The World’s Deserts Heat Up
In The World’s Deserts Heat Up, narrator Sir David Attenborough explains how Earth’s hottest temperatures have all been recorded in its deserts. The deserts are getting hotter more quickly than the global average. The shovel-snouted lizard adapts to the extreme heat by alternately lifting its feet from the hot ground, performing a kind of dance. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Planet Earth II, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
Lesson Express
Q: Describe what you see in the environment of the desert in the video.
A: The environment consists of brown flat land with a few low shrubs, low mountains, blue sky with a few small clouds, sunshine, horses, cracked mud, antelope, and a heat haze.
Q: How is the desert changing?
A: The desert is getting hotter more quickly than the global average. It is also expanding into areas that were previously grass and farmland.
Q: How does the shovel-snouted lizard adapt to high desert temperatures?
A: It alternately raises its feet to cool them and give them a break from the hot surface temperature.
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