Compare and Contrast Essay

Jungle vs. Desert

Compare and Contrast Essay by: Alayna Schuler

Have you ever wondered how two very different parts of the world could be similar? Well the jungle and the desert can be very similar if you take a look from a new perspective.

The jungle is a very wet and humid place located near the equator. On the other hand the desert is very dry and located away from a coast. I know it’s funny to think about such a dry place located near a coast, but it is far enough off the coast to where the oceans moisture doesn’t reach.

The desert and the jungle both contain wild life. The desert animals are very dull colored, like the lizard, to avoid the sun’s burning rays. Desert animals also have to be very hardy. That means they have to be able to survive with little water. Some burrow into the moist soil to avoid losing water. Others lick the dew off the plants in the cool morning. One of the desert animal, the camel, cannot store water in their humps as the myth states. Their humps are simply filled with fat helping them lower their temperature throughout the rest of their body causing them not to drink as much.

Jungle animals on the other hand are very bright and colorful because the vegetation is so vibrant. Most animals in the jungle use camouflage to hide from unwanted guests. The most common animal that we all know that can camouflage itself is the chameleon. The chameleon has the ability to take the color of anything to hide itself.

As you know the jungle gets a lot of rain, but a desert also gets rain too. It gets anywhere from 80 to 400 inches a year. A desert only gets less than ten inches a year.

The climate in the desert is very hot. The temperature can range anywhere from 64 to 120 degrees fahrenheit. The jungle’s temperature usually stays around 80 degrees fahrenheit. The temperature has never dropped below 64 degrees.  

As you know people think of the jungle and the desert as two completely different things, but they actually can be quite similar.

Both the desert and the jungle have trees. The jungle as super tall trees, like the Strangler Fig. The Strangler fig is named after the pattern of growth upon host trees. It stands about 148 feet tall. Many desert animals are close to the ground and contain thorns. This is because the thorns help them collect moisture.