Interesting Desert Biome Facts for Kids

When you think of the desert you likely think about sand dunes, hot weather and barren space. You may be half right. The desert biomes around the world may be seemingly barren, but they are not all loaded with sand and they are not all hot all the time.

So what is a desert biome? Deserts are classified by the amount of water that they get or more rightfully do not get every year. Most deserts get less than 10 inches of rain each year. They are dry places that lack humidity but they are not necessarily barren.

They are certainly not lush and green but there are plants and animals that can live in this biome. There is flora and fauna that have special adaptations that allow them to thrive in these environments

The Hot Cold Factor

Deserts can reach blistering temperatures during the day that exceed 100 degrees but because there is no humidity blanket to keep the heat in the temperature can drop drastically as soon as the daylight is gone.

Nights in the desert biomes can be below freezing! It is a very harsh environment that is hard to live in.

The Adaptations

Cactus in the desert can grow as tall as 50 feet and live for hundreds of years. They are specially adapted to the climate. Their stems hold all the water in that they can muster and they slowly sustain on it.

Animals that can live in the desert have special adaptations that allow them to sleep during the heat of the day under the ground and emerge at night to hunt. Camels are very well known desert animals that can go without water for a week or longer but that have the capacity to drink 30 gallons of water in 15 minutes to load up for the next dry period.

There are trees that grow in the desert that have long tap roots that seek water out from 30 feet or more in the earth.

There are many different types of plants and animals that have adaptations that help them to survive in this arid climate.

20% of the land mass in the world is designated as a desert biome. They are located all around the globe. These areas can see storms, wind of course, that can blow sand over 1000 miles away. There is some concern that the deserts are growing by about 30 feet per year in certain areas leaving once lush farmland useless.