Desert Plants &Animals in the Bibleand their Adaptations

By Kathy Applebee Aligned with VA SOL’s 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 4.5

Camels Camels are nicknamed “ships of the

desert” because they travel well in hot, dry conditions. Arabian or dromedary camels have one hump. Bactrian or two humped camels live in Asia.

Camels Camels have noses that can close to

keep the sand out. Their eyes have bushy brows and 2 sets of eyelashes to protect them.

CamelsGod gave camels wide, padded feet and thick leathery pads on their chest and knees for protection.Their tough mouth can chew thorny desert plants. Camels can grow more than 7 feet (2 m) tall and weigh almost a ton (1600 pounds).

Camels

The camel's hump does not contain extra water. God designed the camel to carry extra fat in its hump. Because of the stored fat, a camel can go without food and water for 3 to 4 days.

Rabbits Rabbits adapt to desert life with

camouflage and burrowing. Camouflage means being the same color as where you live so predators that would eat you, can’t see you as easily.

Rabbits God gave rabbits strong legs to jump

quickly and to burrow holes. The holes provide a cool place to live and hide from predators.

As the Children of Israel traveled in the desert God gave them rules about what animals they could and could not eat.

Lev. 11: 1 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron, 2 "Say to the Israelites: 'Of all the animals that live on land, these are the ones you may eat: 3 You may eat any animal that has a split hoof completely divided and that chews the cud.

 4 " 'There are some that only chew the cud or only have a split hoof, but you must not eat them. The camel, though it chews the cud, does not have a split hoof; it is ceremonially unclean for you.,,. 6 The rabbit, though it chews the cud, does not have a split hoof; it is unclean for you.

Desert Birds Birds in the desert often are nocturnal;

they hunt at night. Some birds, like the owl here, hunt during the day.

God gave owls super sight and hearing, plus their feathers are shaped so they fly without a sound.

Desert Birds Some owls, like this one, can burrow into

the ground to hide from predators and keep cool.

Owls eat insects, snakes, rats,

other rodents and other birds. They have sharp talons or claws to grab

their prey and sharp beaks.

Desert Birds Vultures also have sharp talons and

beaks. They are scavengers. God created them to help clean up dead animals.

Desert Birds Lev. 11:13 " 'These are the birds you

are to detest and not eat because they are detestable: the eagle, the vulture, the black vulture, 14 the red kite, any kind of black kite, 15 any kind of raven, 16 the horned owl, the screech owl, the gull, any kind of hawk, 17 the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl, 18 the white owl, the desert owl, the osprey.

Desert ReptilesSome lizards can break off their tails to escape . The predator is distracted and eats the tail. The lizard eventually grows it back. Desert lizards called

chameleons use camouflage to protect themselves from predators and to hide from their prey.

Camouflage means they can change their skin color to match the surrounding area.

Desert ReptilesUsually lizards eat insects but larger ones can eat birds or their eggs. A few are herbivores, which means they eat plants.Lizards are cold-blooded. Their temperature changes with the temperature of their environment.

Desert Reptiles

Like other reptiles, snakes are cold-blooded. They have a long, narrow bodies and scaly skin that protects them. God gave rattlesnakes poison to help protect them from predators and to help them catch their food.

Desert Reptiles May cold-blooded animals digest their

food using the sun’s energy. When you see a reptile sunning themselves they are probably digesting their dinner.

Desert ReptilesGod did not make reptiles food for the

Children of Israel.Lev. 11: 29 " 'Of the animals that move

about on the ground, these are unclean for you: the weasel, the rat, any kind of great

lizard, 30 the gecko, the monitor lizard, the wall lizard, the skink and the chameleon.

Desert PlantsDeserts cover about 20 percent of the land on earth. To be considered a desert, an area must get less than 10 inches of precipitation a year.

The desert is a harsh environment with extreme temperatures; without clouds the heat of the day quickly disappears and deserts can be freezing at night.Because of these dry conditions, there is limited plant and animal life in deserts.

Desert PlantsCacti is the plural of cactus.

God gave the cactus special roots to help it survive in the desert.

Prickly Pear cacti have long roots, which absorb water from deep down in the soil.

Some, like ball cacti, have shorter roots that absorb dew that falls off the cactus.

Desert Plants Cacti can survive during

drought s. A drought is a long period of time with no water

Sauaro cactus can store water for long periods of time.

God gave cacti thick skin with a waxy coating. This keeps

water inside the cactus from evaporating. The cacti have thick spongy or hollow stems

to store water.

Desert Plants Most cacti have spines or scales

instead of leaves. Leaves would lose water through evaporation

The spines protect the cactus from animals that would like to eat the cactus to obtain food and/or water.

Desert Plants

Cacti produce flowers for a short time in the spring. Later they grow seed bearing fruit. Bats spread cacti pollen as well as some of the insects that live in the desert.

Desert Review How much precipitation do deserts get each

year?

How did God adapt the camel to desert life?

How did God adapt plants to live in the desert?

Think of three ways God made desert birds or reptiles able to survive in the desert.

(Look back to check your answers)

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