Creatures of the Deserts

Life in the Desert by Jacob N.

2007-06-07T07:51:00.000-07:00

I just escaped from a caracal. That’s the worst predator I have. I think I will go catch a lizard. There’s one! Got it! Actually I’m not that hungry so I’ll save it. As I ran home to my bush a rat snake blocks my way, I turn the other way and there is another one. Soon more and more come. They are surrounding me, how am I going to get out of this one. I’m a bird so I can fly, oh yeah I’m no good at it. Being a road runner is tough. I run and escape into my bush.

I decided to go to my branch and sleep. When I got up I ate a lizard for breakfast. When I left by brush, I saw a huge waterhole. I ran over and drank until my stomach hurt. I turned around to tell my family to good news. Then a caracal came with it jaws big and wide. I start to run. Ahh! I go at top speed and there still is a big beast behind me. Help! Then he growls “this is my waterhole!” I call, “sorry” and safely run and tell my family about my chase and the waterhole.

You know what I saw today, people who have come to find more species in the desert. I was behind a bush. I wonder what exactly they were here for. Wait, the caracal is an endangered species, so they must be in searching for one; at least it’s not me. I should go under a saguaro cactus and get some shade. I think I’ll rest my eyes. zzzzzzz

Me the Jackrabbit by Meredith

2007-06-06T05:08:00.000-07:00

I just got out of my burrow to eat some cacti. A horned owl just tried to swoop down and catch me but he missed. I’m having 6 babies now and that’s all I’m supposed to have this year. Over there is a camel drinking from a rock pool. It’s getting late out and the bobcats are coming to prey on me. I better go to my home and feed my babies.

Lerboa by Dayna

2007-06-06T05:07:00.000-07:00

It is finally night! I hope I find some yummy seeds. My big ears sense no danger or large animals coming to gobble me up. Also my big eyes see no trouble either. Wait a second…oh no, a fennec fox! I hope it doesn’t come eat me! It’s actually going to away!
Hmm, what is that smell? It smells like seeds. I have to start going that way quick. Yummy! I must have been really starved to eat all those seeds in a very little bit of time. But I am still hungry. Oh no! It is getting light out and warm out! I have to get to my burrow home. Just a little more and I’ll be home. I am starting to get really warm.

The Sahara Desert by Alisha

2007-06-06T05:06:00.000-07:00

In the Sahara Desert it is really hot and really sandy. I get to walk over ever big sand dunes in the hot sun. It is hard to find my food like lizards, birds, and rodents. I don’t want to see hawks, bullsnakes, or raccoons. I lay a lot of eggs. If you see me I am black and white. It is always warm in the Sahara Desert and dry. Did you know that there are never clouds in the Sahara Desert? Rain is very scarce; the rain is 4 inches a year.
The hawk is in the sky. The hawk saw me and I ran as fast as I could. He followed me and I ran and ran. I got tired and I went in my friend’s house. The hawk is gone at last. I got rid of the hawk, I am safe. Now I am thirsty from all the running. I am a road runner.

A Day in the Desert by David

2007-05-28T16:55:00.000-07:00

I just woke up and it's already 100 degrees! I need water! There's no clouds in sight. It won't rain for probably four months. I'm going out to get food like insects!
I just about made a web in a saguaro cactus in the shade so I'm not going to get as hot as I could. It's a good time for people to come because now I get to stay in my web longer! I don't know why but the people are running away from me. My web in the saguaro cactus is old. I need a new one, maybe in those two cold rocks.
Now it's the rainy season and I just got all the water I need for the year. All the animals are coming out from where they live to get some water so maybe I can get water and food too. Now that it rained and the tortoises have energy, they are fighting and one just got flipped over!
It's night time when I need to watch out for scorpions the most! Wait, what was that? On no, it's a scorpion! Run!! It's coming faster and faster! Good it can't find me here. It's coming again! I've got to spray a web fast. Not it's about to sting me but...I got out of the way just in time!
The birds just flew over my head really fast! I don't think they like it here in the desert! I always wondered why they don't like it here. It's going to take a long time to get across the Sahara Desert, it's 3,000 miles long!
That's what a day in the desert is like for me.

The Adventures of the Bilby by Nicole

2007-05-28T16:05:00.000-07:00

It's 120 degrees Fahrenheit outside! I can feel it in my sleep. I crawl out of my den. I walk over to roadrunner's house to pick him up. We are going out to dinner.
I just met up with roadrunner. Like I said, we're going out to dinner. (Well, that is, if we can find any!) Scorpion for roadrunner, fried snail for me! This is going to be so much fun!
Roadrunner and I have been waiting to do this for so long, but, then it was the rainy season and we wanted time to ourselves. I guess we were grouchy because we didn't have much water. Walking in the dry sand, up ahead, we see an oasis! This will be perfect. A scorpion runs by. Roadrunner rips out the stinger and pops it into his beak. then, just my luck, a snail goes slowly by! I pick it up in my paw and we're off!
I gulp up the water. Refreshing. I haven't had water in so long. Too bad it's the dry season in the Sahara Desert. We're lucky that we have at least a little water. Roadrunner is done with his dinner. So am I.
I didn't have any lunch. I was too busy sleeping. Trust me, that could take hours if you do it right. I say goodbye to roadrunner and he runs off. I take 6 more gulps of water and I head back home.
Last month, I had twins. One's a boy. The other a girl. They are nice children, but, they do fight. The thing is that they do hurt me when they hit each other.
Oh no! A Tuareg person on a camel is coming! I better hide. I rush down to a sand dune and dig a tunnel. I hope me and my family will survive. Without a moment to spare, I plunge into the tunnel. With my paws, I make all the sand come down on me. Nevertheless, my kids start yelling at me. I tell them to "shush" so I can hear if the Tuareg person is leaving. When they are gone, I paw all the sand out of my way and run back to my den.
When we get home, of course, they start to to fight. I go to the back of my den to get some food so they can be quiet until morning. My heart is still pounding from the person. I shake all the sand off my fur. My kids think it's a game. I suggest we go lie in the sand dunes underneath the stars and moon. The kids jump out of my pouch and run far ahead of me. They pick their favorite spot. I lie down in the middle and stretch me arms out wide. One goes on one side, the other on the other side.
We must have stayed there for hours because the stars started to fade away. I told the kids it was time to go. We rushed back to the den. Then we layed down, cuddled up and fell in a deep sleep for another day in the Sahara Desert.

Animal Movement in the Desert

2007-04-27T05:40:00.000-07:00

Check out what we've found out already!

2007-04-24T11:37:00.000-07:00

We've only been researching desert animals for TWO days and already we've learned so much! If you have a cool fact about a desert animal that you would like to share, please click on the comment button below and enter your FABULOUS FACT!! Don't forget to read your classmates' facts too because you may have something interesting to share with them!

Pictures of Desert Animals

2007-04-17T15:07:00.000-07:00

Here are some images of just a few of the many types of animals we may be researching...can you name any of the desert animals? If you think you can, post a comment with the letter of the animal picture and your guess. (ex. Picture A is a...) Good luck!