Desert
Erica Wilson
Sahara Desert
The desert biome is very vast and can be found on every continent except for Europe. There are four different types of desserts, the cold desert, the coastal desert, the semiarid desert, and the hot and dry desert. The largest hot and dry desert would be the Sahara desert in specific. It is located in the northern portion of Africa and covers over 3,500,000 square miles and stretches west to the Atlantic Ocean.
Sahara Desert Seasons
In the Sahara desert, like most desert biomes, it only has two main seasons. These two seasons are winter and summer. Summer usually lasts from around May to October. It is averaged that during this summer the average temperature in July was around 106 degrees F. The winter lasts from November to April. During the winter it averaged in January to be around 74 degrees F. What is so interesting about the seasons in a desert is that they change very quickly and it makes the air more dry. Do to the major change in temperatures, the Sahara has a sand storm about once a year that they call Khamsin.
Sahara Desert Animals
While the desert may not be the most plentiful biome, it still has many inhabitants especially in the Sahara desert. A few animals that are well known are the camel, scarab beetle, addax antelope, death stalker scorpion, sidewinder snake, ostrich, monitor lizard, fennec fox, and the jerboa.
Animal Adaptations
Due to the lack of rainfall and harsh temperatures in the desert biome, animals must adapt to the environment so that they can live comfortably. For example the camel stores fat in the humps on its back so that it can be used as energy when food is scarce. Another adaptation that is notable is the ears of the fennec fox. The ears that they have do more than just help them hear, they also assist in releasing body heat so that they keep cool. Lastly deserts such as the Sahara have animals such as jerboa that find ways to survive. The jerboa are animals that don't have to drink water, which is a huge deal since deserts seem to lack this for the majority of times. When it does need water, it can extract enough from food to continue surviving.
Sahara Desert Plants and Adaptations
Cacti
The cacti are very vast in the desert biome. They can survive because they are very resourceful when it comes to moisture preservation with the usage of their thick trunks.
Grass
Surprising grass is another plant that can survive in the desert. They are fast growing and can survive the climate by growing independently rather than in groups like other grasses.
Palm Trees
The palm trees can also survive in the desert biome. This is possible due to their long roots that store water when it is given.
Soil Conditions
The soil is shallow, rocky, or gravely good with drainage and contains no surface water at all because their is less chemical weathering. Most desert soils are called Aridisols which are basically dry soil. In the Sahara they have what is call Entisols. Entisols are new soils, like sand dunes, which are too dry for any major soil horizon development. Most desert soils are pretty fertile, but it is the lack of water that stops a large amount of irrigation.