Large Mammals

• There aren't many well-known, large desert animals, but there is one whose image goes hand-in-hand with the desert: the camel. There are two types of camels: the "dromedary," also known as the camel with one hump, and the "Bactrian Camel," which has shorter legs and has two humps. A camel's expertise is its ability to go long periods of time without water and its ability to eat poor-quality food sources, both of which allow it to survive inhospitable desert environments.
  
  

Small Mammals

• A common small desert animal is the meerkat. Common to the Kalahari Desert in Africa, these small animals survive the heat by living in tunnels built underneath the ground during the extreme heat of the days. Meerkats survive on local lizards and scorpions. Another burrowing desert mammal is the hare, a large version of the rabbit that dissipates heat by its unique blood vessel design. The hare has many blood vessels, allowing it to release heat very thoroughly.
  
  

Snakes

• Lots of snakes call desert regions home, as they tend to shy away from extremely cold areas. One of the most famous snakes within the U.S. is the Western diamondback rattlesnake, which lives mostly in the Southwestern portion of the country. These snakes have thick bodies and possess a potent venom. The sidewinder rattlesnake, a relative to the Western diamondback, lives in the Mojave desert. The sidewinder gained its name from the unique side-winding motion that propels it. This motion leaves an "S" shaped pattern in the sand. All types of rattlesnakes come with distinctive rattles at the tips of their bodies, which they shake when feeling threatened.
  
  

Lizards

• Lizards also roam abundantly in desert regions. Geckos can be found all across the world. The Texas Banded Gecko lives in the canyons of southwest Texas, growing up to 5 inches in length. Horned lizards possess distinctively wide bodies and have small horns located all over them, with especially prominent ones above the eyes.