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Until 2005, scientists had failed to detect any life in the Atacama Desert in Chile. But, in 2005, they cracked open Sodium Chlyoride (Salt) rocks in the desert and discovered microscopic green bacteria. They tested some of the bacteria at Sheffield University in 2006 and discovered that they eat away at the salt rock, and when the humidity rarely climbs to 75% about once a year (average daily humidity 10%, the lowest anywhere on Earth), the salt, which is an extremely good rock for soaking up water, soaks all the water up and the bacteria 'drink' the water that gets stored in the salt.
What else can I help you with?
What doesn't grow on the Atacama Desert mountains?
Few plants (and animals) survive in the Atacama Desert, including the mountains.
Can a llama be found in the desert?
No, llamas are not desert animals. They are domestic animals. Guanacos, a close cousin, are found on the fringes of the Atacama Desert, however.
Which deserts are located in Chile?
The large desert in northern Chile is the Atacama Desert. The Atacama is the driest non-polar desert in the world.
What is the Atacama Desert like?
The Atacama is very barren and dry. The temperatures are mild and not hot. Few plants or animals live there.
Are llamas and vicunas found in the Atacama desert of Chile?
Llamas and alpacas are both domestic animals and not found naturally in the Atacama Desert. Relatives, the guanaco and vicuna, do find a home on the fringes of the desert, however.
Is San Pedro De Atacama in the Atacama desert?
Yes it is located in the Atacama Desert.
What adaptations do desert llamas have?
Llamas are domesticated animals and do not occur naturally in the desert. The vicuña and guanaco are wild cousins of the llama and do occur on the fringes of the Atacama Desert where they feed on sparse plant life and get their water from the plants they eat.
Is there a large or small number of organisms in the Atacama Desert?
.Tthere are some plants and animals that call the Atacama their home. They are not numerous, however.
What is the climate of the Atacama Desert?
The Atacama Desert is a cool, exceedingly dry desert.
What its the desert in northern Chile?
The Atacama Desert is located in northern Chile, southern Peru and small parts of Bolivia and Argentina.
What kind of desert is the Atacama?
The Atacama is a cold coastal desert.
What cold current passes through the Atacama's desert?
No current passes through the Atacama Desert but the Humbolt, or Peruvian Current, passes just off shore and has a great influence on the climate of the Atacama.
