# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Fun Desert Facts for Kids

Check out our fun desert facts for kids and enjoy learning a variety of interesting information about the Sahara Desert, the Gobi Desert, the Kalahari Desert, the Atacama Desert, the Arabian Desert and more.

Learn about the largest deserts on Earth, plants and animals that live in deserts, what polar deserts are and a wide range of other cool facts and trivia. Read on and find everything you've ever wanted to know about deserts.

There are a number of different definitions to describe a desert but they are typically areas that receive extremely low amounts of rain.

Deserts generally receive less than 40cm (16in) of rain a year.

Around one third of the Earth's surface is covered in deserts.

The original meaning of the word desert is 'an abandoned place'.

Many of the ice free regions of the Arctic and Antarctic are known as polar deserts.

Only around 20% of the deserts on Earth are covered in sand.

Areas covered in ice or snow can sometimes be called 'cold deserts', compared to 'hot deserts' in warmer areas.

The largest cold desert on Earth is Antarctica.

The largest hot desert on Earth is the Sahara.

The Sahara Desert is located in northern Africa, spanning 12 different countries.

The Arabian Desert in the Middle East is the second largest hot desert on Earth but is substantially smaller than the Sahara.

Other large deserts include the Gobi Desert in Asia, the Kalahari Desert in Africa, the Patagonian Desert in South America, the Great Victoria Desert in Australia, the Syrian Desert in the Middle East and the Great Basin Desert in North America.

The Gobi Desert is located in the north of China and the south of Mongolia. It is growing at a fast rate due to desertification, a process that turns fertile lands into desert areas. It is caused by humans cutting down forests, droughts, climate change and other environmental factors.

Located in South America, the Atacama Desert is the driest place in the world.

Hot deserts usually feature high temperatures in the daytime and cold temperatures at night.

Deserts have very low humidity.

Despite the extreme conditions, deserts are home to a range of well suited plant life including various shrubs and cacti. They are also home to animals such as lizards and coyote.

With lack of water, high daytime temperatures and sometimes freezing conditions at night, deserts can be extremely dangerous places for humans.

Shallow, salty lakes can form temporarily from time to time in deserts.

Deserts often contain large mineral deposits.

Deserts can be good locations to farm solar energy.

The video game Mario Kart 64 features a track called 'Kalimari Desert', a reference to the Kalahari Desert found in Southern Africa.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Fun Desert Facts for Kids - Interesting Information about the Sahara & more

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Fun Desert Facts for Kids Check out our fun desert facts for kids and enjoy learning a variety of interesting information about the Sahara Desert, the Gobi Desert, the Kalahari Desert, the Atacama Desert, the Arabian Desert and more.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The desert biome is a dry, terrestrial biome. It consists of habitats that receive very little rainfall each year, generally less than 50 centimeters. The desert biome covers about one-fifth of the Earth's surface and includes regions at a variety of latitudes and elevations. The desert biome is divided into four basic types of deserts-arid deserts, semi-arid deserts, coastal deserts, and cold deserts. Each of these types of deserts is characterized by different physical characteristics such as aridity, climate, location, and temperature.

Although deserts are highly varied, there are some general characteristics that can be described. The fluctuation in the temperature throughout a day in a desert is far more extreme than the daily temperature fluctuations in more humid climates. The reason for this is that in damper climates, humidity in the air buffers the daytime and nighttime temperatures. But in deserts, the dry air heats up considerably during the day and cools off quickly at night. The low atmospheric humidity in deserts also means there is often a lack of cloud cover to hold the warmth.

Rainfall in deserts is also unique. When it does rain in arid regions, precipitation often comes in short bursts that are separated by long periods of drought. The rain that falls evaporates quickly-in some hot arid deserts, rain sometimes evaporates before it hits the ground. The soils in deserts are often coarse in texture. They are also rocky and dry with good drainage. Desert soils experience little weathering.

The plants that grow in deserts are shaped by the arid conditions in which they live. Most desert-dwelling plants are low-growing in stature and have tough leaves that are well-suited to conserve water. Desert plants include vegetation such as yuccas, agaves, brittlebushes, lack sage, prickly pear cacti, and saguaro cactus.

The following are the key characteristics of the desert biome:

little rainfall (less than 50 centimeters per year)

temperatures vary greatly between day and night

high evaporation rates

coarse-textured soils

drought-resistant vegetation

The desert biome is classified within the following habitat hierarchy:

The desert biome is divided into the following habitats:

Arid deserts - Arid deserts are hot, dry deserts that occur at low latitudes around the world. Temperatures remain warm year-round, although they are hottest during the summer months. There is little rainfall in arid deserts and what rain does fall is often exceeded by evaporation. Arid deserts occur in North America, Central America, South America, Africa, southern Asia, and Australia. Some examples of arid deserts include the Sonoran Desert, Mojave Desert, Sahara Desert, and the Kalahari Desert.

Semi-arid deserts - Semi-arid deserts are generally not as hot and dry as arid deserts. Semi-arid deserts experience long, dry summers and cool winters with some precipitation. Semi-arid deserts occur in North America, Newfoundland, Greenland, Europe, and Asia.

Coastal deserts - Coastal deserts generally occur on the western edges of continents at approximately 23°N and 23°S latitude (also known as the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn). In these locations, cold ocean currents run parallel to the coast and produce heavy fogs that drift over the deserts. Although the humidity of coastal deserts may be high, rainfall remains rare. Examples of coastal deserts include the Atacama Desert of Chile and the Namib Desert of Namibia.

Cold deserts - Cold deserts are deserts that have low temperatures and long winters. Cold deserts occur in the Arctic, Antarctic, and above the treelines of mountain ranges. Many areas of the tundra biome can also be considered cold deserts. Cold deserts often have more precipitation than other types of deserts. An example of a cold desert is the Gobi Desert in China and Mongolia.

Some of the animals that inhabit the desert biome include:

Desert kangaroo rat (Dipodomys deserti) - The desert kangaroo rat is a species of kangaroo rat that inhabits the deserts of southwestern North America including the Sonoran Desert, Mojave Desert, and the Great Basin Desert. Desert kangaroo rats survive on a diet that consists primarily of seeds.

Coyote (Canis latrans) - The coyote is a canid that inhabits a wide range throughout North America, Central America, and Mexico. Coyotes inhabit deserts, grasslands, and scrublands throughout their range. They are carnivores that feed on a variety of small animal prey such as rabbits, rodents, lizards, deer, elk, birds, and snakes.

Greater Roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus) - The greater roadrunner is a year-round resident of the southwestern United States and Mexico. Greater roadrunners are fast on their feet, they can outpace a human and use that speed and their sturdy bill to catch their prey which includes lizards, small mammals, and birds. The species inhabits deserts and scrublands as well as open grasslands.

Sonoran Desert Toad (Incilius alvarius) - The Sonoran desert toad that inhabits semi-deserts, scrublands, and grasslands in southern Arizona at elevations below 5,800 feet. The Sonoran desert toad is one of the largest toads native to North America, growing to lengths of 7 inches or more. The species is nocturnal and is most active during the monsoonal season. In drier periods of the year, Sonoran desert toads remain underground in rodent burrows and other holes.

Meerkat

Pronghorn

Rattlesnake

Banded Gila Monster

Cactus wren

Javelina

Thorny devil

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Desert Biome: the Driest of All Terrestrial Biomes

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The desert biome is a dry, terrestrial biome. It consists of habitats that receive very little rainfall each year, generally less than 50 centimeters. The desert biome covers about one-fifth of the Earth's surface and includes regions at a variety of latitudes and elevations.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
In California, Defenders participated in state-of-the-art Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan (DRECP) regional planning effort for over eight years, encouraging "smart from the start" renewable energy siting, careful evaluation of wildlife impacts resulting from approved projects and encouragement of local communities to become more engaged for open space protection as well as necessary wildlife conservation.

In our deserts, Defenders is closely involved with recovery implementation planning for several wildlife species listed under the Endangered Species Act, including the threatened Agassiz's desert tortoise, as well as the endangered Mojave tui chub, Desert pupfish and scores of other at-risk wildlife living, on the arid edge.

Defenders strives to ensure all recovery plan actions prescribed for listed species which occur in our deserts are integrated into local, county, state and federal planning endeavors. Additionally, Defenders is working with several county planning departments in the hopes of developing long-term regional conservation plans benefitting at-risk wildlife and natural plant community conservation on both public and private lands.

Additionally, Defenders is actively working with other environmental organizations to amend California's Off-highway Motor Vehicle Recreation (OHMVR) Division's guidelines for recreational vehicle use and user-generated grant allocation to address related impacts throughout the Mojave Desert.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Deserts, or arid lands receiving little rainfall, are found along two fringes parallel to our planet's equator at 25-35° latitude, in both the northern and southern hemispheres. Deserts receive less than 10 inches of rain per year. The Chihuahuan and Sonoran Deserts encompass portions of the southwestern United States and Northern Mexico.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The driest deserts, such as Chile's Atacama Desert, have parts that receive less than .08 inches (2 mm) of precipitation a year. Such environments are so harsh and otherworldly that scientists have even studied them for clues about life on Mars. On the other hand, every few years, an unusually rainy period can produce "super blooms," where even the Atacama becomes blanketed in wildflowers.

Desert animals and plants

Desert animals have evolved ways to help them keep cool and use less water. Camels can go for weeks without water, and their nostrils and eyelashes can form a barrier against sand. Many desert animals, such as the fennec fox, are nocturnal, coming out to hunt only when the brutal sun has descended. Some animals, like the desert tortoise in the southwestern United States, spend much of their time underground. Most desert birds are nomadic, crisscrossing the skies in search of food. And among insects, the Namibian desert beetle can harvest fog from the air for water. Because of their very special adaptations, desert animals are extremely vulnerable to changes in their habitat.

Desert plants may have to go without fresh water for years at a time. Some plants have adapted to the arid climate by growing long roots that tap water from deep underground. Other plants, such as cacti, have special means of storing and conserving water.

Deserts, land use, and climate change

Some of the world's semi-arid regions are turning into desert at an alarming rate. This process, known as desertification, is not caused by drought, but usually arises from deforestation and the demands of human populations that settle on the semi-arid lands. The pounding of the soil by the hooves of livestock in ranching, for example, may degrade the soil and encourage erosion by wind and water. In northern China, growing urbanization, which left much of the land unprotected against wind erosion and the buildup of sediment from the surrounding desert, created a desertification problem, prompting the government to build a " great green wall" as a hedge against encroaching desert.

In existing deserts, some species are in peril because of climate change. Global warming threatens to change the ecology of deserts: Higher temperatures may produce more wildfires that alter desert landscapes by eliminating slow-growing trees and shrubs and replacing them with fast-growing grasses.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Deserts may seem lifeless, but in fact many species have evolved special ways to survive in the harsh environments.