DESERT

FLORA AND FAUNA

• Deserts cover about a fifth of the earth's

surface and occur where rainfall is less than 50

cm/year!

• There are both hot and cold deserts. Antarctica

is the largest desert in the world, while the

Sahara in Africa is the largest of the hot deserts.

• Another type of desert is the coastal desert, for

example, the Atacama Desert in Chile.

• In the desert you will find many plants. Deserts plants have many adaptations to survive in such a dry environment. They are good at storing and finding water. The most common desert plant is the cactus.

• Plants have adapted so that their roots are shallow enough to reach the water of a storm, or deep enough to access the ground water. 

Agave

Barrel Cactus

Joshua Tree

Ocotillo

Prickly Pear

Saguaro Cactus

Camel

Armadillo Lizard

Gila Monster

Thorny Devil

Sonoran Desert Toad

Desert Tortoise

Javelina

Dingo

Fennec Fox

Lappet-faced Vulture

Sidewinder Snake

• All the images have been taken from

Wikimedia Commons