Desert animals
Desert animals have unique adaptations to harsh, dry environments. Here are five interesting desert animals:
Fennec fox
Habitat: Sahara Desert, North Africa
Adaptations: Large ears help dissipate heat, thick fur protects them from cold desert nights, and they are able to go long periods without water.
The camel
Habitat: Middle East and North Africa
Adaptations: Camels store fat (instead of water) in their humps, which allows them to go long periods without eating, drink large amounts of water at a time, and stay warm at night.
Wet monsters
Habitat: Southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico
Adaptation: Venomous bite, used for defense and hunting, When food cools, it spends most of its time in the gills to avoid heat.
Kangaroo
Habitat: Deserts of North America
Adaptation: Water efficient kidneys release water and obtain only from these seeds to survive the heat of the day.
Desert Tortoise
Habitat: Southwestern United States
Adaptation: burrows underground to escape heat; When not drinking water, it eats various plants to store water in its bladder.
These animals display the extraordinary adaptations required to survive in some of the most extreme environments on Earth.