The Super Fearsome Sun SpiderThe sun, or wind, spider (Galeodes arabs, for example), also called the solifuge,is a powerful and voracious predator, found chiefly in desert and arid regionsacross Africa, Asia, and central and southern North America. Although not a truespider, it closely resembles one, with an outsized head and massive fangs. It lacksa poison …
The ant lion (genus myrmeleon) is not an ant at all but, along withlacewings, a member of the group of insects known as the neuroptera.The adult ant lion resembles a dragonfly and is a fierce aerialpredator. The larva has fanglike jaws, which are among the largest,for its body size, of any creature. Desert Species of …
As in virtually every terrestrial habitat insects are the most common creatures ina typical desert. The planet’s most brilliant survivors, they are able to adapt tothe harshest of conditions. Their small size means they can access a wide varietyof microclimates—such as those provided by cool and moist nooks andcrannies—many of which reptiles, birds, and mammals …
The diversity of the world’s deserts, in terms of climate and vegetation, meansthat each has evolved a different fauna. For example, the near-waterlessTaklimakan supports very little wildlife while, by contrast, deserts such as thosein the American Southwest, with their varied terrain and vegetation, have acomparatively rich fauna. The deserts of the island continent of Australiasupport …
In cooler, more temperate lands many animals become inactive and hibernatethrough the harsh season of winter. In deserts a similar “inaction strategy”—known as estivation—allows creatures to survive the worst of the heat anddrought. Snails, for example, use their mucus to stick their shells to a hardsubstrate such as the underside of a shady rock. The …
Some desert-dwelling termites, or “white ants” as they are sometimesmisleadingly known—their closest relation is in fact the cockroach—have analternative solution to the problem of staying cool. These pale, moist creaturesare particularly vulnerable to high temperatures, drying out and dying withinminutes in hot sunlight. Most termite species live in colonies and excavateunderground nests where they live …
So far we have primarily seen how physiological and anatomical adaptationsenable animals—especially reptiles and insects—to survive extreme desertconditions. Behavioral strategies, however, are also vital in the battle againstheat and drought, particularly for mammals, which are anatomically less welladapted to the desert environment.Many species escape the heat of the day by adopting nocturnal habits, hidingin burrows …
In addition to extreme temperatures and sustained drought, desert-dwellinganimals have also had to adapt their movement to the peculiarities of the desertterrain. The classic terrain of the desert is sand, and this presents hindrances tofree move-ment familiar to anyone who has taken a walk on coastal dunes.Animals of sandy deserts experience the same problem and …
Two groups of animals—arthropods and reptiles—are particularly well adaptedto the desert environment and play a dominant role in its food chains. In thedesert environment arthropods, whose hard body casings help to conserveprecious body water, are represented mainly by insects, such as grasshoppers,flies, beetles, bugs, ants, and termites, and arachnids, such as spiders, scorpions,and mites. The …
The animal life of the desert depends on its plants, which are essential stores ofnutrition and, more importantly, of water. Greenery—or as is more often thecase in desert environments, brownery—is essential for maintaining a constantsupply of water. Some of the world’s greatest diversity and sheer numbers ofcreatures occur in the moistest environments of the rain …