts of North
America-1
Deserts of North
America-2
Name
Location
Size
Physical
Features
Some Plants &
Animals
Special Facts
Chihuahuan
175,000 mi2
455,000 km2
High plateau
covered by stony
areas and sandy soil.
Many mountains and
mesas.
cacti, chihuahuan
flax, creosote bush,
lechuguilla,
mesquite, mexican
gold poppy
Largest North
American desert.
Big Bend
National Park
located here;
more species of
birds seen in Big
Bend than in any
other National
Park in the U.S.
North
Central
Mexico and
Southwester
n United
States
(Arizona,
New Mexico,
Texas)
Great Basin
Western
United
States
(Idaho,
Nevada,
Oregon, and
Utah)
coyote, diamondback
rattlesnake, javelina,
kangaroo rat,
roadrunner
158,000 mi2
411,000 km2
Covered by sand,
gravel, and clay.
Many moutains
ranges, basins, and
large expanses of
salt flats.
greasewood,
sagebrush,
shadscale
bighorn sheep,
jackrabbit, pocket
mouse, poor-will,
pronghorn antelope,
sage thrasher, sideblotched lizard
Great Salt Lake
located here.
Deserts of North
America-3
Mojave
Southwest
ern United
States
(Arizona,
California,
Nevada)
Sonoran
Southwest
ern United
States
(Arizona,
California)
and parts
of Mexico
(Baja
Peninsula,
Sonora)
25,000 mi2
65,000 km2
Covered by sandy
gravelly pavement,
salt flats.
soil,
and
creosote bush, desert
sand verbena, joshua
tree, mesquite
Death
Valley
located in this
desert.
bighorn
sheep,
chuckwalla,
coyote,
jackrabbit, sidewinder,
zebra-tailed lizard
120,000 mi2
312,000 km2
Covered by sand, soil, and
gravelly pavement. Gets
more rain than any other
North American desert.
agave,
coulter's
globemallow, creosote
bush, desert mariposa
lily, mesquite, ocotillo,
paloverde, saguaro
coati, elf owl, gila
monster, kangaroo rat,
pack rat, roadrunner,
sidewinder, tarantula
Most complex
animal-plant
community of
any desert.
Desert Plants
Deserts are the home
to many living things.
In fact, deserts are
second only to tropical
rainforests in the
variety of plant and
animal species that
live there.
How do you think
plants grow in a place
that is very, very dry?
Adaptations
Many of the fascinating features of
desert plants are adaptations -traits that help the plant survive in
its harsh environment. Desert plants
have two main adaptations:
Ability to collect and store water
Features that reduce water loss
Desert plants often look different
than plants in any other biome.
The stem of the Saguaro Cactus stores
all of its water. The stem is green.
Photosynthesis occurs in the top layer
of the stem instead of in leaves. This
plant has another adaptation that is
hidden from us. This is its large net of
roots -- that extend far away from its
trunk. How would these roots help a
desert plant? The roots collect water
after rain. Stored in the pleated
expandable stem, the water keeps the
saguaro alive until the next rain.
Saguaro fruit is used in jam and
woody skeletons are used in building
materials. The Saguaro only grows in
the Sonoran Desert.
Saguaro
What part of the Saguaro Cactus
stores water?
Barrel Cactus
The pleated shape of the
Barrel Cactus allows it to
expand when it rains and
store water in its spongy
tissue. It shrinks in size
during dry times as it
uses the stored water.
How do the pleats of the Barrel
Cactus help it survive?
Old Man Cactus
The white hairy
surface of the Old
Man Cactus helps
the plant reflect
the hot desert
sun.
Why is the Old Man Cactus so hairy?
Prickly Pear Cactus
Since many desert plants
store water in their spongy
tissue, animals will eat them
for the moisture. The thorns
keep them safe from many
animal predators. You can
find lots of Prickly Pear
Cactus in the Chihuahuan
desert.
Why do cacti like the Prickly Pear
have so many thorns?
Dragon Tree
The Dragon Tree is not from the
American deserts. It is from the
Canary Islands. It has a sap that
hardens to a dark red. People
call the sap "Dragon's Blood."
The sap is sometimes used as a
fake stone in jewelry.
How did the Dragon Tree get
its name?
Fish Hook Cactus
The fish hook shaped spines of the
Fish Hook Cactus help divert heat
and shade the growing tip of the
plant. Many cacti lean further
toward the sun as they grow. Some
may eventually uproot themselves.
How do the thorns of the Fish
Hook Cactus help it survive?
Desert Spoon
Succulent leaves can store water inside
them. These leaves are usually thick
and tough to reduce water loss. The
Desert Spoon has leaves that are
trimmed and polished for sales as
curios. The papago and Pima Indians
use them in baskets. The woody stems
contain a sugary sap that can be
fermented into a drink that is called
sotol.
Many desert plants, like the Desert Spoon,
are succulent. What does that mean?
Aloe
The waxy surface of the aloe plant
acts like a plastic wrapper, keeping
precious water inside. For centuries,
the juice of the aloe plant has been
used by Native Americans as a
medicine. Today, doctors recognize
the healing properties of the Aloe
plant. Many people keep an aloe
plant in their kitchen. Its juice is
helpful to soothe the pain of burns.
Why do so many desert plants, like the
Aloe, have waxy surfaces?
Joshua Tree
The Joshua Tree grows in
the Mojave desert. It is a
large desert plant with
spiky leaves. It also has a
fruit which is food for
desert animals.
Are there trees in the desert?
Yucca
The Yucca is an amazingly hardy
plant. Not only does it grow in
the desert, but it can grow in a
wide variety of other climates.
Perhaps you have one growing
somewhere near you.
Have you seen a Yucca in your neighborhood?
Desert Animals
Animals in the desert must survive in a hostile
environment. Intense heat, searing sun, and lack
of water are just a few of the challenges facing
desert animals.
Animals that live in the hot desert have many
adaptations. Some animals never drink, but get
their water from seeds (some can contain up to
50% water) and plants. Many animals are
nocturnal, sleeping during the hot day and only
coming out at night to eat and hunt. Some
animals rarely spend any time above ground.
Spadefoot toads spend nine months of every year
underground!
Addax-1
Class: Mammalia:
Mammals
Diet: Plants
Order: Artiodactyla: Even-toed Ungulates
Size: body:1.3 m (4 1/4 ft), tail: 25 - 35 cm (9 3/4 - 13
3/4 in)
Family: Bovidae: Bovids
Conservation Status:
Vulnerable
Scientific Name: Addax
nasomaculatus
Habitat: sandy and
stony desert
Range: Africa: E. Mauritania, W. Mali; patchy
distribution in Algeria, Chad, Niger and Sudan
Addax-2
With its heavy head and shoulders and
slender hindquarters, the addax is a clumsylooking animal. Its coloration varies widely
between individuals, but there is always a
mat of dark-brown hair on the forehead, and
both sexes have thin, spiral horns. Addax are
typical desert-dwellers, with their large,
widespreading hoofs, adapted to walking on
soft sand, and they never drink, obtaining all
the moisture they need from their food,
which includes succulents. Their nomadic
habits are closely linked to the sporadic rains,
for addax appear to have a special ability to
find the patches of desert vegetation that
suddenly sprout after a downpour. They are
normally found in herds of 20 to 200. The
female produces 1 young after a gestation of
8 1/2 months.
Cactus Wren-1
Class: Aves: Birds
Diet: Insects
Order: Passeriformes: Perching birds
Size: body:18 - 22 cm (7 - 8 1/2 in)
Family: Troglodytidae: Wrens
Conservation Status: Nonthreatened
Scientific Name: Campylorhynchus
brunneicapillus
Habitat: desert, arid scrubland
Range: Southwestern U.S.A. to central Mexico
Cactus Wren-2
The largest North American wren, the cactus wren
has a distinctive white stripe over each eye and a
longer-than-usual tail, which it does not normally
cock up. Cactus wrens frequent areas with thorny
shrubs, cacti and trees and forage mostly on the
ground around vegetation for insects, such as beetles,
ants, wasps, and grasshoppers, and occasionally
lizards or small frogs. Some cactus fruit and berries
and seeds are also eaten. The wrens can run swiftly
but usually fly if traveling any distance. Nests are
made for roosting in at night and for shelter in bad
weather. The breeding season begins in March or
April, and there may be two or three broods. The nest
is a bulky, domed structure, made of plant fibers,
twigs and dead leaves, with a tubelike side entrance
that can be up to 15 cm (6 in) long; it is lined with fur
or feathers. The nest is situated on a prickly cholla
cactus or amid the sharp leaves of a yucca or other
thorny bush. From 3 to 7 eggs, usually 4 to 5, are laid
and then incubated by the female for about 16 days.
Desert Lark-1
Class: Aves: Birds
Diet: Seeds
Order: Passeriformes: Perching birds
Size: body:15 cm (6 in)
Family: Alaudidae: Larks
Conservation Status: Non-threatened
Scientific Name: Ammomanes
deserti
Habitat: stony, hilly desert, dry wooded
slopes
Range: Africa: Sahara; Middle East, through Iran to Afghanistan
Desert Lark-2
The plumage of the desert lark perfectly
matches the color of the desert soil and is the
best example of soil camouflage in birds. The
very dark subspecies, A. d. annae, blends with
the black larval sand of central Arabia, while
the pale race, A. d. isabellina, does not stray
from areas of white sand.
The nest is usually built up
against a rock or tuft of grass
and is reinforced on the
windward side by small
decorative pebbles. In the harsh
desert interior, 3 eggs are laid,
while 4 or 5 may be produced at
the desert edge.
Dingo-1
Class: Mammalia:
Diet: Large mammals
Mammals
Order: Carnivora: Carnivores
Size: body:about 1.5 m (5 ft), tail: about 35 cm (13
3/4 in)
Family: Canidae: Conservation Status: NonDogs, Foxes
threatened
Scientific Name:
Canis dingo
Range: Australia
Habitat: sandy desert to wet
and dry sclerophyll forest
Dingo-2
The dingoes are descended from domesticated
dogs introduced by the aboriginal human
inhabitants of Australia many thousands of
years ago. In anatomy and behavior, dingoes
are indistinguishable from domestic dogs, but
the two have interbred for so long that there
are now few pure dingoes. They live in family
groups but may gather into bigger packs to
hunt large prey.
Originally they fed on kangaroos, but when
white settlers started to kill off the kangaroos,
dingoes took to feeding on introduced sheep
and rabbits. A litter of 4 or 5 young is born in
a burrow or rock crevice after a gestation of
about 9 weeks. The young are suckled for 2
months and stay with their parents for at least
a year.
Fat Sand Rat-1
Class: Mammalia: Mammals
Diet: Seeds, vegetation
Order: Rodentia: Rodents
Size: body:14 - 18.5 cm (5 1/2 - 7 1/4 in), tail: 12 - 15 cm (4 3/4 - 6 in)
Family: Gerbillinae: Gerbils
Conservation Status: Non-threatened
Scientific Name: Psammomys obesus
Habitat: sandy desert
Range: Algeria, east to Saudi Arabia
Fat Sand Rat-2
The fat sand rat overcomes the problem of the unpredictability of desert food
supplies by laying down a thick layer of fat all over its body when food is
abundant. It then lives off this fat when food is short. Active day and night, this
gerbil darts about collecting seeds and other vegetation which it carries back to
its burrow. In early spring, a brood chamber is made and lined with finely
shredded vegetation, and the first litter of the year is born in March. There are
usually 3 to 5 young in a litter, and the breeding season continues until late
summer.
Fennec Fox-1
Class: Mammalia:
Mammals
Diet: Small mammals
Order: Carnivora: Carnivores
Size: body:37 - 41 cm (14 1/2 - 16 in), tail: 19 - 21 cm
(7 1/2 - 8 1/4 in)
Family: Canidae:
Dogs, Foxes
Conservation Status: Nonthreatened
Scientific Name:
Vulpes zerda
Habitat: desert, semidesert
Range: North Africa: Morocco to Egypt, south to
Northern Niger, Sudan; east to Sinai Peninsula and
Kuwait
Fennec Fox-2
The smallest of the foxes, the fennec fox
is identified by its relatively huge ears.
It shelters in burrows it digs in the
sand and is generally active at night,
when it preys on small rodents, birds,
insects and lizards.
Gila Monster-1
Class: Reptilia: Reptiles
Diet: Small mammals, eggs
Order: Squamata: Lizards and Snakes
Size: body:45 - 61 cm (17 3/4 - 24 in)
Family: Helodermatidae: Gila
Monster
Scientific Name: Heloderma
suspectum
Conservation Status: Non-threatened
Habitat: arid and semiarid areas with some
vegetation
Range: Southwestern U.S.A.: Southern Utah, Arizona to New Mexico; Mexico
Gila Monster-2
This formidable, heavy-bodied lizard has a short,
usually stout tail, in which it can store fat for use
in periods of food shortage. It is gaudily
patterned and has brightly colored beadlike
scales on its back. The gila lives on the ground
and shelters under rocks or in a burrow, which it
digs itself or takes over from another animal. It is
primarily nocturnal but may emerge during the
day in spring. The two members of the gila
monster family are the only venomous lizards.
The venom is produced in glands in the lower
jaw and enters the mouth via grooved teeth at
the front of the lower jaw; it flows into the
victim as the lizard chews. The gila also eats
the eggs of birds and reptiles. Gila monsters
mate in the summer, and the female lays 3 to 5
eggs some time later, in the autumn or winter.
Great Jerboa-1
Class: Mammalia: Mammals
Diet: Seeds, insects
Order: Rodentia: Rodents
Size: body:19 - 15 cm (3 1/2 - 6 in), tail: 16 - 22 cm (6 1/4 - 8 1/2 in)
Family: Dipodidae: Jerboas
Conservation Status: Non-threatened
Scientific Name: Allactaga major
Habitat: Allactaga major
Range: Russia: Ukraine, east to China
Great Jerboa-2
The great jerboa and 8 of the 9 other species in the genus
Allactaga have five toes on each hind foot. Great jerboas feed on
seeds and insects, which they find by combing through the sand
with the long slender claws on their front feet. They are nocturnal,
spending the day in burrows; they also hibernate in burrows. One
or two litters are produced each year.
Great Mouse-Tailed
Bat-1
Class: Mammalia:
Mammals
Diet: Flying insects
Order: Chiroptera: Bats
Size: body:6 - 8 cm (2 1/4 - 3 in), wingspan: 17 - 25
cm (6 3/4 - 10 in), tail: 6 - 8 cm (2 1/4 - 3 in)
Family: Rhinopomatidae: Conservation Status:
Mouse-tailed Bats
Non-threatened
Scientific Name:
Rhinopoma microphyllum
Habitat: treeless arid
land
Range: Middle and Near East
Great Mouse-Tailed Bat-2
Colonies of thousands of mouse-tailed bats occupy roosts in large ruined buildings, often
palaces and temples. They feed exclusively on insects, and in those areas where a cool
season temporarily depletes the food supply, the bats may enter a deep sleep resembling
torpor. Prior to this, they lay down thick layers of fat which may weigh as much as the
bats themselves, and with this they survive for many weeks with neither food nor water.
As they sleep, the accumulated fat is used up, and by the time the cold season is passed,
nothing of it remains. Mouse-tailed bats mate at the beginning of spring, and the female
produces a single offspring after a gestation of about 4 months. The young bat is weaned
at 8 weeks but does not attain sexual maturity until its second year.
Lappet-Faced
Vulture-1
Class: Aves: Birds
Diet: Carrion
Order: Falconiformes: Birds of Prey
Size: body:100 - 115 cm (39 - 45 in)
Family: Accipitridae: Vultures, Eagles,
Hawks
Conservation Status: Nonthreatened
Scientific Name: Torgos tracheliotus
Habitat: bush, desert
Range: Northern, southern, and eastern Africa
Lappet-Faced
Vulture-2
The lappet-faced is a typical Old World
vulture with perfect adaptations for a
scavenging life. Its powerful hooked bill cuts
easily into carrion, and its bare head and neck
save lengthy feather-cleaning after plunging
deep into a messy carcass.
The immense broad wings, with widely
spaced primary feathers, are ideal for
soaring and gliding for long periods, using
few wing beats. No real mating display has
been observed. A huge stick nest is made at
the top of a tree or on a crag, and the female
lays 1 egg.
Sidewinder-1
Class: Reptilia: Reptiles
Diet: Small mammals
Order: Squamata: Lizards and Snakes
Size: body:43 - 82 cm ( 17 - 32 1/4 in)
Family: Crotalidae: Pit Vipers
Conservation Status: Non-threatened
Scientific Name: Crotalus cerastes
Habitat: desert, rocky hillsides
Range: Southwestern U.S.A.: Southern California, Nevada and Utah, south to
Mexico
Sidewinder-2
A small agile snake, the sidewinder has a distinctive
hornlike projection over each eye. It is chiefly nocturnal
and takes refuge in the burrow of another animal or under
a bush during the day. At night it emerges to hunt its prey,
mainly small rodents, such as pocket mice and kangaroo
rats, and lizards. A desert inhabitant, this snake moves
with a sideways motion, known as sidewinding, thought to
be the most efficient mode of movement for a snake on
sand. It throws its body into lateral waves, only two short
sections of it touching the ground.
All the snake's weight, therefore, is pushing against
the ground at these points, and this provides the
leverage to move it sideways. As it travels, the snake
leaves a trail of parallel J-shaped markings. An ideal
form of movement in open, sparsely vegetated country,
sidewinding has the advantage of reducing contact
between the snake's body and the hot sand.
Sidewinders mate in April or May, and the female
gives birth to 5 to 18 live young about 3 months later.
Thorny Devil-1
Class: Reptilia:
Reptiles
Diet: Ants, termites
Order: Squamata: Lizards and Snakes
Size: body:16 cm (6 1/4 in)
Family: Agamidae:
Agamid Lizards
Conservation Status:
Non-threatened
Scientific Name:
Moloch horridus
Habitat: arid scrub,
desert
Range: Australia: Western, North and South,
Queensland
Thorny Devil-2
The grotesque thorny devil is the only species in
its genus and one of the strangest of lizards. Its
body bristles with large, conical spines, and it
has spines above each eye and a spiny hump
behind its head. The tail, too, is spiny. It is a
slow-moving creature, which forages for its food,
mainly ants and termites, on the ground. The
female thorny devil lays 3 to 10 eggs, usually 8,
in November or December. The newly hatched
young are tiny, spiny replicas of their parents.
Desert Gallery-1
Desert Gallery-2
Sand Dunes
The Hoodoos Of Bryce Canyon
Concretions
Alluvial Fan
Desert Gallery-3
Desert Gallery-4
Desert Gallery-5
Pima Pineapple Cactus
Coryphantha scheeri var. robustispina
Kearney's Blue Star
Amsonia kearneyana
Desert Gallery-6
Jaguar
Pantera onca arizonensis
Mexican Gray Wolf
Canis lupus baileyi
Desert Gallery-7
Aplomado Falcon
Falco femoralis septentrionalis
Cactus Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl
Glaucidium brasilianum cactorum
Desert Gallery-8
Desert Gallery-9
The Gila Monster
Heloderma suspectum
American Turkey
Meleagris gallopavo
Western Banded Gecko
Coleonyx variegatus
Western Coral Snake
Micruroides euryxanthus
Desert Gallery10
Desert Gallery11
Desert Links-1
Principal Deserts of the World - This site lists location, size, and
topography information for 24 of the world's deserts.
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0778851.html
The Desert Biome - This is a good general desert site.
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/glossary/gloss5/biome/deserts.html
Living Desert Zoo and Gardens - The Living Desert occupies 1,800
acres of the Colorado Desert, 300 of which are developed as a zoo, botanical
garden and natural history museum. This site features detailed fact sheets
about desert animals.
http://www.livingdesert.org/
Desert Links-2
Sonoran Desert Kids - Designed for kids, this site features animal fact
sheets, games, and a glossary.
http://www.co.pima.az.us/cmo/sdcp/kids/
Desert USA - This site includes numerous online maps and information
about animals, plants, geology, and the peoples and cultures of the American
deserts.
http://www.desertusa.com/
Sahara - This site includes geography, climate, wildlife, people, and history
information and is enhanced by numerous video clips, music clips, and
slideshows.
http://www.pbs.org/sahara/