Plants of the Sahara that live longer than a year obtain water in various ways. Some have long roots that reach deep into the soil and absorb moisture. Others take in moisture from the air through their leaves. White gazelles and rare antelope called addax roam the sand dunes of the Sahara. Snakes, lizards, gerbils, and small foxes called fennecs also live in the dunes.
Barbary sheep make their homes in the rocky plateaus.
Most desert animals can go for long periods without water to drink. They get some water from the plants that they eat. Many of the small animals stay in their burrows during the day to avoid the heat. They come out at night to search for food. During the Pleistocene Epoch, a time marked by a succession of ice ages which ended about 11,500 years ago, the region that is now the Sahara had a much wetter climate.