Because both the Arctic and Antarctica have very little rain (or snow) theyre also considered to be deserts. The principal topographical features of the Sahara include shallow, seasonally inundated basins (chotts and dayas) and large oasis depressions; extensive gravel-covered plains (serirs or regs); rock-strewn plateaus (hammadas); abrupt mountains; and sand sheets, dunes, and sand seas (ergs). Jack Rabbits can be hunted down in the Sahara Desert. The Sahara Desert is home to the Marathon des Sables 150-mile footrace. The Dorcas gazelles are considered as one of the smallest animals in the world. It grows up to about 9 feet in length, has a pinkish-red neck, black/white plumage in males and gray plumage in females. If found, they can be a source of meat and eggs. It occupies an area of 9,400,000 square km that is comparable to the size of the United States. There are over 1,000 species of camel spider. The Sahara desert climatic cycle shows records of 10,500 years ago and bring forth the fact that there was no human occupation in the Sahara. One of the least studied species of fox, the pale foxs habitat stretches from Senegal to Sudan. It has a bald, pink / red head and a powerful bill, which is almost 4 in. Modern economic development has disrupted many of these traditional means of subsistence, however, with many desert dwellers seeking more lucrative opportunities in developed regions and oases. Filling nearly all of northern Africa, it measures approximately 3,000 miles (4,800 km) from east to west and between 800 and 1,200 miles from north to south and has a total area of some 3,320,000 square miles (8,600,000 square km); the actual area varies as the desert expands and contracts over time. credit of image : Profberger at English Wikipedia . Some dung beetles just burrow into the dung they find and make it into a home, chewing their way out when they get hungry. The species is also slightly smaller in overall size than its domestic relative. Mulgaras are rat-sized marsupials found in desert regions of central Australia. A sting from this fearsome arachnid is extremely painful and potentially fatal. . The sand cat has large, pointed ears, and is thought to have hearing that is far more acute than that of a domestic cat. It is a living tin-opener, making carrion accessible for smaller vultures and other scavengers who cant break through the tough hides. Despite their minuteness, they can run up to 16 miles per hour, making them quite challenging to catch. Horned vipers can be found in the Sahara Desert, especially where the climate is semi-arid. In the Green Sahara period there were millions more people living across the region and untold animal diversity. The deathstalker is one desert animal you probably dont want to encounter. Females weigh around 12 kilograms and the males weigh 16 kilograms. The antelope jackrabbit is a hare found in deserts and other dry habitats in the south western United States. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Some of the biggest catfish and sea snakes to ever exist lived in what is today the Sahara desert, according to a new paper that contains the first . This small toad is found in deserts and other dry habitats in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. This animal is a cold-blooded creature and hence goes into hibernation from September to April. It looks like it hardly ever rains here. Horned viper is one of the most poisonous snakes in the world. Sadly they have been hunted to the point where there are only around 500 left. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Currently, the bird is classified as Least Concern because of its widespread distribution. These gazelles possess a pale coat color that reflects sunlight and enlarged hooves that allow them to walk smoothly in the desert sand. Hamsters are able to carry large amounts of food in the cheek pouches useful if they come across more food than they are able to eat in one sitting. The addax is a critically endangered species of antelope found in the Sahara Desert. All of them have a white underbelly. Dorcas gazelles are mainly found in Sahara Desert and some regions in North Africa. A venomous species of snake, the viperCerastes vipera inhabits the Sahara Desert. Texas A&M University. 6. Another species of venomous viper, the Cerastes cerastes also lives in the Sahara. Saharan vegetation is generally sparse, with scattered concentrations of grasses, shrubs, and trees in the highlands, in oasis depressions, and along the wadis. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Designart 'Desert in Western Sahara' Landscape Printed Throw at the best online prices at eBay! The main threats to the species are illegal hunting and habitat loss. Summary: As little as 6,000 years ago, the vast Sahara Desert was covered in grassland that received plenty of rainfall, but shifts in the world's weather patterns abruptly . This large lizard (generally; some can be quite small) is venomous and can become quite aggressive when threatened, especially during colder seasons. The deathstalker isnt all bad news; its venom can be used to locate tumors in the human body. Many animals that live in the desert have special adaptations to help them survive in this inhospitable environment. Antelopes are their primary prey. The species can be identified by its large size, very long, pointed ears, white / gray sides, white underparts, buff neck and chest, and black / buff back. African wild dogs can be found in woodlands, savannahs, and grasslands throughout the Sahara Desert. The desert iguana is found in the southwestern USA and northern Mexico. Their color ranges from ocher, reddish-brown or pale. Death Stalker Scorpion. (An order is a group of related animals.) They hunt for food at night. Sahara, (from Arabic ar, desert) largest desert in the world. In fact, the species spends much of its life buried up to 1 meter (3.28 ft.) underground, wrapped in a cocoon. Over much of the Sahara, these formations were covered by Mesozoic depositsincluding the limestones of Algeria, southern Tunisia, and northern Libya, and the Nubian sandstones of the Libyan Desertand many of the important regional aquifers are identified with them. The dorcas gazelle (Gazella dorcas), a small gazelle species, inhabits the Sahara Desert and surrounding grasslands. As its name suggests, the Mojave Desert tortoise is found in North Americas Mojave Desert. The diet of this herbivorous mammal includes cacti and mesquite leaves. They love to bury themselves in the sand in order to hide from their enemies and prey. Most of the 16 members of this family are found either in deserts or other dry habitats. The thorny devil is a small lizard found in dry regions throughout most of central and west Australia. The kit fox is a small canid (member of the dog family) found in the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. Photo: Yathin sk [CC BY-SA 3.0]The lappet-faced vulture is a large bird of prey found in Africa and the Middle East. These polar regions are known as cold deserts. The species grows to around 24 in. The adaptations of the wildlife and plants to the treacherous environment are fascinating, and the cultural history of this geographic crossroads complex and involved. Sandgrouses are birds in the family Pteroclidae. It is only active during the day in the coolest months of the year. For more details, and a selection of other question sheets, see this page: Free Printable Worksheets. It is capable of reaching speeds of up to 70 km/h / 43 mph. Both the Turkmenian kulan and Persian onager are rated Endangered. The addax antelopes are highly adapted to live in the harsh desert conditions and can sustain themselves without water for indefinite periods of time. (Click here or scroll down to go directly to the animals!). There are two living species of camel, the Dromedary Camel and the Bactrian Camel. The desert iguana is active during the day even in high temperatures. Because living things need water to survive, deserts are home to relatively few plants and animals (especially when compared to habitats such as rainforests, jungles and oceans). Around 350 live in the Great Gobi A Strictly Protected Area in Mongolia. Several pyramidal dunes in the Sahara attain heights of nearly 500 feet, while draa, the mountainous sand ridges that dominate the ergs, are said to reach 1,000 feet. -The Sahara contains over 300 species of migratory bird populations with water and shore birds and many other types of birds. It lives underground in tunnels, where it hunts earthworms and other invertebrates. When threatened, the ostrich can fight back, kicking with its long legs. Like this acacia tree. Drought and heat tolerant types, as well as those suited to salty environments (halophytes) if adequate water is present, make . The desert hosts the highly feared deathstalker scorpion, the extremely venomous sand viper . The best time to travel to the Sahara Desert is between October and . Interestingly, they can survive without drinking water for a number of days. During dry periods the water-holding frog is able to aestivate. Sahara, as we all know is the world's largest hot desert that covers the majority portion of North Africa. Most Sahara Desert inhabitants are nomads. Once common and widely spread in the arid regions (areas with little to no rain) of the Sahara desert, the dama gazelle now lives only about 1% of its historical range, and found primarily in Chad and Sudan. These foxes are nocturnal and are characterized by their very large ears. The species is now found in only 6 of the 18 countries where it once existed. 19. The critically endangered species of gazelle, the dama gazelle (Nanger dama) is today found only in Niger, Chad, and Mali though earlier it had a more widespread distribution. Commentdocument.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "a79f9c66946b4e15c00c7028a6a05b5e" );document.getElementById("baf99b406d").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); News and facts on animals, natural history and science. Australia has a small feral dromedary population made up of the descendants of animals introduced to the country by humans. Convergent evolution occurs when different types of animal develop similar characteristics or abilities due to their having the same type of lifestyle. What is the modern economy of the Saharan Desert like. Lizards, chameleons, skinks, and cobras are found among the rocks and dunes. If the gazelle is forced to run, it can achieve an astounding 49 miles per hour. Dung beetles can roll dung until it makes a ball shape and then push it home, or simply dig a new burrow next to a heap of dung to live in. Instead they get most of the water they require from their almost completely carnivorous diet. As a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, this site may earn from qualifying purchases. The tarantula hawks sting scores pain level 4 the highest score on the Schmidt sting pain index, a scale for rating insect stings. They feed on grasses and leaves of desert plants and obtain water from their food and dew. Lizards, chameleons, skinks, and cobras are found among the rocks and dunes. The Arabian oryx became extinct in the wild in the early 1970s. Nom nom! The sidewinder is venomous. Animals. It covers about 3,320,000 square miles (8,600,000 square kilometers) in northern Africa . Wow! The Kangaroo Rat is preyed by the Sandy Rat. The various snails that inhabit the desert are an important source of food for birds and animals. Prowling the North Western Sahara is the African cheetah, an elusive cat that leaves people with many questions about this desert predator. Apart from the dromedary camel and goats, the desert hosts the highly feared deathstalker scorpion, the extremely venomous sand viper, the elegant and fierce cheetah, the graceful gazelles, the swift-footed red-necked ostrich and other unique and magnificent species. Sentries survey the landscape for threats, and will alert the group using different alarm calls depending on the threat. Like most vultures it is primarily a scavenger, although the lappet-faced vulture is also thought to hunt live prey on occasion. Each year, many thousands of greater flamingos visit the Makgadikgadi Pan of north eastern Botswana in order to breed. The Sahara includes at least part of 10 countriesMorocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Chad, and Sudanplus the territory of Western Sahara. These creatures have longer legs than other ants and produce heat shock proteins before exiting their burrows. (41 cm). The Sahara desert, located in North Africa, is the largest hot desert in the world and one of the hottest places on Earth with average summer temperatures of 104 degrees Fahrenheit and yearly rainfall of only 1 to 4 inches. This is a fabulous kid friendly site, Thanks so much, Youre welcome, thank you for stopping by! The harsh conditions imposed by the desert climate force desert inhabitants to adapt. Links to further information are provided for many of the animals. The Sahara Desert is the largest desert in the world. The Sahara desert is an incredibly diverse habitat and it is home to a variety of animals. It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005 after hundreds of amazing fossils were discovered in the area. The coastal zones and interior waterways attract many species of water and shore birds. They usually live in a community composed of 10 individuals led by males. At that time, people used the barter system, trading food and animals without the exchange of money.Today the Sahara Desert's population is around 4 million with the majority of the people living in Egypt, Libya, Mauritania, Western Sahara, and Algeria. The Kangaroo Rat is a herbivore. Sand dunes in Erg Chigaga with blue sky, Morocco. It reaches lengths of around 3 inches (7.6cm), and has pale olive green skin marked with black patches and smaller red spots. Many animals have found ways to thrive in deserts, and so have many plants. One animal you probably think about when you think about the desert is the Sahara desert camel. The Namaqua sandgrouse (pictured above) is found in Southern Africa, including the Kalahari Desert and the Namib Desert. Among the mammal species still found in the Sahara are the gerbil, jerboa, Cape hare, and desert hedgehog; Barbary sheep and scimitar-horned oryx; dorcas gazelle, dama deer, and Nubian wild ass; anubis baboon; spotted hyena, common jackal, and sand fox; and Libyan striped weasel and slender mongoose. A number of other factors affect climatic variability within the Sahara as well: topography does so, as do ocean currents, the latter of which are responsible for the slightly cooler and more humid conditions found on the deserts western margins. The lakes and pools of the Sahara also contain algae and brine shrimp and other crustaceans. The Mojave Desert tortoise digs its own burrows, and will hibernate underground during the winter. A team led by Egyptian scientists have dug up a 43 million-year-old fossil in the Sahara Desert in Egypt of a now-extinct amphibious four-legged whale. (Question sheet comes as a printable pdf file.). The greater flamingo is the largest of the six species of flamingo, and one of only two found outside of the Americas. Sahara with its hyper-arid conditions, fierce winds, intense heat and temperature makes adaptability really a fascinating for both humans as well as for animals. A unique animal, the Saharan Silver Ant (Cataglyphis bombycina), remains active for only 10 minutes a day. Kangaroo rats have made several adaptations to enable them to survive in the desert, including: getting moisture from their seed diet; living in burrows during the day to avoid extreme heat; The deathstalker inhabits desert and scrubland habitat in North Africa and Western Asia. Desert animals are found in various deserts, such as the Great Basin, Mojave Desert, Sonoran Desert, and Sahara Desert. Sahara, (from Arabic ar, "desert") largest desert in the world. Here the list of 10 amazingly adaptive Sahara desert animals. In Arabic the Sahara is called Al-ar al-Kubr, or the Great Desert. The Arabic word ar simply means desert, and its plural form, ar, is where the northern African desert gets its Anglicized name. Some heat- and drought-tolerant grasses, herbs, small shrubs, and trees are found on the less well . Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. These animals are well adapted to the extreme conditions in the region. There are approximately 500 species of plants and animals . Each is found in a different part of Asia. These camels have been domesticated by the human settlers of the Sahara and are utilized for various purposes like transport and meat. This type of scorpion is translucent and yellow in appearance, and is among the most venomous animals of the Sahara desert, and the entire world. Camels are among the most famous of all desert animals. They feed mainly on antelopes, hares and other small mammals. Today it is a domestic animal, most often seen in desert regions. The species is currently rated Vulnerable by the IUCN (the International Union for Conservation of Nature). The Gila monster is one of only two venomous lizards found in the Americas (the other is the closely related Mexican beaded lizard). They are extremely intelligent and can even count. The African silverbill is a sociable bird that perch atop trees in large flocks often huddled close together for long periods of time. The desert is a barren place where both animals and plants make a tough go at life. The one animal that I have chosen to explain about is the monitor lizard. Although a bite from a Gila monster is painful, to most healthy humans it isnt life-threatening. It often favors arid sandy habitats such as the Gobi Desert, where temperatures may fall to near zero during the cold of winter, and the Sahara Desert, where temperatures may rise to more than 130 degrees Fahrenheit in the heat of . All camel spiders have four pairs of legs and a pair of additional, leg-like structures called predipalps, which are used for sensing and feeding. All Rights Reserved. Free shipping for many products! Their numbers are decreasing. Occasionally, they also hunt hares. Its sandy color well camouflages it in the desert, making it difficult to be detected.The Rppell's fox (Vulpes rueppellii) is a small fox with a sandy coat and an omnivorous diet. Addax Antelopes. Fennec foxes are mostly found in North Africa and in the sandy areas of the Sahara Desert. You can find out more about sand cats on this page: You can find out more about the thorny devil here: You can find out more about the wild Bactrian camel here. 8 Types of Small Birds That Have Good Voices. The largest desert on Earth! The fennec fox is the smallest of all the world's foxes, but its large ears, measuring 6 inches, appear to be on loan from a bigger relative. The Sahara is bordered in the west by the Atlantic Ocean, in the north by the Atlas Mountains and Mediterranean Sea, in the east by the Red Sea, and in the south by the Sahela semiarid region that forms a transitional zone between the Sahara to the north and the belt of humid savannas to the south. The sidewinders venom is relatively weak compared to that of most other rattlesnakes.