The Great Basin Desert is located in North America where is occupies areas of the states of Nevada, Utah, California, Idaho and Oregon. Bordered by the Columbia Plateau, the Mojave Desert, the Wasatch Mountains and the Sierra Nevada Range, this cold desert biome is home to many species of animals and plants that manage to adapt to its harsh climate conditions in order to survive.

Factsmania has formatted a printable Great Basin Desert fact sheet with the most important and interesting facts about this amazing biome for kids. We offer key information and facts about the animals, birds, habitats, plant species, weather conditions, highest and lowest temperatures, precipitation, climate, vegetation, size and location of the Great Basin Desert in North America.

Interesting Great Basin Desert Facts for Kids:- Our printable Great Basin Desert facts sheet presents amazing facts and info for school kids and teachers. Our list of fun facts about the Great Basin Desert are ideal for homework help or as a useful information guide one of North America's major deserts. Did you know that the Bristlecone Pine Tree can only be found growing in the Great Basin Desert and can live for thousands of years? Did you know that the Great Basin Desert is a cold desert? Did you know that the term 'desertification' can be defined as the process by which fertile land becomes desert? Did you know thousands of years ago the Great Basin Desert had two major lakes known as Lake Bonneville and Lake Lahotan?

Interesting Great Basin Desert Facts for Kids:- Our free list of Interesting Great Basin Desert Biome Facts for Kids is printable and consists of important facts about the Great Basin Desert such as how it was formed, why is the Great Basin important, why it is classed as a biome, how big the Great Basin Desert is, which American states the Great Basin Desert is located in, what the climate is like, what animals live in the Great Basin Desert and how they manage to survive extreme weather conditions.
Facts Index

Interesting Great Basin Desert Facts for Kids

Great Basin Desert Fact File for Kids:- Official Name Facts: Great Basin Desert ***  Location Facts: The Great Basin Desert is located in North America and spans four states: Nevada, Utah, California, Idaho and Oregon, United States *** Size: The Great Basin Desert is approximately 190,000 square miles (492,000 square kilometres) *** Annual Rainfall Facts: 9in (30mm) annual average rainfall in west and 12in (300mm) in the east of the Great Basin Desert.

Interesting Facts for Kids 1:- Where is the Great Basin Desert located?
The Great Basin Desert is located on the continent of North America. It is one of the four major American deserts (along with Mojave, Sonoran and Chihuahua deserts). The Great Basin Desert occupies parts of the states of Nevada, Utah, California, Idaho and Oregon. For a definite localisation, these are the exact coordinates of the Great Basin Desert: 36.1919 lat. and -115.2794 long.

Interesting Facts for Kids 2:- What type of desert is the Great Basin Desert?
The Great Basin Desert is officially classed as a cold desert due to its north latitude and high elevations (it goes from 3000ft and reaches up to 6500 ft). Because of this, winter precipitations often come as snow

Interesting Facts for Kids 3:- What is the temperature in the Great Basin Desert?
Temperature is an issue that varies depending on the altitude. The temperature drops around 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit every 1000 ft. That means a difference of about 30 degrees F (17 degrees Celsius) between mountain tops and valley floors. The hottest month in the Great Basin Desert is considered to be July, when temperatures have an average of 86 degrees F (30 degrees Celsius). The coldest month in the Great Desert Basin is believed to be January, with an average of 18 degrees F (-8 degrees C).

Interesting Facts for Kids 4:- What is the climate of the Great Basin Desert?
The climate of the Great Basin Desert depends on the region. Sierra Nevada and the Rocky Mountains play a very important role as they block moisture from the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. The climate difference is the result of the rain shadow's strength which is stronger closer to the Sierra Nevada.

Interesting Facts for Kids 5:- Great Basin Desert Rainfall
Due to the difference in rain shadow strength, there is also a difference between the amounts of rainfall that falls on the Great Basin. Because of the Sierra Nevada's rain shadow, which is stronger than the Rocky Mountains', there is a 9in (30mm) annual average rainfall in west and 12in (300mm) in the east of the Great Desert Basin.

Interesting Facts for Kids 6:- How big is the Great Basin Desert?
The Great Basin Desert area is approximately 190,000 square miles (492,000 square kilometres). Its boundaries are: north; the Columbia Plateau, south; the Mojave Desert, east; the Wasatch Mountains, west; Sierra Nevada Range. The Great Basin Desert stretches along parts of the states of Nevada, Western Utah, Eastern California, Idaho and Oregon.

Interesting Facts for Kids 7:- What animals live in the Great Basin Desert?
There are numerous endemic animals, which can be found only in the Great Basin Desert, these animals include: Great Basin Cave Millipede, Model Cave Harvestman, Cave Pseudoscorpion, Lehman Caves Millipede, Snake Crake Cave Springtail, Model Cave Springtail. There are many species of bird found living in the Great Basin Desert including the Kilideer, Golden Eagle, Common Raven, Mourning Dove, Great Blue Heron and Cinnamon Teal. The Great Basin Desert is home to many different types of amphibians including Toads (Western Toads, Woodhouses Toad), Great Basin Spadefoot. There are numerous types of mammals in this desert including Shrews, Weasels, Fox, Mountain Lion, Bobcat, Black-tailed Jack Rabbit, Squirrels, Chipmunks, Mice, Kangaroo Rat, Pronghorn Antelope and Bighorn Sheep. The Great Basin Desert has more than 60 ant species. Harvester ants are known for their painful sting.

Interesting Facts for Kids 8:-  How do Great Basin Desert animals survive?
In order to survive in the Great Basin Desert, animals must adapt according to the harsh environment. This is why they develop mechanisms that keep them safe from the heat. Some desert animals are able to survive without drinking water as they manage to obtain moisture from plants that they consume. Some animals are can extract moisture from the air. Many Great Basin Desert animals are in fact nocturnal or crepuscular animals; they avoid the daytime heat and instead, carry out their activity at night when the temperature is lower.

Interesting Facts for Kids 9:-  The Chuckwalla Lizard
The Chuckwalla Lizard is the second largest lizard in the United States. This type of reptile can grow up to 18 inches. It is an herbivore, and its diet consists mainly of fruits, leaves and desert flowers. Chuckwalla Lizards are very passive animals, so they don't consume much energy. Although many desert animals search for cooler places in the shade, the Chuckwalla Lizard seems to enjoy the heat from the sun. In fact, this particular reptile species can be found in direct sunlight, in the afternoon, soaking up the rays.

Interesting Facts for Kids 10:- Great Basin Desert food web facts
The Great Basin Desert food web is very simple. Large predators, such as coyotes, raptors or mountain lions, eat small predators, carnivores and insectivores (Badgers, Snakes, Lizards and small Reptiles, Bats) who in turn, eat other carnivores, insectivores and plant eaters such as Rodents, Squirrels, Insects, and Grazers.

Interesting Facts for Kids 11:-  What plants grow in the Great Basin Desert?
The Great Basin Desert is home to many different types of plants. Shrubs, such as Big Sagebrush, Blackbrush, Shadscale, Mormon-Tea, and Greasewood are commonly found growing in this area of the world. Rarely, Yuccas can be seen growing as well as few types of cacti. Plants that adapt well to the harsh desert environment are Juniper and the Pinyon Trees. Other trees that exist in the Great Basin Desert include Limber pines and Bristlecone Pines.

Interesting Facts for Kids 12:- Great Basin Desert plant adaptations
In order to survive the harsh cold climate conditions of the Great Basin Desert, plants have developed various survival techniques. Some desert plants grow waxy leaves in order to prevent transpiration while others grow spines just to create shade. Some plants, like the Big Sagebrush, grow roots deep in the ground in search of water. The Big Sagebrush can grow roots up to 90m long just to find water. Many Great Basin Desert plants have to deal with the soil’s high salt content. The Four-winged Saltbush, for example, is able to excrete salt through its leaves.

Interesting Facts for Kids 13:- Great Basin Desert landscape and vegetation
In the Pleistocene Era, the Great Basin was the home of two big lakes known as Lake Bonneville and Lake Lahotan. 10,000 years ago, the temperature increased, and led to the melting of the glaciers and drying of the lakes. All that remains of the lakes are salty playas. Sometimes, following heavy rains, the salty playas turn into ephemere lakes. Even though the Great Basin Desert is sometimes subject to harsh weather conditions, plants adapt to the soil in order to survive.

Interesting Facts for Kids 14:-  Why is the Great Basin Desert important?
The Great Basin Desert is important because it is one of the biggest deserts on Earth. It gives shelter to numerous endemic animals and also to some threatened animal species, such as the Pale Bat. The Great Basin Desert is also important as it helps us understand life thousands of years ago, and the development and adaptations of plants and animals.

Interesting Facts for Kids 15:- Unusual Facts about the Great Basin Desert
One of the most interesting facts about the Great Basin Desert is that the Bristlecone Pine Tree which can be found growing there, can in fact live for thousands of years. One species of the Bristlecone Pine Tree is considered to be the oldest plant on Earth, with the age of 4950 years.

Interesting Great Basin Desert Facts for Kids
Interesting Great Basin Desert Facts for Kids - Fun Facts about the Great Basin Desert - Interesting Facts about the Great Basin Desert for Kids - North America Great Basin Desert Facts for Kids - Plants and Animals - California Great Basin Desert Facts for Kids - Interesting Facts and Information - Facts about the Great Basin Desert in North America - Interesting Facts for Kids - Fast - Interesting Great Basin Desert Facts for Kids - Interesting Facts and Info about the Great Basin Desert for Kids - Great Basin Biome - Fact Sheets on the Great Basin Desert for Kids – Interesting Facts for Children – Interesting Facts about the Great Basin Desert for Kids - Fact Guide – Interesting Fact File – Great Basin Desert Facts for Kids - Kids Facts about the Great Basin Desert – Fun Facts for Kids on the Great Basin Desert – Random Great Basin Facts for Kids – Great Basin Summary – Interesting Facts about the Great Basin Desert for Kids