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- Deserts are very hot in the day and very cold during night.
- Availability of water is very less.
- Plants and Animals which are found in the deserts live on the desert soil and breathe the air present in their surroundings.
Animals in Deserts:
- Camels are the common animals found in the deserts. They have long legs which keep their body away from the heat of the sand.
- They excrete a small amount of urine ; their dung is dry , and they sweat less.
- Camels can live for many days without water as their body loses very little water.
- Animals such as Rats and Snakes which are found in deserts do not have long legs like camels and such animals stay in burrows in deep sand to avoid the intense heat during the day.
- These animals come out during the night when it is cooler.
Plants in Deserts:
- Leaves of the desert plants are either absent or very small in the form of spines , this helps to reduce loss of water from the leaves through transpiration .
- The Cactus plant which is usually found in the desert has leaf like structure which is the stem. The process of photosynthesis in these plants takes place in the stem.
- The stem of the cactus is also covered with a thick waxy layer which helps to retain water in the tissue of the plant.
- The roots of desert plants go deep into the soil in order to absorb as much water as possible.
