Arizona Desert Facts for Kids

The Arizona Desert is located in North America in the US state of Arizona. This awesome biome experiences some of the hottest temperatures in the world. With it blistering summers, dust storms and monsoons, animals and plants have had to learn to adapt to their ever-changing environment.

Check out our free, printable facts about the Arizona Desert for Kids, with interesting facts and informative, ideal for schools, students and teachers. Our fact sheets cover the most important information about the Arizona Desert for kids and include facts about Arizona Desert animals, plants, climate conditions, dust storms, temperatures, adaptations, formation, locations and size. Making up one of the major deserts of North America, the Arizona Desert occupies an area of approximately 260,000 square kms.

Interesting Arizona Desert Facts for Kids:- Our printable Arizona Desert facts sheet provides a factual guide for school teachers and children about one of North America's major desert. Did you know that the Arizona desert has has a mysterious area of domes? Did you know that the Arizona Desert Scorpion can grown to around 14cm long? Did you know that the temperature of the Arizona Desert can reach around 50 degrees Celsius during the summer? Did you know that the term 'desertification' can be defined as the process by which fertile land becomes desert? Did you know that the animals and plants of the Arizona desert have adopted survival techniques?

Interesting Arizona Desert Facts for Kids:- Our free factsheet of Arizona Desert Biome Facts for Kids is interesting and easy to print out. Our facts cover a range of topics and include info on the Arizona Desert climate, animals, plants, temperature, importance, classification, food web, adaptations, weather conditions, dust storms, monsoons, structure and location.

Interesting Arizona Desert Facts for Kids

Arizona Desert Fact File for Kids:- Location Facts: The Arizona Desert is located in North America *** Size: The Arizona Desert is approximately 260,000 square kms *** Annual Rainfall Facts: 323mm average rainfall per year in the Arizona Desert ***  Climate Description: Varies with seasons  ***

Interesting Facts for Kids 1:- Where is the Arizona Desert located?
The Arizona Desert is located on the continent of North America. Arizona is a state of the US and all four major North American deserts come together in Arizona. The Mojave Desert forms the northwestern end of the Arizona Desert. The north and east sides of Flagstaff is covered by the Great Basin Desert. The Grand Canyon can also be found here. The largest desert in North America is the Chihuahuan desert which occupies the southeastern corner of Arizona and is located at an elevation of 3500 feet. The major part of Arizona constitutes the Sonoran desert which covers the areas of Yuma, Gila Bend, Tucson and Phoenix.

Interesting Facts for Kids 2:- How big is the Arizona Desert?
The Arizona Desert is huge and covers an area of approximately 260,000 square kilometers (100,000 square miles). It occurs throughout the North American state of Arizona and has a presence in California and Mexico.

Interesting Facts for Kids 3:- What is the temperature in the Arizona Desert?
The temperature of the Arizona Desert varies from the cold winters to the extremely hot summers. The winters can even cause frost in elevated areas.

Interesting Facts for Kids 4:- What is the climate of the Arizona Desert?
The climate of the Arizona Desert is different in localized areas. Some areas of the desert are elevated while others are not. At low elevation, the Arizona desert is arid with the lowest temperature being recorded at about 4 Celsius during the winter. The summer season occurs from the month of June through to September, and temperatures are extremely high this time of year, sometimes rising to around 50 degrees Celsius (122 F). High temperatures of around 125 Fahrenheit have been recorded over the years, with 128 being the highest recorded temperature which occurred in the year of 1994 at the Lake Havasu City. The lowest temperature in Arizona was -40C and was recorded at the Hawley Lake in 1971.

Interesting Facts for Kids 5:- Arizona Desert Rainfall
The Arizona Desert receives an annual rainfall of about 323 mm. Winter storms cover areas of elevated mountains and snowfall can reach a depth of around 100 inches. When the snow melts, it provides water to the Salt River Valley and the Gila River Valley. Summer rainfall is brought about by the winds from the Gulf of Mexico, and is often followed by dust storms and monsoons with thunder and lightening. There is less precipitation with low humidity and scorching sunshine.

Interesting Facts for Kids 6:- What animals live in the Arizona Desert?
The Arizona Desert is home to many species of animals including mammals, reptiles, amphibians and birds. The reptile species consist of the Gila Monster, Western Diamondback Rattlesnake, Horned Lizard and the Great Basin Rattlesnake. The types of animals found living in this part of Arizona include the Desert tortoise, arachnids such as tarantulas and scorpions. Kangaroo Rats, Desert Mule Deer, Bighorn Sheep, Golden Eagle, Coyote, Spadefoot Toad, Antelope and Humming Birds. The Swainson's Hawk is a common species of bird found living in the Chihuahuan region.

Interesting Facts for Kids 7:-  Arizona Desert Scorpion Facts
The Arizona Desert Scorpion is found mostly in the Mojave and Sonoran Desert regions. It is the largest scorpion species found in North America. Arizona Desert Scorpions can grow to a length of 14cm. Their large size enables them to successfully kill their prey which generally includes lizards and sometimes snakes. This species is also known as the Hairy Scorpion and gets its name from the brown hairs along its body. Desert Scorpions adapt well to hot climates, they stay in burrows and emerge mainly during the night. Even though this type of scorpion grows very big, its venom is not very poisonous.

Interesting Facts for Kids 8:-  How do Arizona Desert animals survive?
Animals living in the Arizona Desert have to make many adaptations in order to survive. One of the simple mechanism adopted by many animals of the Arizona Desert is to avoid the high temperatures and direct sunlight during the day. These types of animals stay in shaded areas and burrows during the day and become active at night when temperatures are lower. Certain animal species manage to avoid the summer completely, only really becoming active during the winter months. Microclimates also provide a form of refuge to many animals in the Arizona Desert. These include areas such as cactus wrens, cliffs etc. With the exception of certain mammals, such as the Kit Fox, most mammals do not burrow. The larger mammals tend to seek shade during the day and stay as inactive as possible. Coyotes have long, thick fur during the winter and a shorter, thick layer during summer. Sheep are another type of animal that sheds its fur during the summer.

Interesting Facts for Kids 12:- What plants grow in the Arizona Desert?
Many species of plant life can be found growing in the Arizona Desert including trees, shrubs, cacti, herbs and grasses. Some of the most popular Arizona Desert plant names include the Joshua Tree, Agave, Yuccas, Prickly Pear, Mesquite, Sage Bush, Saltbush and Creosote. The Saguaro Cactus is endemic to the Sonoran region of Arizona. The deserts receive the highest amount of rainfall during the winter, however, most plants remain inactive at this time and thus do not fully benefit from the rainfall that occurs during these months. Due to the Arizon Desert’s unique climatic representations, plants and trees that grow in this region are usually endemic.

Interesting Facts for Kids 13:- Arizona Desert Cactus facts
The Arizona Desert Cactus is the most widely grown plant in the Arizona region. This type of cacti prefers regions of rocky soil and can be found growing on both flat lowlands and mountain regions. This species of cacti plant is frost tolerant, but requires summer rainfall for its sustenance. Because of this reason, this plant is not typically found growing in the California region. The Arizona Desert Cactus is a beautiful plant that blooms white flowers during the spring season which develop into red fruits during the summer.

Interesting Facts for Kids 14:- Arizona Desert plant adaptations
The plants of the Arizona Desert have to adapt to its harsh climate and nutritionally poor soil. The plants are mostly succulent and can store huge reserves of water in its leaves, stem and root. Besides the cacti, there are plants such as aloe, agave and euphorbia varieties that are succulent which means they have thick fleshy leaves or stems adapted to storing water. The sand dries up very fast and in order to access water underground, it is necessary for the plants to have shallow roots. The roots spread horizontally in the Saguaro Cactus. The stem and leaves have a waxy cover which enables them to close the stomata and prevent water loss.

Interesting Facts for Kids 15:- Arizona Desert Landscape and Vegetation
The formation of the Arizona Desert consists mainly of desert, elevated and basin regions. Of the total area of the Arizona State, only 15% is privately owned. The government has taken over the rest of the land with national parks and reserves to protect the natural environment. Considering its arid climatic conditions, it is interesting to know that approximately 27% of Arizona is forest land and has an abundance of mountains and plateaus. Studies suggest that the area was formed due to prehistoric volcano settling.

Interesting Arizona Desert Facts for Kids