ANIMALS
Animals in the desert eat each other.The animals that live in the desert usually have special adaptations that allow them to survive the extreme temperatures and conditions that are present in a desert. A good example of an animal with special adaptations is the camel. A camel can drink very large amounts of water in one day or survive for a relatively long time without drinking any water.Some animals of the desert are also endangered, including the Lappet-Faced Vulture, which is categorized as vulnerable.Because of the harsh conditions in the desert, animals that live there have many adaptations. Some animals never drink, but get their water from seeds (some can contain up to 50% water). Other animals adapt by spending most of the day underground and out of the hot sun. Rattlesnakes, kangaroo rats, and kit foxes are called nocturnal, because they only come out at night to eat and hunt. Some animals never come above ground! Many of the animals that live in the desert are small. When you think of the desert, the first animal that you might think of is the camel. Thousands of years ago traders tamed camels and began to use them to travel across the desert. Today the people of the Sahara desert still use the camel for milk, meat, wool, shade and, of course, transportation. Does your parent ever give you a big hug when you are feeling cold to warm you up? People have warm body temperatures and can get close together to stay warm. An interesting fact about camels is that their body temperature is cooler than the air around them. They huddle together to stay cool! Camels do not store water in their humps like some people believe. It is really fat inside the hump. When they haven't had food in a long time the hump gets smaller and falls over. When they do get food and rest, the hump returns to normal.