Desert+Facts

Welcome to the desert facts page, made by Marti C, Chris L, and Bill M. We hope you enjoy, and learn a lot about our facts.

Bacteria- The bacteria that live in the desert biomes are: 1) Some species of Prokaryotes- Prokaryotes are cells without a nucleus. 2) Desert Varnish- a smooth black coating that forms slowly on rock formations ranging from small boulders to cliffs hundreds of feet high, has confused naturalists for many years. On the underside, where it is not touched by air, a varnished rock usually acquires a glossy red-orange finish by interacting with water and minerals in the soil. Because of its striking appearance and widespread occurrence, the varnish frequently attracts attention, especially in national parks such as Grand Canyon and Zion where visitors ask rangers about its cause.
 * __Kingdom Monera__**


 * __Kingdom Fungi__**


 * Threadlike- The threadlike fungi of the desert biome include:**

1) Lichens- Without a doubt, the most colorful coatings on rocks are produced by lichens. Although lichens can also take extreme conditions and pressures from the environment, they usually can't survive as well on the dry, sun-baked boulders where the desert varnish (see above definition) microbes flourish. Rock lichens come in a variety of bright colors, from red, orange and yellow to amazing shades of green. There are hundreds of lichen species in the southwestern United States.

__**Kingdom Animalia**__

In the desert, you can find a lot of different types of animals. Some of the animals that are found in the desert are:

1) The Rattlesnake (Genus Crotalus). The rattlesnake lives in deserts that are found in New Mexico, Colorado, California areas. Rattlesnakes also live in Texas, and along the southwestern side of the United States and some extend north, east and south in a diminishing number of varieties, so that every contiguous state has one or more varieties. The rattlesnake is one of four snakes in America that have a venomous bite. Rattlesnakes come in sixteen distinct varieties.

A picture of the Rattlesnake:


2) The Greater Roadrunner (Geococcyx Californianus). Roadeunners live in America in the western states of the U.S. Roadrunners are popular in New Mexico, near the edge of California, and near the Grand Canyon in Arizona. The roadrunner can run up to speeds of 17 Miles Per Hour. It ranges in length from 20 to 24 inches from the tip of it's tail to the end of the beak.

3) The Desert Igunana (Dipsonyrous). - The desert iguana is the most common iguana in both the Sonoran and Mojave desert. They can grow up to 16 inches. They are primarily herbivores eating buds, leaves, and fruit. These igunana's live in Mojave and the Sonoran deserts of Sotheast California, the Southern part of Nevada, Southwest Utah, central Arizona, East and South Baja California, Northwest Mexico and some of the Gulf of California islands.

4) The Komodo Dragon (V. Komodoensis). - The Komodo dragon is the worlds heaviest living reptile. They can grow to a length of 10 feet. They are very fast, can swim, climb trees, and have a very keen sense of smell that can smell prey up to five miles away. Komodo dragons eat deer, goats, insects, birds, eggs, small mammals, and reptiles. Their big sharp teeth help them chew through hard items for food. Komodo dragons mainly live on the Indonesian islands of Komoda, Rintja, Padar, and Flores. The Komodo dragons are disappering fast. Only 3,000 are still living today, with only 600 females. The Komodo dragon is endangered, the population of Komodo dragon is going down each year. A lot of the Komodo dragons are getting taken into zoos, and they end up dieing at a younger age.


 * __Kindgom Plantae__**

1) The Barrel Cactus (Genus Ferocactus) - Ferocactus, meaning "fierce or wild cactus,"are always in the shape of a cylinder or are barrel shaped and are usually among the largest cacti in the deserts of North America. All members of this genus have prominent ribs and are armed with fierce spines. In some species, one or more of the central spines are curved like a fishhook, accounting for the common name of "Fishhook Barrel Cactus". Barrel Cactus flowers always grow at the top of the cactus. They bear no spines and only a small amount of scales. There fruits become fleshy and often juicy when mature, but are not usually considered edible.

2) The popcorn flower (Cryptantla augustiflia) - They can grow up to 6 to 20 inches tall. It has spatula- shaped leaves up to 4 inches in length. Popcorn flowers bloom from Feburary through June. 40 species of this genus live in California alone.

Kingdom protista includes a diverse array of organisms.
 * __Kingdom Protista__**

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