DesertByMax Miranda

All facts and photos are from www.mbgnet.net

Desert Biome Fun Facts• The two largest deserts on Earth are in the polar areas. • Did you know that Antarctica is the biggest cold desert in

the world?• It never gets hot, ever.• The Antarctic Polar Desert covers the continent of

Antarctica and has a size of about 5.5 million square miles.

• The second-largest desert is the Arctic Polar Desert. It has a surface area of about 5.4 million square miles. 

• The largest hot desert is the Sahara Desert at 3.5 million square miles

• United States total area: 3.8 million square miles (including water)

Where is my Desert Biome found?• Deserts are located all

over the world. • The largest hot desert is

the Sahara Desert, found in North Africa, it is 3,500,000 square miles.

• The second largest hot desert is the Gobi Desert, found in China, It is 500,000 square miles.

Desert AnimalsFat Sand Rat

• The fat sand rat overcomes the problem of the unpredictability of desert food supplies by laying down a thick layer of fat over it`s body when food is abundant.

• Uses fat to live off when food is scarce• Diet is seeds and vegetation

Desert AnimalsThorny Devil• Only species in its

genus and one of the strangest of lizards.

• It forges for its food, mainly ants and termites, on the ground.

• It lays 3 to10 eggs, usually 8, in November or December.

• The newly hatched young are tiny, spiny replicas of their parents.

Desert Plants – The Barrel Cactus

• The pleated shape of the barrel cactus allows it to expand when it rains and store water in its spongy tissue.

• It shrinks in size during dry times as it uses the stored water.

Desert Plants - The Desert Spoon

• Has succulent leaves that can store water inside them.

• These leaves are usually thick and tough to reduce water loss.

• The Desert spoon has leaves that are trimmed and polished for sales as curios.

Desert Climate

• Everyone knows that during the day many deserts are hot, very hot.

• Temperatures in excess of 100 degrees Fahrenheit are not uncommon.

• Yet at night ,the same deserts can have temperatures fall into the 40s or 50s?Why?

Desert Summary

• The two largest desert are the coldest one.• The desert gets 10 in. of rain a year.• The Sahara desert is the largest hot desert.• Plants and animals must adapt to the lack of water to survive