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The Desert Facts and Information Location and Climate Like the tundra, the desert is also a biome of extremes: extreme heat and cold and extreme dryness. When you think of the desert, a picture of huge sand dunes often comes to mind. However, deserts do not always look like that. Deserts can be either hot or cold. Deserts can be found all over the world. Cold deserts include: the Sonoran desert (the smallest) of the southwest US and Mexico, the Patagonian desert of South America, and the Gobi and Turkestan deserts of Central Asia. Hot deserts include: the Sahara (the largest), the Kalahari and the Namib deserts of Africa, the Takla Makan desert of China, the Great Outback of Australia and the Arabian desert of southeast Asia. The cold deserts have hot summers, but fairly cold winters. The hot deserts are hot during the day, all year. Both deserts can get quite cold at night. In a hot desert, temperatures can reach as high as 110˚F in the daytime and drop as much as 80˚ lower (30˚F) at night. The one thing hot and cold deserts have in common is their lack of rain. Precipitation in the desert is usually less than 20 centimeters per year. Desert Plants Very few plants grow in the desert and those that do, must be adapted to life without a constant supply of water. One plant that is adapted to desert life is the cactus. It has the ability to store water to use when rainfall is scarce. Other plants have very deep root systems to search for water or small leaves to prevent water loss. These plants can include mesquite bushes, thorny bushes and small flowering plants and grasses. Desert Animals Animals of the desert must also adapt to life in an extreme environment. One adaptation that helps animals survive the hot climate is being nocturnal. Nocturnal animals spend the day underground, resting and do their activities during the cooler night. Desert animals are also camouflaged to hide from predators or prey during the hunting periods. Some animals that can be found in the desert are rattlesnakes, rats, gophers, lizards, tortoises, eagles, hawks, scorpions, owls, vultures, jackrabbits, camels and armadillos.