Tell Me About Deserts Science for Kids

Hey guys, I'm Justin. And heard you - you reached out. You said, "Justin, please! Please, Justin! Tell us about the desert." Well, your wish has come true. Today, I'm inviting you to join me as we explore the desert. Deserts can be found all around the world. They're some of the driest places on earth. Not all deserts look the same, but they all have one thing in common. Can you guess what that is? I'll tell you. It's that there's very little rainfall in the desert. That's why it's so dry. Many deserts are hot and sunny, but some can be freezing and cold. You might not think it, but this is desert. It's because it has such little rainfall. All the water is frozen, so there's very little water for all the plants and the animals. Deserts only get about 10 inches of rain year. Let's compare that to some other areas of the world that aren't deserts. Boston has about 47 inches of rain year, while New Orleans gets 64. That's big difference. But you know what? Even though deserts get such little rain, they are still teeming with life. Everyone needs water to stay alive. remember when was younger would run back into the house after day of playing outside and be like, "Ma! need glass of water!" So how, you might ask, can anything live in desert when there's such little water there? Well, plants and animals have developed all sorts of ways to survive in the desert despite how dry it is. So let's take look at some of the other living things that you might see in the desert, and how they're able to do so. before we get into it should warn you, you're not taking your shoes off in the desert and running through some soft thick grass. No, no, no. You keep your shoes on in the desert. The ground can be rocky or covered in dirt, or sand. Can you guess why that is? That's right, it's because there's not enough water for grass to grow. And of course, you can definitely leave your umbrellas at home. Let's get into it. Even though there isn't much rain in the desert, there are still plenty of plants that call it their home. You've probably seen pictures of this plant. This is cactus. Enjoy looking at it but don't touch it, it is covered in spiny little needles. If you look at this picture, you can see that cactus has very thick walls that make it look different from leaves of other kinds of plants. These thick walls help the cactus store water so that it's not thirsty, waiting for the next rainfall. Some cactuses grow these beautiful juicy fruits, and these fruits are very important for birds and animals that eat them. Birds, reptiles, insects, mammals - all different kinds of animals make their homes in the desert. Some animals, like this lizard, blend in with the desert rocks to hide from enemies. Look at this handsome fella! It's gila monster. It has long, sharp claws that it uses to dig underground to find insects, small lizards, and bird's eggs. Coyotes hunt in the desert. Sometimes they group up and hunt in packs, but most of the time they go off on their own, looking around for little animals to hunt. Whoa that's cool! No really, this bird is keeping cool because it's built its nest inside of cactus. Making home in cactus is great way for an animal to stay cool and stay safe. The great horned owl is one of the biggest birds that you can find in the desert. Camels live in the deserts of Africa and Asia. They could go for really long time without water. You see that hump on their back? That's not water in there, that's fat. The camel can use its stored fat for energy when food is scarce. And snakes slither and sneak across the desert floor. What's that noise? It's the sound of rattlesnake. Some deserts only get rain once or twice year. But when it rains, it pours. But then you might not know when you're gonna get rain again. And some areas of deserts that are really hot during the day get lot cooler at night. whole bunch of animals use this cooler nighttime to go out and hunt or just move about. It is so much cooler when the sun goes down. People live in deserts, too! Look, this is picture of city that was built in desert. You know, you'll find houses made out of clay or other materials that stay cool during the daytime. And lot of people also find that it's cooler and more comfortable to do activities at night. got desert joke for you. Why don't people get hungry in the desert? Because of all the sandwiches there! Because of all the sand-wich - sandwich - never mind. So now you know so many more awesome things about the desert. Stay tuned for more cool videos about other areas of the earth. Whoa, that sounds like thunder! don't live in desert so it rains very often here, and that sound of thunder means it's gonna happen any second now. guess needed this after all. Thanks for watching, and remember to always be clever! should probably be inside for this.