A variety of lower animals, or animals without backbones, are found in the desert. They include insects like this cactus beetle, found in the deserts of the American southwest.
Lower animals of the deserts also include spiders, including the famous black widow. Spiders are not insects ╨ they are more closely related to scorpions than beetles.
Insects
Deserts are home to a variety of insects, from dragonflies to beetles, from ants to wasps and bees. Some insects like the ants seem to always be present, whilst others like butterflies survive the dry season as pupae or eggs and hatch when green plants are available for them to feed on.
Darkling beetles move across the desert floor with their heads down and the abdomen raised. They stand still when disturbed and may burrow into cooler soil during the heat of the day
