The Sahara Desert
Tour of the Sahara (this is a teacher's answer sheet PERFECT to summarize and help students with notebooking key concepts sadly the link to the pbs show is no longer valid A magazine style text written to the students about the Sahara Desert, talks about sand dunes, fossil fuel and solar energy interesting reading Camels - "Ships of the Desert” Camels are called “Ships of the Desert” because they are uniquely adapted to survive the harsh conditions of the desert habitat. They have large flat feet with leathery pads and two toes on each foot. When the camel places its foot on the ground the pads spread out preventing the foot from sinking into the sand. Their eyes are protected by a double row of long curly eyelashes that help keep sand and dust out of their eyes. They have a third eyelid which acts like a windshield wiper to ash sand out of their eyes. Thick bushy eyebrows shield the eyes from the desert sun. Their ears are lined with fur to keep sand from blowing into the ear canal. Even their nostrils close to keep out the sand. Fun Facts • 90% of the world’s camels are Arabian (dromedary) camels. • Camels are used as beasts of burden but they also provide 11-17 pounds of wool and up to 1056 pints of milk per year. Camel milk is used to make butter and different kinds of cheese. • Camels have a cleft in their upper lip to catch moisture from the nostrils. • Camel hair is used to make clothing and tents for desert nomads. • Camels can go 3 days (and sometimes longer!) without water. A- Z of Camels- text page filled with research question answers Camel Lapbook - from Homeschool Share Desert Fox SavannahsA savanna is a rolling grassland scattered with shrubs and isolated trees, which can be found between a tropical rainforest and desert biome. Not enough rain falls on a savanna to support forests. Savannas are also known as tropical grasslands. They are found in a wide band on either side of the equator on the edges of tropical rainforests.
Savannas have warm temperature year round. There are actually two very different seasons in a savanna; a very long dry season (winter), and a very wet season (summer). In the dry season only an average of about 4 inches of rain falls. Between December and February no rain will fall at all. Oddly enough, it is actually a little cooler during this dry season. But don't expect sweater weather; it is still around 70° F. In the summer there is lots of rain. In Africa the monsoon rains begin in May. An average of 15 to 25 inches of rain falls during this time. It gets hot and very humid during the rainy season. Every day the hot, humid air rises off the ground and collides with cooler air above and turns into rain. In the afternoons on the summer savanna the rains pour down for hours. African savannas have large herds of grazing and browsing hoofed animals. Each animal has a specialized eating habit that reduces compitition for food. Rain forest CONGO would be a great follow up study
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