Living in a desert

[psi20]

I've never personally gone into the desert, but I'd like to live in a desert climate some day. What kinds of things should I do now if I want to live in a desert? I've gotten some pretty good tips from my friend who's survived off the land in desert climate. Anyone know out of the ordinary things I should be doing to ensure my survival? Should I learn how to live off of meager rations of food and water for 2 weeks or something?

[Ophiolite]

Are you talking about living in a desert climate, or a trek through a desert, or both. I'm just not clear exactly what you are asking. Survival in a desert can be reduced to the same fundamentals of survival anywhere:

1. Water

2. Food

3. Shelter

4. Navigation

 

A couple of incidental points. Most deaths in the desert are due to strokes because of dehydration.

Most deserts can get pretty cold at night. (No cloud cover.) You can die of hypothermia.

And your friend who survived off the land, are we talking catching snakes to drink their blood, or what?

I like deserts too, but I prefer to approach them in a meticulously maintained vehicle, with several spare tyres, on a main road, with lots of water. There has been a long history of cowardice in my family. Its kept us alive for generations.

Anyway - take care.

[coquina]

My mom used to tell me that the instinct for self-preservation runs very strong in our family.

 

Psi -

 

There was a very interesting program about a community that was built about 20 years ago to be self sustaining in the desert. There were no automobiles, and everything was solar powered. I just looked through the science and discovery channel to see if I could find it, but I can't remember the name. I think it started with an "s", maybe someone else saw it and can remember more.

[Mokele]

Well, from the herpetology angle, I can say this: If you see any snake, do *not* touch it, no matter how appetizing it looks. Most deserts have a disproportionately high number of venomous species, and many of them are almost impossible to identify unless you *really* know the local reptile fauna. Especially if you're outside the USA (compared to other deserts, we don't have terribly many lethal species, though more are venomous than you'd expect, including several colubrids such as the lyre snake)

 

Mokele

[ecoli]

http://www.southwest-vacation-travel.net/four-corners/desert-survival-skills/

[psi20]

Thanks y'all

[YT2095]

this may seem Trivial, but take Sunglasses with you!

also try to shelter in the day, and move at night.

 

edit: also the juice of some Cacti makes a Great sunscreen!

[AzurePhoenix]

I live in Phoenix Arizona, desert central, named for a bird that immolates itself in a firestorm every 500 years. currently, we're in a twenty-year drought. temperatures reach 115 degrees regularly, in the shade. you can see heat waves rising from grass, for god's sake. But that's not all so bad. The venomous herps are cool (reptiles you perverts ) What sucks is how many people come to live here. sure, it's like a giant sprawling super-mega-ultra-suburb rather than a city, but still, i hate people. and that is why the desert sucks. people. in fact, that's why everywhere sucks. i really, really hate people. oh yeah, in arizona, the sun may be hot, but so are the people, and we all have tans

[AzurePhoenix]

oh, and maybe it's jsut my field of study, but it's not so hard for other people to ID venomous reps is it? oh-well. keep in mind, in arizona, it's really easy to tell posion snakes from regular one. THEY ALL HAVE FRICKIN' RATTLES!! except for the arizona corral snake, but just avoid tri-colored ring banded snakes, and those damn rattlers, and maybe the occasional gila monster and you'll be fine. Oh yeah, avoid bark scorpians (rarely fatal,) tarantulas (harmless, but you might hurt him,) and Tarantuala Hawks (a really big, really awesome wasp with a sting worse than a Bullet Ant's bite.) Hey, if you stop by, gimme a call

[AzurePhoenix]

oh yeah, survival advice, suck on a cactus pad, they're a real bitch to de-prickle, but have a real high water content

[YT2095]

perhaps an epi-pen or atropine hypo would be a good idea to take along with you as well then!

[Nevermore]

Do your best to keep cool as well, the body looses an amazing amount of water through sweat.

[daisy]

personally....I'd talk to a friendly Bedouin or Tuareg tribesman...if anybody knows the lowdown on desert life it'd be them.

[Mokele]

oh, and maybe it's jsut my field of study, but it's not so hard for other people to ID venomous reps is it? oh-well. keep in mind, in arizona, it's really easy to tell posion snakes from regular one. THEY ALL HAVE FRICKIN' RATTLES!! except for the arizona corral snake, but just avoid tri-colored ring banded snakes, and those damn rattlers, and maybe the occasional gila monster and you'll be fine.

 

In the US, it's fairly simple, but once you get into central mexico and go south from there, it gets a lot more complicated. Many of the coral-snake mimics are so identical that the only way to actually tell them apart is picking them up and counting scale rows. Given that some South American coral snakes can be 6 feet long, probably not a good idea.

 

Also, many other deserts have an abundance of venomous species which are either burrowers (stilleto snake, etc) or have a habit of covering themselves in sand with only their eyes poking out. Those two, bead-sized eyes in the sand can be attached to a 4 foot, 30 lb puff adder with 2-inch fangs.

 

Overall, the US west has it *very* light on venomous reptiles. Most other deserts of similar size have an abundance that are far less easy to avoid or identify.

 

And then there's Australia, to which the answer is "Yes it is venomous" no matter what you're talking about. Including trees, sand, other people, and discarded candy wrappers.

 

Mokele

[AzurePhoenix]

hail Australia the anonymous venomous snake capital of the world

[Hellbender]

The best way to surviv a desert is to find one, then go in the opposite direction. If you insist on going to one, spend the night in one to see how it is. Chances are it will s&*k. Ut I wouldn't know. I have been to New Mexico scrub, not a real desert. Poisonous reptiles and arthropods pale in comparison to sunstroke, dehydration and the risk of getting hopelessly lost (depending on which desert, your chances of wandering too far from civilization in someplace like california is rare).

[Hellbender]

Overall, the US west has it *very* light on venomous reptiles. Most other deserts of similar size have an abundance that are far less easy to avoid or identify.Mokele

 

You are right. I live in the notheastern US and the most poisonous snake is the Timber Rattler. We also have Copperheads which I have had a few run-ins with. Tourists freak when you tell them that there are two rare, moderately venomous snakes here.

[AzurePhoenix]

what would you deem as worse, a sandy desert (sahara), or a rocky one (Death Valley) i mean, it matters not when your a dessicated corpse, but maybe the preferred aesthetics of one over the other might soften the blow of your death. Hey, technically, isn't the anarctic a desert in some context, considering that it doesn't get rainfall, and is devoid of liquid freshwwater?

[AzurePhoenix]

I love snakes, i mean, is their anything cooler than a Gaboon Viper, or my personal favorite, Golden Lanceheads? Awesome. I hate the damn desert. every rattler looks basically the same. i'm bored, i need to go somewhere tropical. although i did have a real nice ringnecked snake, very pretty, and rainbow boas show up around here from time to time, though i've never seen one

[Mokele]

i mean, is their anything cooler than a Gaboon Viper, or my personal favorite, Golden Lanceheads?

 

Atractaspis bibronii and it's congenerics. They don't look like much, just little brown cylindrical burrowing snakes. However, they have the *weirdest* fang structure: instead of swinging in the dorsal-vental plane like vipers, they swing laterally. The snake never even opens its mouth; it just flicks the fangs out and swings it's head to the side. Their common name is "Stilleto snakes". Nobody can even agree what family to put them in, or if they belong in their own family.

 

every rattler looks basically the same.

 

Yes, but the mexican ones (C. durrissus) become endothermic by a few degrees while digesting a meal.

 

although i did have a real nice ringnecked snake, very pretty, and rainbow boas show up around here from time to time, though i've never seen one

 

Rainbow boas? Those are native only to central and south america. Maybe you mean rubber boas or rosy boas?

 

And ringnecks may actually be poisonous. Not venomous, poisonous, like they're toxic if you eat them. However, I'm not up to date with the work on that.

 

Mokele

[YT2095]

I`m fairly certain you would be able to by the leather ankle/lower leg cuffs that wrap around over your boot to protect against many accidental snake bites.

they`re probably not made of leather nowadays, but a local shop near the desert may have some?

 

it`ll afford Some protection at least

[5614]

moving off the snakes for a second, i think it is quite important that you adapt to the climate first.

 

just moving from a cold country to a desert would be a big shock to the system and you may not like it... although saying that, i dont know where you live.

 

i'd suggest you spend a few test-holidays there to see if your body can handle the climate, see what it's like... think to yourself that you'd like to stay there, but you wanna try it out first to see what its like... before you make a life changing decision like that, try it to see what its like!

[AzurePhoenix]

ah, yes rosies, i always mix those two up. rosy, not rainbow, rosy, not rainbow, rosy, not rainbow.... there, that should fix it.... i'm so ashamed. That stilleto snake sounds amazing, when were they discovered? I'll feel stupid if it was more than ten years ago

[AzurePhoenix]

oh, desert advise, be careful not to just drink any standing water you find. Their are pools thick with alkalines (maybe?) in the Death Valley deserts, plus those salt brines in australia and such. It'd suck to get your hopes up just to swallow a lungful of water as caustic as battery acid. ALso, mosquito eggs and larva. That why stagnant bad. sorry, caveman lingo

[Mokele]

That stilleto snake sounds amazing, when were they discovered? I'll feel stupid if it was more than ten years ago

 

At least 50 years ago, but they're an obscure african/arabian lineage, so don't feel bad. I didn't know about them until I met someone who owned one.

 

Mokele