Desert+Fiction

David K. Banded Gecko

Once upon a time in the Sahara desert there was a Banded Gecko. His name was Billy.

“Sense this is your first time here, allow me to give you a tour of the Sahara desert,” said the Banded Gecko.

The first sight they stopped at was a Coral snake closing in on a Black-tailed jackrabbit. CRUNCH, the snake ate the rabbit in one bite.

“That’s called Predator/Prey,” said the gecko.

“It’s when the predator (hunter) eats the prey (hunted). Justin the jackrabbit was a very good friend, but I would never dare cross paths with Corey the coral snake. Okay let’s move on.

The second sight they stopped at was a flatworm sucking nutrients from a coyote.

“That’s called parasitism. Parasitism is when one organism benefits, that organism is the flatworm, and the other organism suffers, the organism that is suffering is the coyote. Oh poor coyote.”

Just then the coyote dropped dead to the sand.The third sight they stopped at was the sight of a butterfly landing peacefully in his home on the tree.

“That’s called commensalisms. It’s when one organism is helped, that’s the butterfly, and the other organism is neither helped nor harmed. Larry the tree is giving Berry the butterfly a place to live, and Larry is neither helped nor harmed. So let’s move on.

The final sight they stopped at was Bobby the Bank swallow sleeping with his little Bank Swallows in there home, Cot the Barrel cactus.

“That right there is called mutualism. Mutualism is when both organisms benefit. Cot the cactus is giving Bobby the Bank Swallow and his children a place to live. In return, Bobby the Bank Swallow is protecting Cot from harmful predators. Well that’s the Sahara desert. It could be a really friendly place, or it could be an extremely dangerous place. Remember keep your head up, because if you don’t, you could be prey to a predator."



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