Chapter Notes and Summary
Deserts are said to be driest places on earth. It does not rain there for months or even years. sun is very hot and bright. So desert animals have to find different ways of coping with these harsh conditions. Animals like gerbils spend hottest part of day in cool underground burrows.
Deserts are also known for their endless seas of rolling sand dunes. But this is not true of all deserts.
Some deserts are rocky and some are sprinkled with colourful flowers during spring.
A large number of animals live in deserts. most important of them are—snakes, mongooses and camels. There are more than 2300 different kinds of snakes around world. Most snakes are harmless but a few are so poisonous that they can kill a human being with just one bite.
One of most ill-reputed snake is rattlesnake. Its rattle can be heard from thirty-metres distance and it strikes with lightning speed. Rattlesnakes kill their prey with venom and swallow prey whole.
Mongooses hunt together. But they keep in touch with one another by twittering and calling. They are known for being able to kill snakes without getting hurt themselves. All female mongooses have their kitten at about same time. They are raised in a den made inside an old termite or some hollow log.
Camel is another desert animal. They have long shaggy winter coats to keep them warm and short, tidier coats in summer to keep them cool. They can survive for up to ten months without water. camels are of two kinds–Dromedary and Bactrian. Dromedary camel has only one hump while Bactrian camel has two humps. Their humps are full of fat. fat nourishes camel when there is no food.