Desert Biome in Africa/Asia By T.J. Lohden, Eric Harper, Jade Burgess, and Tyler Williams

The Weather The desert is a harsh environment with very little rainfall and extreme temperatures.

Rainfall A desert is defined as a region that gets less than ten inches of precipitation per year.

Lut Desert One of the driest deserts in the world is the Lut Desert in Iran. This desert gets less than half an inch of precipitation per year.

Temperatures Temperatures exhibit daily extremes because the atmosphere contains little humidity to block the Sun’s rays. Annual temperatures range from 68°F-77°F. Extreme maximum ranges from 110.3°F °F.

Cold Deserts The Gobi Desert in Mongolia is an example of a cold desert. Shares the very cold winters of central Asia.

Namib Desert Summer is very hot and the Namib Desert should be avoided at this time as temperatures are often above 104ºF.

Sahara Desert The world’s largest desert. Covers most of Northern Africa with over 9,000,000 square kilometers (3,500,000 sq mi).

Areas and Attractions in the African Desert 1.Barchans sand dunes 2.Dry steam drainage 3.Richat structure 4.Lake Chad 5.Jebel Marra Volcano 6.Sand dunes 7.Suez canal 8.Complex sand dunes 9.Nile Delta 10.Atlas mountains 11.Pyramids at Abusir

Areas and Attractions in the Asian desert 1.Sand dunes over a hundred meters high some over There are over 80 types of birds and other species 3.Talkman desert 4.Tie man pass 5.Lop Nur people village

Animals of the Deserts Animals include: Hedgehogs Sidewinders Desert Owls Bats Fennec Foxes Dromedary Camels Dama Gazelles Addax Scorpions Roadrunners

Scorpions Scorpions hide under rocks to keep cool during harsh desert days. Scorpions only release a very small amount of venom with their sting, but it can be very potent. Scorpions are very territorial with other scorpions, but often prefer to run from very large predators. Stinging is a last resort, as venom takes some time to concoct.

Ostriches Ostriches live on the outskirts of the Saharan Desert. Ostriches are the second fastest land animal, with a speed of 40mph. They can keep this speed for about 20 minutes. Ostriches do not bury their head in the sand. Ostriches stretch out their neck and lay their head on the ground to keep from being seen.

Kangaroo Rats Kangaroo Rats burrow deep into the sand to stay cool. Kangaroo Rats have the amazing ability to convert food they eat into water. Kangaroo Rats do not pant or sweat like most animals to keep cool.

This cactus has a very thick stem. The leaves of the Peyote Cactus reduce to spines, this helps in preventing water loss Peyote Cactus

The date palm is the most important export from the Sahara desert Key food source for the locals Most meals and drinks include the fruit of the Date Palm Date Palm

Olive trees were first in the African Desert then moved all over the world Key business for the natives Very important to the Sahara Deserts ecosystem Found near the Nile River Olive Tree