Just north of us here in the Coachella Valley, is the Mojave Desert. Most of the Mojave has an average elevation of 2,000-4,000 feet above sea level, and so is the cooler of the two regions. Average elevation of the Colorado desert is about 1,000 feet.
Many desert animals burrow to reach moderate temperatures.
Desert animals can run, fly, burrow, huddle, and hide when the winds come up, but plants are stationary and must have built in defenses. Desert plants and Animals conserve water. The undisputed champions are the kangaroo rat and the creosote bush, both of which seem to defy nature and ignore water altogether. Kangaroo rats do not need to drink because their bodies are so efficient at conserving and recycling moisture. In extreme drought, creosote bushes can photosynthesize on little or no water.