Deserts

1. Deserts

2. Climate: seasons are generally warm throughout the year and very hot in the summer. The winters usually bring little precipitation. Temperatures exhibit daily extremes because the atmosphere contains little humidity to block the Sun’s ray.

3. Deserts are dry. There are very few clouds. • Two kinds of deserts: • Hot deserts • Cold deserts • Hot deserts • Temperatures are very warm all year round • The summers are very hot • Cold deserts • Short, warm summers • Long, cold winters • Found in places near the north and south poles

4. Many of the animals in the desert have become nocturnal because of the extreme heat. • Both plants and animals have learned to store water, avoid heat by staying underground, and taking water from nearby plants.

5. Desert Animals • There are many animals in the desert. • They can survive by eating other animals or by eating plants that store water. • To protect them from the hot sun, they stay in the shade or in their shelter. • Animals may build their shelters inside plants. • Some animals sleep during the day and are active at night. • Some animals have hard shells to protect them from losing much water. • More animals live in hot deserts than in cold deserts.

6. The animals include snakes, owls, mice, armadillo lizards, fennec foxes, gila monsters, bats, and vultures.

7. Anteater Camel Roadrunner Gila monster (lizard) Scorpion

8. There are several plants that are able to survive in the desert. • Most plants survive by their long roots to reach underground water sources.

9. Desert Plants • They usually grow close to the ground. • These plants have special parts that help them save water. • The special parts are: thick stem, shallow and wide roots, and thick skin covered with spines instead of leaves.

10. Weird Facts • The Gobi Desert is cold almost all year round. • Deserts spread through desertification. This happens when grasslands surrounding deserts become dry. • Some deserts have gotten nicknames such as Death Valley because of the lack of water.

11. Oasis • Oases are parts of the desert where plants grow and water is almost always available. • An oasis is formed by a pool of water trapped between layers of rock and the desert floor. • The water can allow people to settle and even grow crops in the desert.