©Corbis

Because of the harsh conditions in the desert, animals that live there have many adaptations. Some animals never drink, but get their water from seeds (some can contain up to 50% water). Other animals adapt by spending most of the day underground and out of the hot sun. Rattlesnakes, kangaroo rats, and kit foxes are called nocturnal, because they only come out at night to eat and hunt. Some animals never come above ground! Many of the animals that live in the desert are small.

When you think of the desert, the first animal that you might think of is the camel. Thousands of years ago traders tamed camels and began to use them to travel across the desert. Today the people of the Sahara desert still use the camel for milk, meat, wool, shade and, of course, transportation. Does your parent ever give you a big hug when you are feeling cold to warm you up? People have warm body temperatures and can get close together to stay warm. An interesting fact about camels is that their body temperature is cooler than the air around them. They huddle together to stay cool! Camels do not store water in their humps like some people believe. It is really fat inside the hump. When they haven't had food in a long time the hump gets smaller and falls over. When they do get food and rest, the hump returns to normal. Click here to learn more about camels.

This type of antelope lives in the Sahara.	The Dama Gazelle.	The springbok lives in the Kalahari.
	Animals of the Desert
The Dorcas gazelle is rare.		Ostrichs can run very fast. Ostrich's also live in grasslands.
African hedgehogs roll up into a spiny ball when they are scared.	Jackals live in both the Sahara and Kalahari deserts. ©Darren New	The spotted hyena can be found in the Kalahari. The striped hyena lives in the Sahara.

To learn more about other animals of African deserts, click on the name of the animal in the list below.
Addax Antelope	Sand Cat	Horned Viper
Fennec Fox	Striped Hyena	Jerboa
Dorcas Gazelle	Meerkat	Desert Hedgehog
Desert Eagle Owl pictures	Lappet Faced Vulture	Houbara Bustard
	Scarab Beetle

Learn more about the animals of the deserts of the world. Here there are animal print outs for you to print and color! Below are some of the African animals that you can learn about.
Hedgehog	Shrew
Fennec Fox	Meerkat
Gerbil	Camel
Ostrich	Jerboa

Find information for many African animals here from the African Wildlife Foundation.

 

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