The desert is a biome or as a life zone, for example another biome would be tundra. The desert in western United States in caused by the coastal ranges and the gigantic Sierras in California. These mountains cause the clouds to rain and by the time they reach the other side, there is little or no moisture left in them. That is why deserts are so cold.
The desert is a very amazing place. In a place that most people would believe to inhospitable, life blossoms. Each animal and plant has adapted to survive in the hot desert. For example:
The roadrunner, which is in the cuckoo family, is a consumer of the desert; it runs instead of flying, it is an omnivore, with reptiles and insects forming much of its diet.
The Saguaro cactus, a producer, is the king of cactuses. It can reach a height of about 40 feet. It is home to many animals from an owl to bobcat’s perch while in danger. These cactus are build for the desert because of their tough skin and their advanced system for storing water.
A desert tortoise, a consumer, eats plants and converts them to water and food. This is a good feature for a desert living creature. The tortoise during mating season fights with another male. The first to go upside down, loses and could even die if he does not turn right side up.
The bullies of the desert are the pigs, or to be exact, the peccary and javelin. These pigs have a mean attitude and a ruthless set of teeth. They will practically eat anything.
Even insects and spiders live in the desert. The tarantula that lives in the desert lives in a hole on the ground, an food that comes by it attacks and kills it with it’s venomous bite. The millipedes from your backyard live in the desert too. These insects have over 1000 legs and they produce an odor that hampers any tarantula’s attempt to eat it.
The kangaroo rat is an amazing little mammal. They are consumers and during the time, the plants are nice, they stuff their mouths full of food and later they hide the food in the sand for storage. These little critters are very brave too. Instead of running away from a sidewinder snake, which it trying to eat them, they go on the offence. They attack by throwing sand at the snake, and it slithers always because snakes do not have any eyelids to prevent the sand getting in their eyes.
I saw many different predator and prey combination in the desert, these combinations are important. If one part dies or leaves the other will die. This is why it is important not to harm the desert.
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