How is it possible to survive in the desert?

Overview

Get lost in the desert with no water and you could soon die. How do plants and animals survive? You may want to explore the adaptations animals and plants have to survive. You may want to investigate the skills and knowledge Indigenous people have to survive in the desert . What could YOU do maximise your chances of survival in the desert?

Research

When researching:

• You will need to keep a record of where you obtained your information.
• You will be giving a presentation of your research, think about what you can do to make your presentation interesting and capture your specific audience
• You may like to use one of the challenges below.
• Download these useful websites.
• Use a search engine to assist you further.

Challenges

1. How do people survive in the deserts now? Where do they get their food, water and energy from? Are the lives of people living in desert towns different to people living in other locations in Australia?
2. How do Aboriginal peoples living a more traditional lifestyle survive? How did the early explorers and cattlemen survive? In cases when people didn’t survive, find out why.
3. Examine a number of plants and animals that live in the desert. Identify what they need to survive. Describe the physiological and behavioural strategies that they use to survive.
4. Compare different strategies animals use to cope with heat and lack of water.
5. Why do people choose to live in the desert?
6. Why (and where) do people die in the desert? What are the risks? What should desert travellers do to make sure they survive their journey?
7. What has happened over the past 200 years that has impacted on the survival of some species?