Hot Desert
By: Conner Kite and Samantha Ibarra
Climate and Temperature
- In an average year hot deserts only get about 3 - 5 inches of rainfall
- The temperatures in the hot desert is annually 20-25º C.
- The most extreme temperature can reach 43.5-49º C.
- The lowest temperature is normally around -18º C.
Animals
Jerry the Gila Monster
The gila monster is a large bodied lizard. They have a large head with small beady eyes and short tails. The adaptations these lizards have had are their camouflage to blend in to the surroundings then their claws help dig burrows so they can stay cool during the intense heat, also their tongue helps to sense information about the area through scent. The last adaptation is the fact they store fat in their for the times food becomes very scarce.
Donna the Red-Tailed Hawk
Red-tailed hawks are one of the largest hawks. These hawks live just about in any biome, so living in the desert is nothing rare for them. Their adaptations are their amazing eye sight to find prey and they live in any of the trees that are extremely scarce.
Tommy T the Giant Yucca Skipper
The yucca moth has a strange bond with the yucca plants where they can not live without each other. Yucca plants rely on the yucca moths to pollinate for them and the yucca plants are the main and almost only food source of the yucca moth. This adaptation has kept them alive for so long.
Plants
Saguaro cactus
One of the main adaptations of this cactus is shared among its relatives where instead of leaves they have spines to conserve water. The spines also protect the cactus from predators that would try to eat it. They have more parenchyma cells then most plants to conserve water. Since these cactus hold so much water it helps them keep the heat from rising to lethal levels and then they can release this heat to keep them from freezing at night.
Desert willow tree
The desert willow is a tree that grows to the height of 25 feet. The trunk is up to 6 inches in diameter. They grow mainly near rivers or lakes so they have more water. It grows quickly into a multi-trunk tree, making it more likely to survive periods of strong winds. They have an adaptation that allows the tree to handle rooting anywhere no matter how dry the soil is.
Yucca plant
One of the yucca plants adaptations is that it relies on the yucca moth for pollination. They grow extremely long roots, allowing them to acquire moisture at or near the water table. It has spear like leaves that protect them form animals trying to harm them.
The soil conditions in a hot desert
- The soil is extremely dry in the desert.
- The ground is moved around a lot from the harsh winds making it hard for plants to take root.