Surviving in Desert Habitats Stage 3 Comprehension PDF

STAGE 3 Unit focus: Habitats Text focus: Information Text Surviving In Desert Habitats Deserts are dry habitats. Some deserts are hot in the day and cold at night. The Sahara in Africa is like this. Some deserts are always cold. Did you know that Antarctica is a desert? Deserts can seem lifeless. Ho...

STAGE 3 Unit focus: Habitats Text focus: Information Text Surviving In Desert Habitats Deserts are dry habitats. Some deserts are hot in the day and cold at night. The Sahara in Africa is like this. Some deserts are always cold. Did you know that Antarctica is a desert? Deserts can seem lifeless. However, some things do live there. How do they do it? Plants Desert plants o en have small leaves. Smaller leaves lose less water. The leaves are also protected with a thick waxy skin. Plants are o en covered in tiny hairs. This stops water loss and helps them with the heat or cold. Some desert plants have very deep roots. They can reach the water deep in the ground. Others have shallow roots which spread over a wide area. These roots are good at collecting rainwater from the surface. Plants like cacti store water in their stems. Some also have spikes. This stops any thirsty animal munching on them to get the precious water. Plants in Antarctica also have to cope with the cold and the winter darkness. Most plants here are small but hardy mosses, lichen or grasses. Animals Animals have found many ways to cope with desert habitats. The camel is a desert superstar. It has been used as transport across the desert for thousands of years. The camel’s hump is actually a store of fat. It means they can go months without food. They have wide feet to help them walk on the sand. They have thick eyelashes protecting their eyes and can close their nostrils. This protects them in sand storms. All living things need water. The kangaroo rat is very good at getting the water from its food. It does not need to drink water at all. The African bullfrog buries itself underground for months waiting for rain. Meanwhile, the thorny devil has a clever way of getting all resources ©2022 Literacy Shed http://www.literacyshedplus.com water. This small Australian lizard is covered with lots of fierce-looking spines. The spines are a defence against predators. They also help it get water. The channels between the spines direct water to the creature’s mouth. Dew on its body ends up at its mouth for drinking! Extreme temperatures are another desert challenge. The Fennec fox has over-sized ears. They help it lose heat. The jerboa is a rodent with long hind legs for hopping and digging. It burrows underground during the day and comes out only at night when it is cooler. Animals in Antarctica have cold to contend with. Emperor Penguins have thick layers of fat and feathers. They also huddle together to keep themselves warm. 1. True or false: RETRIEVAL FOCUS All deserts are hot. All desert plants need deep roots. Camels have a hump so they do not need to eat for a long time. 2. Where would you find a Thorny Devil? 3. Which two animals can dig burrows? V I E V S VIPERS QUESTIONS Which word tells us that plants in Antarctica are strong? How do you think the thorny devil got its name? What is the writer’s opinion of the thorny devil? What does ‘over-sized’ tell us about the Fennec fox’s ears? What are the main challenges of desert habitats? all resources ©2022 Literacy Shed http://www.literacyshedplus.com