My new ebook ‘HOW TO Survive In the Desert’ http://amazon.com/dp/B009UGES94 $2.99 is primarily a desert survival handbook. However it also describes and discusses the different animals and plants of the desert. There are 14 full page color illustrations, an unusually large number for an ebook. The illustrations add interest, and several are inserted into this article.

Desert animals and plants have all developed special adaptations to survive in the desert’s very hot and dry conditions. The animals mostly sleep during the day, and come out at night. At first glance the desert looks empty of animal life, because to escape from the sun animals are in a hole in the ground, or under a rock, or at least in whatever shade is available. The action usually goes on at night. Typical desert animals are shown in this illustration:

Desert Animals

Some desert animals are venomous- they inject poison when they bite or sting you. One such is the Desert Scorpion. Its stinger is at the tip of its tail. Note the poison sac with curved stinger. This small animal may like to curl up at night in your warm boot. Before putting boots on, shake them out, and be prepared to deal with an angry scorpion. They can move fast!

Desert Scorpion

To survive and not be eaten by hungry animals, desert plants are generally either thorny or poisonous. The thorny plants are safe to use for moisture or food, once the thorns are removed. There are many kinds of desert cacti, they have no leaves but are really enlarged stems. The Barrel Cactus illustrated below is well protected with thorns, but once its top is removed with your machete, its water can be drunk. As described in ‘HOW TO Survive In the Desert‘ the barrel cactus may not be beautiful to look at, but it has saved many lives. ‘HOW To Survive In the Desert‘ could save your life, read it before going into the desert, you will be glad you did.