Deserts are usually thought to be hot, sandy areas
that almost never get any rainfall; but some deserts are very, very
cold or rocky. Some hot deserts have at least one permanent stream.
Deserts do not have many plants and animals. Some places near the
north and south poles are called deserts. There aren't any cold
deserts in North America so we will not discuss them. Desert rocks
can be colorful and all sorts of sizes and shapes. Desert land scapes
change with the seasons all year long. Most deserts are cold at
night.
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About a fifth of the earth's land area is covered with deserts.The only desert in North America is the Great Basin. The Great Basin covers 500,000 square miles of North America.
Desert
animals include insects, spiders, birds, reptiles, and mammals.
Because of the heat, many plants feed in the cool of th night after
the temparature goes down. Many small animals live in burrows under
the ground during the day, and some even stay dormant during the hot
summer. Most get their water from the food they eat.
Plants
have to make many adaptations in the desert to survive. Becausewater
is so scarce, they have to find ways to store it or get it from deep
under the earth. Some mesquite plant roots grow as long as 263 feet
to find water, and some plants, like cacti, store large amonts of
water in their roots, leaves and stems. After rainfall,
beautiful flowers cover parts of the desert. 
Desert people must adjust their lives, pets, food, clothing, and homes. They cannot grow many plants for food and food plants are often a source of water to desert dwellers. Clothing and homes need to provide extra shelter from the hot summer sun. Pets need to have special skin or shells to protect them from the sun, too.
The homes people live in need to be able to stand up to all kinds of extreme temparatures--high heat in the day, and very cool nights. Temparatures can change as much as 50 or 60 degrees Fahrenheit in one day. Some people, like the Native Americans even built their homes under the ground in caves and cliffs.
1997 World Book Multimedia Encyclopedia
1997 World Book Encyclopedia
Art Explosion 40,000 Images. Calabasas, CA: Nova Development