Animals in the desert have a problem getting water and keeping it. Insect-eaters get their liquids from their food. Most desert dwellers avoid the drying heat as much as possible, spending their time in burrows or holes, where the damp earth and coolness cut down the amount of evaporation from their breathing. With the exception of the coyote which is apt or likely to have its home in the shelter of rocks or in dense vegetation, nearly all animals have burrows of one sort or another. All birds seek whatever shade they can find. Reptiles have an added reason for avoiding the desert sun. They are cold-blooded creatures which lack the protection of fur, feathers, and other cooling devices. They can be killed by a relatively short exposure to full sunshine. Many desert animals have an additional source of water through the breakdown of body fats. Lizards, for example, store fat in their tails much as the camel stores it in its hump. The opening sentence suggests that .