What Do Desert Animals Eat?
Desert animals mostly feed on plants, insects, carcasses and other animals. Smaller animals tend to thrive in the desert as compared to those that are larger in size. This is because food and water in the desert is scarce while the climatic conditions are quite extreme.
Behavioral and physical adaptations help desert animals survive under extreme conditions. Some of the things that desert animals eat are detailed below.
Carcasses: since there is a shortage of food in the desert, many animals living in the desert resort to scavenging. This means they are able to eat remains of dead animals. This is especially true of animals like vultures, coyotes, dingoes and foxes.
Plants: there are several plant species that are able to survive in the desert. These plants have adaptation features that enable them to survive by storing water in their stems or developing long roots which enable absorption of water from deep beneath the ground. Animals like camels, desert goats, the pronghorn and deers eat these plants in the desert.
Eating prey: some animals eat other animals in order to survive in the desert. Carnivorous animals normally hunt for herbivores during the night. Desert predators may include rattle snakes, gray wolves, falcons and owls.
Insects: animals such as the iguana, chameleon and jerboa feed on insects that live in the desert.
