torstai, 17.55

Race of Life (Race of Life), Nature, USA, Czech, 2015

Race of Life

Deserts are dry. Deserts are extreme. True deserts get less than 18 cm of rain per year. True deserts have very few plants. Semi-desert habitats have enough rainfall to support more plant and animal life. Either way, deserts are not easy places for animals to live. Desert animals have evolved to handle the desert's heat and lack of water. They have adapted their bodies and behaviors to the desert climate. Most can survive on small amounts of water and many get all of their water from their food. Some drink maybe once a week and travel considerable distances to find isolated waterholes and springs. Large animals seek shade during the hottest part of the day. Some animals dig a hollow depression into the ground and lie in the cooler soil while others are nocturnal. Many reptiles and other animals protect themselves from the extreme temperature by spending their time in burrows. The scorpion is one of the most ancient creatures on earth, in existence since life first crawled out of the sea. One look and you can see why they're born survivors. Not only are their bodies armoured against the desert heat – and other predators – but all scorpions have pincers at the front and a poisonous sting at the end of their tail. Rattlesnakes can be two meters long. They're fast, tough and with a deadly venom, making them one of the most dangerous snakes in the world. But nobody seems to have told the Roadrunner, who regard rattlesnakes as quite suitable prey.