SomeFacts | Desert Animals

Desert Animals

Which animal mothers employ a nanny?
Young meerkats are born in the safety of the underground colony. Like ...

Which insect sheds many skins?
Like other insects, hoppers have a hard outer skin. This tough layer ...

What happens to ant lions when they grow up?
Ant lions are young, wingless insects with fat bodies. The adult ...

Which chick drinks from its father’s feathers?
Sandgrouse are birds of South African deserts. They fly a long way to ...

Which desert beast rears its young in a pouch?
Marsupials are a group of mammals that rear their young in a pouch. ...

What large birds make caring fathers?
Female emus lay their eggs in the male birds' nests, and the father ...

Which creature hatches in two days and grows up in two weeks?
Spadefoot toads spend most of the year buried in the mud. When rain ...

How do locusts make music?
The male locust makes a loud chirping sound to attract a female. He ...

What gets eaten if it doesn’t dance well?
Before mating, scorpions court by A performing a jerky "dance" ...

Which male gazelle has a harem of females?
Dorcas gazelles are small, delicate deer from North African and ...

What has a tooth on its snout?
After mating, the female tortoise digs a hole in the sand, and buries ...

How do great bustards dress to impress?
Great bustards are large birds of Asian deserts. In the breeding ...

How do green toads croak?
After a rainstorm, male green toads croak to attract their partners. ...

What desert bird is always faithful?
Galahs are from Australia, with pink breast feathers. These pretty ...

Which snake moves sideways?
Sidewinder snakes, of North America, are so-called because they move ...

Do desert tortoises eat fast food?
No! The tortoise is too slow to catch active prey, but it is an ...

What beats off enemies with its tail?
The spiny-tailed agama is a lizard, from the Sahara Desert, with a ...

What lizard spends most of its life asleep?
The chuckwalla lizard is up and about in spring and early summer, ...

Which invisible creature hunts with its tongue?
The chameleon is a true camouflage expert. This lizard can change the ...

How can you tell a rattlesnake’s age?
A rattlesnake's rattle is made up of loose rings of hard scales. A ...

How do snakes swallow creatures bigger than themselves?
Desert snakes hunt largish prey, such as rats and ground squirrels. ...

Which spider eats until it drops?
Camel spiders of African deserts are greedy hunters. They can eat as ...

What insects do people like to eat?
Young insects called wichetty grubs are a favorite food of Australian ...

How do trapdoor spiders get their name?
The trapdoor spider, which lives in western America, sets a clever ...

How does the jewel wasp get its name?
The jewel wasp, of western America, is named for the bright metallic ...

How do scorpions eat mice and lizards?
Scorpions catch quite large prey, such as mice and lizards, but they ...

Why does a scorpion have hairy legs?
Scorpions have poor eyesight, but a keen sense of touch and smell. ...

Why do honeypot ants take other insects prisoner?
Honeypot ants live in a colony. Most kinds feed on nectar from ...

How did the mourning dove get its name?
The mourning dove lives in the deserts and plains of North America. ...

How did roadrunners get their name?
In the days of the American pioneers, roadrunners were named for ...

Which bird builds a nest on top of a cactus?
The cactus wren nests in the saguaro cactus. It builds a large domed ...

How do roadrunners kill their prey?
The roadrunner feeds on insects, rodents, birds, and even fierce ...

Which American bird is a speedy runner?
The roadrunner, from the North American West races along the ground ...

What desert bird has a secondhand home?
The elf owl takes over the nest hole drilled by gila woodpeckers, ...

Which bird makes a hole in a cactus to nest in?
Woodpeckers normally nest in trees, but there are few trees in the ...

Why don’t camels get sand up their noses and in their eyes?
Windy deserts are no problem for camels. Their nostrils close between ...

Why is the camel called the ship of the desert?
Camels are strong, hardy beasts that have been domesticated (tamed) ...

What is a camel’s hump made of?
A camel's hump does not contain water, as some people think. In fact, ...

What desert beast is known for its bad temper?
Camels are well known for their bad temper and unpredictable ...

How do echidnas eat their meals?
The echidna, or spiny anteater, is an unusual mammal found in the ...

How does the kit fox find its food?
The kit fox feeds on insects, lizards, mice and rabbits. At night, ...

Which desert mammal is a speedy mover?
Jack rabbits of North American deserts are champion racers. They can ...

Where do gerbils store their food?
When the gerbil finds a good food source, its stuffs the pouches in ...

Which desert birds are nomads?
Budgerigars live in flocks in the Australian outback. They have no ...

Which creature gives instructions in scent?
Naked mole rats are strange, blind mammals that live in underground ...

How do harvester ants work together?
Harvester ants nest in a large colony with a single queen. Most of ...

Why is there safety in numbers?
Oryx are large antelope that live in herds in African and Arabian ...

Which insects do desert people fear the most?
Locusts are large grasshoppers found in African and Asian deserts. ...

What colors warn that the gila monster is poisonous?
The poisonous gila monster lizard has orange-and-black stripes on its ...

Why would a lizard put up an umbrella?
The Australian frilled lizard has a loose flap of skin around its ...

When is a gerbil relieved to lose its tail?
Gerbils are mainly sandy-colored, so they blend in well with the ...

Which snake waits in the sand for its dinner?
The sand viper, of North African and Arabian deserts, is light brown ...

When does a squirrel look like an antelope?
Antelope squirrels, of American deserts, use camouflage to hide from ...

Which creature seems to have two heads?
The Australian shingleback lizard has a short, plump tail that acts ...

How did the domino beetle get its name?
The domino beetle is so-called because the white spots on its black ...

Why might a fox get a mouthful of prickles?
Desert hedgehogs live in North Africa and Arabia. If a predator, such ...

Which snake pretends to be dead?
Hognose snakes are non-venomous snakes from the western United States ...

What wears armor in the desert?
The desert tortoise moves far too slowly to outrun its enemies. ...

What is the domino beetle’s secret weapon?
The domino ground beetle has a secret weapon. It can produce a jet of ...

What jams itself in a crack?
Chuckwalla lizards live in deserts, in the western United States. If ...

What loses its tail to save its life?
A web-footed gecko's tail helps it to balance when running, but it is ...

When does an owl sound like a snake?
Burrowing owls of American deserts are talented mimics. They can make ...

What is the fastest animal in the world?
Cheetahs live in dry grasslands in Africa. These sleek, lithe cats ...

Why are waterholes dangerous?
Hungry lanner falcons hunt by lurking at waterholes. When birds, such ...

How does the rattlesnake kill its prey?
A striking rattlesnake sinks its poison fangs into its victim. Then ...

What hunts with built-in heat sensors?
In American deserts, rattlesnakes can hunt prey, such as kangaroo ...

What squeezes its prey to death?
King snakes, of the American deserts, do not have a poisonous bite. ...

Why does the jumping rodent fear the snake?
Jerboas are jumping rodents, of African and Asian deserts. They live ...

Which dog steals a big cat’s dinner?
Jackals live in the deserts and grasslands of Africa. They hunt in ...

How do rattlesnakes warn off their enemies?
The rattlesnake gets its name from the "rattle" of loose scales on ...

What desert birds are armed and dangerous?
Lanner falcons, of the Sahara Desert, are fierce birds of prey. They ...

What is green and covered in poisonous warts?
Green toads of East Africa have poison glands behind their eyes, and ...

What is the gila monster’s secret weapon?
The North American gila monster is one of only two lizards in the ...

What desert cat is a deadly hunter?
The caracal is a fast, powerful cat from African and Asian deserts. ...

When does a scorpion use its sting?
Scorpions use their stings mainly in self-defence, against enemies ...

Why should you steer clear of a skunk doing a handstand?
In North American deserts, skunks defend themselves by spraying ...

What gets there in the end?
Tortoises are slow but steady movers. Their short feet have long ...

Which desert animal has webbed feet?
Most animals with webbed feet live near water. The web-footed gecko ...

Which huge desert birds are champion runners?
Ostriches live in deserts and dry grasslands in Africa. These large, ...

Which lizard moves like a fish?
Sandfish are African lizards with long, slender bodies, like eels. ...

What young insects like to hop about in bands?
Locusts are desert insects with long hind legs and powerful muscles. ...

What wears snow-shoes with hairy soles?
Desert animals, such as camels and addax antelopes, have very broad ...

When is a kangaroo really a rat?
Kangaroo rats have strong, springy hind legs shaped like a kangaroo's ...

Which frog is its own water bag?
Water-holding frogs live in pools in Australian deserts. As the dry ...

Why is dew the devil’s favourite drink?
The thorny devil is a lizard of American deserts. Its body is covered ...

What drinks the juice of a poisonous cactus?
In American deserts, pack rats eat the fruit and flesh of the saguaro ...

What stores its food in its tail?
Gila monsters are plump lizards of Californian deserts. The reptile's ...

What is the thirstiest desert creature?
Camels are well-known desert survivors. They can last for days ...

What spends 10 months underground?
Frogs and toads are water-loving creatures. You may be surprised to ...

Why don’t camels get sunburn?
A camel's whole body is suited to desert-dwelling. Long, coarse hair ...

Which desert creature has a built-in sunshade?
Ground squirrels, of American and South African deserts, have long, ...

When do desert creatures go hunting?
By day, the weather is too hot for most desert animals to hunt. ...

Do desert creatures ever sleep for long periods?
Some desert creatures, such as tortoises, enter a deep sleep called ...

Are deserts always hot?
At night, deserts are often very cold. The temperature drops steeply ...

How do its ears help a jack rabbit keep cool?
Jack rabbits are desert hares with very long ears. The thin skin ...

Do many desert animals have large ears?
Fennec foxes, of the Sahara Desert, have large pointed ears. So do ...