They sleep away the hottest part of the summer. Some desert animals such as Desert Toads, remain dormant deep in the ground until the summer rains fill ponds. They then emerge, breed, lay eggs and replenish their body reserves of food and water for another long period. Some arthropods, such as the fairy shrimps and brine shrimps, survive as eggs, hatching in saline ponds and playas during summer or winter rains, and completing their life cycles. Even their legs may be longer so they absorb less surface heat while running.
Some animals dissipate heat absorbed from their surroundings by various mechanisms.
Owls, Poorwills and nighthawks gape open-mouthed while rapidly fluttering their throat region to evaporate water from their mouth cavities. Many desert mammals have evolved long appendages to dissipate body heat into their environment. The enormous ears of jackrabbits, with their many blood vessels, release heat when the animal is resting in a cool, shady location. Their relatives in cooler regions have much shorter ears. New World vultures, such as the Turkey and Black Vultures, are dark in color and thus absorb considerable heat in the desert.