What animals live in the desert? The desert is a place that is not easy to survive in. While it may be beneficial for some animals, others prefer to live in different environments. Some animals only come out at night, while others hibernate during the dry season or go to wetter areas when food starts to become scarce. There are many animals that make their home in the desert, so let’s take a look at some of them.
Animals That Live in the Desert
In Africa, there are black-backed jackals, striped hyenas, honey badgers, African wild dogs, and Cape hares who all live in the Sahara Desert. The fennec fox can also be found there. There are also Dorcas gazelles, rock hyraxes, and Cape ground squirrels all living in the Namib Desert of Southern Africa.
There are black bears that roam the Sonoran Desert of Arizona, USA; spectacled bears that call South America home; leopards that end up in Yemen’s deserts; Asiatic cheetahs who live in Iran; and sand cats in Asia.
Other animals that live in the desert include mountain goats, tapirs, and peccaries (large wild pigs) all living in South America; reindeer and musk oxen in Eurasia’s mountainous deserts; mouflons found on Cyprus’ Troodos Mountains that are similar to the musk ox; mountain hares; and lemmings.
Animals That Hibernate During Cold Seasons
Some animals hibernate during the cold seasons, like Canada lynxes who live in North America’s boreal forests but dig dens in the Arctic tundra where they then go into torpor (a sort of temporary hibernation) for several days or weeks depending on the season. Hibernating animals include dingos who live in Australia; jaguars and cougars both living in South America; bears, leopards, tigers, and lions all residing in Asia; and grizzly bears that also call North America home.
Other desert-dwelling animals include blackbucks that live in Asia; black-winged stilts, ibises, and hoopoes who live in Africa; flamingos who also reside in South America; alpacas that live with llamas in the grasslands of South America; ostriches that roam the African savannas; Darwin’s rhea that lives in South America’s pampas; Arabian oryx that live in Arabia; and leopard tortoises who also live along the Arabian Peninsula.
As you can see, there are many animals that make their homes in deserts all around the world!
