Moving through the desert in the heat of the day
From BearWiki
Claim: If you're in the desert and low on water, you should move at night, not during the day.
Bear routinely, whenever in a desert environment, travels under the scorching sun in the middle of the day while supposedly desperately low on water supplies. This is a good recipe to end up dead. You lose far less water when it's cool at night than you do during the day, when you should be resting.
[edit] Analysis
Oppose: Many poisonous animals also move at night, and human eyes aren't as adapted as lets say...snakes, lions, or any other animal. At least if you move in the day these dangers are less likely to occur and if they do you at least have some sense of visual idea. Although if a lion decides he wants to eat you I don't think there is much else you can do...
Oppose: Yes, those desert lions are the worst... like always keep a stick to fight them off.
Support: While it may be true that many poisonous animals and other predators hunt at night, it is still better to travel at night for two reasons:
1. You have a better fighting chance against being attacked by a poisonous animal if you are awake rather than asleep.
2. Dying from dehydration is much more likely so it is critical to conserve whatever water is in your body as much as possible ie. rest when it is hot so you sweat less.
Hundreds of expert survival groups recommend it for similar reasons, but with more detail. Wilderness medical Society[1], Global Crisis Solution Center[2], and the Survival Guide [3], just to show a few.
Oppose: That's why you build a fire...
Support: Scorpions are attracted to fire.
Oppose: Source please? Scorpions are NOT specifically attracted to fire and has not been proven anywhere. Les says they are but other then that, there has been no real proof. He only moves in the heat of the day to get to a more favorable point instead of you know... not doing anything at a place where he would have been unlikely seen.
Support: Every animal out in the cold is attracted to fire.
Oppose: Every "WARMBLOODED" animal in the cold is attracted to fire. Cold blooded animals have no need of heat, in fact it hurts them. Why else would scorpions and other deadly animals go around in the night instead of the day?
Support: Cold-blooded animals which are acclimated to hot environments will actively seek out heat. In many cases, they do not feel themselves being burned by a heat source. Ex: Iguanas burn themselves when lying on hot rocks, and do not notice they are being burned. Encounters with poisonous animals occur less often than dehydration. While you have a *chance* of being attacked by a snake, scorpion etc, you are *certain* to eventually die from dehydration if a water source is not found.
