Answer the following questions.

(i) How do desert animals survive without water? (1)

(ii) How do mongooses kill snakes? (6)

(iii) How does the hump of the camels help them to survive when there is no water? (9)

(i) Deserts are among the driest places on earth but desert animals cannot survive without water.

They find alternate ways to survive in the scorching sun for long periods. For example – the Gerbils spend the hottest part of the day in cool underground burrows. The darkling beetles are experts at catching drops of moisture on their legs, then lifting them in their air until the drops trickle down their mouths. The Camel, also a desert animal can drink thirty gallons of water at once and can survive for nearly up to ten months without drinking water.

(ii) The mongooses are very smart in killing snakes without getting hurt themselves.

They can dodge each time the snake strikes because of their fast reactions. Acting in a very smart manner, they continually make a nuisance of themselves until the snake gets tired. In search of the right moment, they quickly dive in for killing the snake.

(iii) The Dromedary, with a single hump and the Bactrian Camel, with two humps, are the two different kinds of Camels found in the deserts. The humps of these animals help them in surviving by acting as storage containers that store a lot of fat. This fat nourishes the Camels when food is scarcely available. In addition to this, their mouths are so tough that even the sharp thorn cannot pierce through.