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DK has a vast range of visually stunning reference material for both adults and children. Structured in easily accessible, topic related formats, DK Family Reference content covers:
- Natural History
- Science
- Geography
- Space
- History
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Taken from DK's award-winning Eyewitness Series.
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| Desert Reptiles |
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| Reptiles, such as snakes, lizards, and tortoises, do well in deserts because they control their body temperature by gaining or losing heat from their surroundings. By using external sources of heat, reptiles do not expend so much energy compared to birds and mammals, which generate heat within their bodies. So reptiles need less food, a scarce commodity in deserts. Using less energy also means that reptiles do not breathe as frequently as birds and mammals do, and this helps them conserve moisture. Compared to amphibians, such as toads, with their permeable skins, reptiles are better suited to the desert because they have a scaly skin to help them conserve moisture. |
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BRIGHT EYES
The grey banded kingsnake has big eyes which help it hunt for prey at night. It feeds mainly on lizards but also eats snakes and small mammals. Like all snakes, it seems to stare because it does not have proper eyelids and does not blink: a transparent scale protects its eyes. This snake lives in desert scrub from south Texas, USA to Mexico. |
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TAKE IT EASY
The desert tortoise from the southern USA and Mexican deserts avoids the heat of the day by staying in its burrow. It comes out during the early morning and late afternoon to feed on plants and is partial to red and orange flowers. The desert tortoise takes 15 years or more to reach maturity. |
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TONGUE OUT
Like all snakes, the diadem snake uses its tongue to pick up scents from the air and the ground. The scents are transferred to a sensory organ in the roof of the mouth which detects chemicals. The snake does this to find out what is going on around it. |
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SPITTING COBRA
The red spitting cobra spreads its hood before spitting venom to defend itself. When attacking its prey, mainly small reptiles and mammals, the cobra bites to inject venom. Like many desert snakes, it hunts at night to avoid the heat of the day. |
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LEAVE ME ALONE
Rattlesnakes warn enemies off by rattling the hollow segments of skin at the tip of their tails. This does not use up water as hissing does. If provoked further, they may strike. Rattlesnakes such as this western diamondback have front fangs that swing forward to inject venom. |
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Desert kingsnake from the southern USA and northern Mexico
Lyre snake from coastal desert of southern California, USA and northern Baja California, New Mexico
Red spitting cobra from desert and oases in eastern Africa |
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SNAKE HEADS
The desert kingsnake has a characteristic black mask covering its head. Reaching 1.5 m (5 ft) long, it can kill rattlesnakes two-thirds of its own length. Kingsnakes kill their prey by constriction, wrapping their body around the victim's. The lyre snake restrains its prey by constriction, and injects weak venom from fangs at the back of its jaw. Its eyes have slit-shaped pupils which open up at night, just like a cat's, to help it see in the dark to hunt lizards, mice, and bats in their roosts. The milksnake's bright colours may mimic the colours of the highly venomous coral snakes. Wary of these colours, animals will leave the harmless milk-snake alone. |
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Taken from Eyewitness Desert, © Dorling Kindersley 2004 |
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