Figure 1. A pair of Japanese quail. If the birds have not been subjected to genetic. selection for bodyweight, the adult male quail will. weigh about 100â140 g, while the females are. slightly heavier, weighing from 120â160 g.
The temperature of a desert is also a defining and unique characteristic. Most deserts are warmer during the day than they are at night, and the difference in temperature is quite drastic. The average daytime temperature is 100Â°F, while at night the average temperature is 25Â°F. This large temperature difference is due to low amount of moisture in the desert air.
Deserts have extreme temperatures. During the day the temperature may reach 50Â°C, when at night it may fall to below 0Â°C. Deserts have less than 250 mm of rainfall per year. The rain can be unreliable. Most deserts are found between 20Â° and 35Â° north and south of the equator. Climate graph for the Sahara Desert. The Sahara is the largest desert, covering 9 million km 2.