DESERT ANIMALS

By Josie  January 17th, 2023

Pt. 1

There's a large variety of deserts.

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They can be stony and windblown.

There are deserts loaded with plants, desert flora and different succulents.

There are hot, sandy abandons called ergs.

So naturally there's large variety of desert-animals, let's take a look at them:

Their humps empower camels to go up to 100 desert miles without water.

1. Dromedary Camel

Their noses near keep sand under control, and they have thick eyebrows and two columns of long eyelashes to safeguard their eyes.

Huge, extreme lips allow them to pick at dry and prickly desert vegetation.

FAST FACTS: Dromedary Camel

Scientific name:  Camelus dromedarius Weight: 880-1,300 pounds Gestation period: 15 months Lifespan: 40 years Diet: Thorny plants and dry grasses (herbivorous)

There are very nearly 2,000 scorpion species, however just 30 or 40 have sufficient toxin to kill an individual.

2. Scorpion

When food is rare, the scorpion has an ability to astonish to ease back its digestion to just 33% the common rate for arthropods.

Scientists have even frozen scorpions short-term, just to place them in the sun the following day and watch them defrost and leave.

FAST FACTS: Scorpion

Scientific name:  Scorpiones Weight: 0.02 - 0.2 ounces Gestation period: Up to 18 months Life Span: 2-6 years Diet: Insects, spiders and centipedes (Carnivorous)

Without the yucca moth, the yucca plant would lose its just pollinator, and without the plant, the moth would lose its food source.

It utilizes extraordinary limbs around her mouth to convey the cluster of dust to one more bloom on an alternate plant.

3. Yucca Moth

Yucca moths are indigenous to the Southwest, but yucca plants have helped to increase their range north and east.

FAST FACTS: Yucca Moth

Scientific name: Tegeticula yuccasella Weight: up to 1.05 ounces Life Span: Their life cycle spans one year (of which most is spent underground) Diet: Only feeds of the Yucca plant (herbivorous)

Circles of the body are tossed diagonally across the sand so just two focuses are in touch with the ground at any given time.

This keeps the snake from overheating because of unreasonable contact with the desert sand.

4. Sidewinder

Sidewinders are noted for their novel strategy for velocity, which leaves a trademark j-molded trail.

FAST FACTS: Sidewinder

Scientific name: Crotalus cerastes Weight: 3.2-10.6 ounces Life Span: 5-13 years (20 years in captivity) Diet: Mostly lizards and small mammals (carnivorous)

Swipe up for the full story and even more fascinating facts!

It's pretty amazing how animals can adapt to mother nature's extreme conditions, isn't it?

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