Deserts are areas of land that get little to no rainfall.

The desert is usually a region covered with sand or rock, rather than grass or green plants.

The temperature in the desert can go above a sweltering 100 o F during the day, but can plummet at night to 35 o F.

Sand dunes are in certain areas of the desert. The soil in the desert varies. It can be sandy, salty, rocky, or have small pebbles in it. Desert soil is rich in minerals, but lacks organic matter - decayed plants and animals.

Great Basin Patagonian Desert Gobi Desert Australian Desert Sahara Desert Kalahari Desert Atacama Desert

Most desert plants have thick leaves and stems which store water, and have thorns to protect the water from being used by animals.

Dragon TreePrickly Pear Cactus

How do you think plants grow in a place that is very, very dry?

Stomata are the little holes on the underside of a leaf that let air into a plant. Plants like the Octillo have very small leaves and therefore have very few stomata. This makes sure that water inside the plant doesn't evaporate so quickly. Octillo

Joshua TreeBoojum Desert Spoon Fish hook Cactus Aloe Yucca

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.

A Desert Tortoise A Horned Lizard A Desert Hairy Scorpion

* Animals have special body parts that help them get food. Some have excellent vision, a super sense of hearing, or super sense of smell.

Many of the animals are nocturnal, which means they sleep during the day and hunt for food at night. They do this because the desert is too hot during the day, but cools off at night.

Kitfox

Yellow Scorpion

Large Ringed Snake

Lynx

Sand Fox

Desert Lizzard

Ibex

Leopard Gecko

I hope you have enjoyed your journey through the desert. You have seen some of the many plants and animals that make the desert their home.

The End!