Introduction
Why Desert Survivor?
The Desert Survivor game is an engaging way to learn about the behavior, physiology, genetics, and epigenetics that can be involved in surviving the extremes of a desert habitat. It's also a great opportunity to think about how all animals face struggles in the wild.
If you're looking to use this as part of a broader lesson or learning experience, it can be a great addition to a module on the desert, on genetics, or on animal behavior and physiology.
Surviving the desert
Life in the desert is a struggle for some. The desert can be extremely hot (or cold), and water and food can be hard to find at times. In the Sonoran desert, the hot, dry season is a challenge, as some areas can go for 80 to 90 days without any rainfall. Dealing with the lack of water and the heat requires a mix of survival strategies.
In Desert Survivor, you will rely on choices, skills, strategy, and luck to try to help your rattlesnake survive its first few years in the desert. You'll learn about rattlesnake microhabitats, predators, offspring, and more as your unique adventure plays out.
Survival strategies
There are many strategies you can use to try to survive… you have more control over some of these than others. Behavioral changes, such as staying inactive during the hottest parts of the day or finding slightly cooler burrows, can reduce water loss and heat exposure.
But there are also physiological, genetic, and epigenetic changes that can help individuals survive. Physiological changes in your body can release special molecules to help you deal with dehydration and heat exposure. Genetic mutations you were born with might give you special adaptations to help you survive. But your genes can also be modified on shorter timelines. Epigenetic changes can adjust which genes in your DNA are turned on or off without changing your DNA permanently.
Fast and slow changes
Keep in mind that these strategies are used on different time scales. Some survival strategies can be used to quickly deal with immediate challenges, like behavioral changes or upregulating (making more of) certain molecules. Other strategies take much longer to have an effect.
You might need a certain environmental trigger for them to take effect at all. Or you may miss some opportunities altogether. Genetic changes, including mutations that affect skin keratin, or aquaporins involved in water movement, occur over many generations. Together, fast responses and slow adaptations allow snakes to survive the extreme conditions of the desert.
Offspring impact
When your rattlesnake survives and does well over time, it also might try to have offspring that will be a part of the next generation. How your snake does will have a direct impact on whether it can reproduce, and how successful its offspring will be in their first years of life.
Dig deeper
Want to learn more about some of the subjects covered in the game? Visit Focusing on Physiology to learn about animal physiology on Ask A Biologist, or visit Controlling the Code to learn more about epigenetics on Ask An Anthropologist.
Ready to begin?
Surviving in any environment has its own challenges that involve a combination of strategies. Are you ready to learn about those that a rattlesnake experiences in the desert? Let's play!