Why do cactuses have spikes?
Cactus spikes keep thirsty animals from munching the water stored inside.
Pip’s answer
- Cactus spikes keep thirsty animals from munching the water stored inside.
- Spikes also make little patches of shade, like teeny tiny umbrellas!
- They catch drops of morning mist that roll down to the roots.
- Wow-ee, cactus spikes are actually special leaves!
For grown-ups
Cactus spines are modified leaves. Thin spines lose far less water than flat leaves, which matters in dry deserts. They protect the water-storing stem from thirsty animals, shade the plant and, in some species, collect dew that drips toward the roots.
Ask your child: Why do you think cactuses don't have big flat leaves?
More questions kids ask
- 🏜️Why is the desert so hot?
- 🦔Why do hedgehogs have spikes?
- 💧Why do plants need water?
- 🌱Why do plants need sunshine?
- 🍂Why do leaves change color?
- 🌻Why do sunflowers face the sun?
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