Animals need to be well adapted to the arid climate of the desert. They need to regulate their body temperature all day and all night. Mammals and birds have it the easiest when it comes to body heat regulation. Their body heat remains stable as long as they are not in the heat for prolonged periods of time. In the cold night weather, they remain warm as long as they eat enough food to produce energy. Reptiles and amphibians body temperatures mirror that of the deserts. They have no internal way to regulate their body temperature.

To prevent over heating, both reptiles and animals make burrows to escape the heat. Burrows can remain at a much cooler temperature during the day and a much warmer temperature during the night. Some animals come out of their burrows in the early morning and afternoon, before the heat gets too overwhelming. Other animals only come out during the night, which is one reason why the daytime in the desert can seem so lifeless.