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Answer #1 The cactus has needles to lessen the loss of moisture through evaporation. Needles are the cactus plant's equivalent of leaves. The smaller the leaf or needle surface, the less the loss of precious moisture through evaporation. The needles also let moisture and rain water drip to the soil surface. The water then seeps below ground. Underground, the water adds to soil moisture levels and is taken in by plant roots. It dissolves nutrients that only can be used in soluble form by plants. Then it travels up through the plant by capillary action, for the meeting with sunlight in the photosynthetic interaction. Additionally, the needles offer general protection to cactus body parts from such environmental stressors as pests. Specifically, it may protect fruits, flowers, and fleshy parts from predators. Answer #2Cactuses are prickly so the animals stay out of the way, and so the animals can't drink their water up.

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14y ago
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14y ago

No, but sometimes it seems like they do. Jumping cactus, aka cholla, have loose joints and spines that only take a slight brush against them to attach to the animal or person passing by. This makes propagation possible.

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12y ago

To protect the flowers or fruit from animals.

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13y ago

I do not really know but i belive it does not because i seen it in a game and the game is fake

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Q: Why do cacti have needles?
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Related questions

Which kind of plant reduces its leaves completely to needles?

Cacti have needles (spines) instead of leaves.


How often to feed grasshoppers?

Feed them every morning with fresh grass and bushes with no needles e.g. Cacti


A cactus can either have long needles (L) or short needles or short needles (l) a cactus grower crosses two cacti .the cross is shown in the Punnett square apex?

D: Three long, one short


How are prickly cactus adapted to its habitat?

cacti can store tons of water in their stem, and bacause they have a waxy outer coating, the water doesn't leak out. cacti also have really sharp needles to protect them from predators.


How do cactus adapt to the desert?

There are many ways in which the cacti plants have adapted to the desert including needing less water to live. These cacti plants have also developed very sharp needles to prevent animals from taking the water inside.


Does it hurt if you take a prick from a prickly pair?

Not usually. Prickly pair cacti usually have very fine hair-like needles that are only irritating. You can put a piece of tape over the area with the needles stuck in the skin. Then remove the tape and it will usually remove the needles. They're more annoying that painful.


How many spikes does a cactus have?

There is no such thing as an "average" cactus, because there are many different kinds, and the cacti may be big or small, young or old. Most cacti will have thousands of spikes on them. Big cacti may have tens of thousands of spikes.


Do some desert cacti have beautiful flowers?

Yes: Prickly Pears, Barrel cacti, Saguaro cacti, Aztekium cacti, and Echinopsis cacti a.k.a the hedgehog cactus


Is it cactuses or cacti?

cactus for a single plant cacti for plural


Do saguaro cacti have succulents?

All cacti are succulents, but not all succulents are cacti.


How do needles and thorns help a cactus to survive in the desert?

its because the needles are actually leaves. they are small because if they were bigger, then they would waste water. also, the "leaves" have small waxy cuticles(i think that's how to spell them) that trap water and store it in the cacti's trunk.


Can mealworms eat cacti in the Sahara Desert?

No, mealworms do not eat cacti and cacti do not occur naturally in the Sahara. Cacti are natives to American deserts.