The Desert Biome By: Anna Gregory

Conditions of the desert The desert biome has extreme heat and extreme dryness. It usually has sudden flash floods. Deserts are very arid. The wettest deserts receive less than ten inches of precipitation each year. There are only a few periods of rain per year, but when it rains, it rains heavily. After the rain, desert flowers bloom. The desert is very hot in the day, and much colder at night. The reason why there is so much variation in one day is because of humidity. Vegetation traps humidity and because the desert does not have much vegetation, temperatures cool down rapidly when the sun sets, and heat up quickly after the sun rises.

Desert animals Animals that live in the desert have many obstacles to overcome. They must have adaptations to survive. Some of the animals may never drink, but they get their water from seeds and plants. Many animals in the desert are nocturnal so that they can hunt at night.

Where is the desert located? Deserts cover about one-seventh of the earth's land surface. There are three types of deserts. They have been classified into sub- tropical desert, cold winter, and the cool coastal deserts. Sub-tropical deserts lie between 15 and 30’ latitude. The Sahara desert is the largest desert in the world. It occupies 8,600,000 sq km of North Africa.