Teacher Answers for Desert Treasure Hunt

1. Basking on rocks is the Horned Lizards way to warm up or stay warm.  Remember, they are cold-blooded animals.

 Roadrunners make three different sounds.  

2. Coyotes are related to wolves.  The Dingo is a wild dog from Australia.  Both are carnivores.  The Dingo is trained for a hunting dog by the Aborigines, while Coyotes are most likely left alone in the wilderness.  Both animals howl.

Camels have a hump that is well adapted to desert life.  It contains only fat, no water, which allows it to go without food for 3 to 4 days.  They also have nostrils that open and close, protecting them from the desert environment.  Bushy eyebrows and two rows of long eyelashes protect their eyes from sand.

3. Estivation is similar to hibernation, except the desert animals estivate during the hottest part of the summer to stay cool.  Some animals protect themselves from the heat by burying themselves in the mud or sand.  Many desert animals are also nocturnal, allowing them to hunt and be active during the night.  Some animals also evaporate water from their mouth to stay cool.

4. The Meerkats scent glands are located under their tails.  Meerkats stand in a tripod pose on their hind legs supposted by their tails, scanning the areas for possible predators while others feed.

5. Scorpions' pedipalps are used primarily for defense and prey capture.

6. Rattlesnakes do not have external ears so they do not hear sounds which travel through the air as we do.  Instead rattlesnakes are able to use sound waves to hear far away sounds. 

7. Desert Tortoises adapt to the environment in these 3 ways: they have serrated jaws to chew plants and other vegetation, adapted front feet to dig burrows 10-30 feet deep, can go years without water and when they do drink they nearly double their weight.

8. no specific answer

9. Methods of conserving water include: staying out of the sun, getting water from the plants they eat, also their blood and tissues contain water.

The Kangaroo Rat is special because he can produce his own water within his body while digesting food.

10. Most species nest at or near ground level, often using cacti or mesquite bushes for nest sites.