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The fennec fox's large ears help keep it cool: when the blood vessels dilate, blood from the body cycles in and dissipates over the expanded surface area. [1]A xerocole (from Greek xēros / ˈ z ɪ r oʊ s / 'dry' and Latin col(ere) 'to inhabit'), [2] [3] [4] is a general term referring to any animal that is adapted to live in a desert.
This animal has a body length (including the head) of between 4 and 26 cm (1.6 to 10 in.), with an additional 7 – 30 cm (2.75 to 12 in.) of tail, which is always longer than the full body. Jerboa dental records reveal a slow increase in crown heights and that corresponds to a more open and dryer ecosystem.
Many animals obtain energy by eating the surrounding vegetation, however, desert plants are much more difficult for organisms to consume. [10] To avoid intense temperatures, the majority of small desert mammals are nocturnal, living in burrows to avoid the intense desert sun during the daytime.
Many desert animals (and plants) show especially clear evolutionary adaptations for water conservation or heat tolerance and so are often studied in comparative physiology, ecophysiology, and evolutionary physiology. One well-studied example is the specializations of mammalian kidneys shown by desert-inhabiting species. [81]
The corresponding terms for plants and fungi are flora and funga, respectively. Flora, fauna, funga and other forms of life are collectively referred to as biota. Zoologists and paleontologists use fauna to refer to a typical collection of animals found in a specific time or place, e.g. the "Sonoran Desert fauna" or the "Burgess Shale fauna".
Increasingly frequent and severe heat waves in the Southwest are damaging some desert plants known for thriving in harsh conditions. Saguaro cacti and agave have both suffered in sweltering ...
Generally speaking, animal communities are reliant on specific types of plant communities. [7] Some plants and animals have habitat requirements which are met in a wide range of locations. The small white butterfly Pieris rapae for example is found on all the continents of the world apart from Antarctica.
The skies are teeming, too: a southern desert shrike, a bird that impales its prey upon spiky branches, oil-black desert ravens and even a critically endangered Egyptian vulture. But most common ...