Could you live without water? Probably not! From plants to humans, water is one of the most essential things to every living thing, and it’s insane to think that some animals don’t really need it! Some animals live in incredibly dry areas like the desert, so their bodies have adapted to not needing to drink too much water; isn’t that amazing? Let’s learn more about these creatures!

Why water is important

Everyone knows animals need water to survive, but why? Similar to how plants use water in to grow and use nutrients from the environment, water is essential to most animals for growing! It helps with all metabolic processes, including temperature regulation, digestion, waste removal, and the overall health and survival of the animal! Apart from quenching thirst, water allows animals to fully function, and without it, animals would be severely debilitated.

Animal Superpowers

In places like the desert, water is scarce, so animals needed to adapt to spare as much water as possible. One trick animals used is getting water from food. Some animals don’t drink water at all, they get all the moisture they need by eating things like seeds, bugs, or plants. Others store water or fat in their bodies to use later. Some are only active at night, when it’s cooler and there’s less water lost through sweat or breathing. A few animals even collect water from the air or through their skin!

These survival instincts show how incredible animals are at surviving in the wild, and nature’s beauty!

Awesome Examples

• Kangaroo Rat - The kangaroo rat lives in the desert and never drinks water. It jumps far to find seeds, carries them in furry cheek pouches, and has special kidneys that save water. It doesn’t sweat and gets water from the seeds it eats. Even its nose helps keep moisture inside.

• Water Holding Frog - The water-holding frog lives in Australian deserts and can survive dry times by burying itself underground. It soaks up water through its skin and stores it in its body. Then it forms a skin cocoon to keep water inside and can stay like this for years, even eating its own skin to survive.

• Thorny Devil - The thorny devil lives in Central Australian deserts and collects water from rain and dew. Its special scales trap moisture, which moves under its skin to its mouth. The lizard uses its tongue to help swallow the water.

• Desert Tortoise - The desert tortoise lives in the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts and has a hard shell that helps it survive. It stores water in its big bladder, which can hold a lot of water and waste. During wet times, it drinks extra water to save. The tortoise can live for over a year without drinking water.

  Can you believe that these are only a couple of examples of all the animals that can live without water?! Learning how animals survive without water isn’t just cool, it’s important to science! Scientists study these animals to understand how life can exist in extreme places, like deserts or even other planets one day. Their adaptations can inspire new ideas for technology, like how to save water or stay cool in hot places. As the world gets hotter because of climate change, understanding how animals handle dry conditions helps people find better ways to protect wildlife and ourselves!