The animals that live in deserts look very different from animals that live in other places on Earth. Deserts are hard places for animals to live in.
What is a desert? A desert is an area that gets less than 10 inches of rain a year. Deserts can be very hot, or deserts can be very cold. During the day many deserts are very hot. In these same deserts the temperature can drop below freezing at night!
Some deserts are always cold. Deserts usually have sandy and rocky soil. It is hard for plants to live there. Plants that live in the desert look different from plants that live in other places on Earth. Some deserts have sandstorms. In a sandstorm sand is blown everywhere by the wind. There is very little water to drink in a desert because it doesn't rain often.
Many desert animals have long ears, noses and legs. Ears, noses and legs are parts of the body that help it cool off. The bigger these parts of the body are, the more heat they give off. Desert animals need to get rid of the heat their bodies make. This is the reason why many desert animals' ears, noses and legs are longer than the ears, noses and legs belonging to animals that live in cooler places on Earth.
Because it is cooler in a desert at night, many desert animals are nocturnal. Nocturnal means that they sleep during the day and come out at night. Animals that are nocturnal have very big eyes. They have very big eyes so they see better at night.
The sand in a desert is very hot. Many desert animals have adaptations so their feet don't get burned by the sand. Some animals have fur on the bottom of their feet, or leathery pads on their feet. Think about potholders! These help keep your hands from getting burned when you touch or hold a hot pan.
Believe it or not, some desert animals don't have to drink water very often. They get the water they need from the food they eat. This adaptation helps them live in the desert because the desert has very little water.
Image Credit: Image is from Art Today.