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Hot and Dry Desert
Hot and dry deserts are found in many continents, including Africa, North America, Australia and Southern Asia. A hot desert endures high temperatures in summer and is warm throughout the rest of the year. Temperatures can reach up to 120 degrees F, and there is very little shade. As a result, many of the hot desert animals are nocturnal. They are only active when the sun goes down and the temperature cools. For example, kangaroos rats, horned vipers and ground squirrels burrow into the ground to escape the sun and come out at night when it's cooler. The camel is a large mammal that has adapted its body to cope with the intense heat and sun. It increases its own body temperature to stop water loss, and body fur insulates it from heat in the day and cold at night.
Semiarid Desert
Semiarid deserts have recognizable seasons. Whereas in a hot desert the winters are warm and the summer is hot, in semiarid climates the temperature fluctuates more. Summers are hot and winter tends to be much cooler. Examples of these types of places include Russia, northern Asia and North America. There are many plants in this desert, which provide nutrients and shade for animals. Mammals such as jack rabbits, skunks and kangaroo rats thrive in this environment. Reptiles have the ability to absorb heat directly from the sun and burrow underground to keep cool, which makes them ideal semiarid desert animals. Types of reptiles include rattlesnakes, gophers, iguanas and geckos. Other types of animals include burrowing owls, California thrashers and bullfrogs.
Coastal Desert
Coastal deserts are moderately warm and cool regions. There is more rainfall than in semiarid deserts; however, it is few and far between. Animals have learned to survive by burrowing for up to nine months until rain falls, like toads. Other animals, like fairy shrimps and insects, lay eggs that stay dormant until the environment changes. Medium-sized mammals like the badger and coyote can survive by using natural water supplies (e.g., ponds). Golden eagles and bald eagles inhabit coastal deserts and feed on small mammals and insects.
Cold Desert
Cold deserts are categorized by their extremely cold temperatures. The Antarctic is the largest cold desert, followed by the Arctic and Gobi deserts. They have the least amount of rainfall and the coldest temperatures. The mammals that inhabit cold deserts range in size and have learned to adapt to freezing temperatures of minus 22 degrees F. They include the Arctic polar bear, arctic hare, caribou (or reindeer) and arctic fox . Other species of animals include birds; the snowy owl and rock ptarmigan are regularly found in cold deserts, while penguins live on the cusp of the Antarctic.