Secrets of the Sahara. Interesting Facts About the Sahara Desert Sahara Desert Vegetation and Animals

North Africa is completely given over to the hottest desert in the world, here is the Sahara Desert. On the map, it resembles the shape of a rectangle, stretching for 4800 km from west to east and up to 1200 km from north to south. There are no exact data on the boundaries and area. We are talking about 8.6 million square meters. km, and the border is expanding annually by 6-10 km to the south. The Sahara desert map partially contains 11 states: Mali, Morocco, Sudan, Niger, Chad, Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt, Western Sahara, Mauritania, Libya.

On the site of the present Sahara 10-12 thousand years ago there was a savannah. The climate was more humid, crocodiles lived in the rivers. People were hunting. So why did the desert form in such a favorable place? And the Sahara desert was formed due to a drought that began 5-7 thousand years ago. First, herbivores went deep into the continent, then predators, and eventually people. Only a few were able to survive where there was little water left and where the desert appeared.

In the northern part of the dry subtropical climate, where cold winters and hot summers, large daily and annual temperature fluctuations. Rains mostly come from December to March. In the south - dry tropical, with hot summers and mild, dry winters. In summer it rains, often with thunderstorms.

The air temperature in summer averages +50°C (the maximum mark of the thermometer rose to +58°C). The soil warms up to 70-80. At night it can drop to -18°C, sometimes it snows.

There are many rivers running through the area. For example: Nile, Niger, Draa, Saura, Ziz, etc. There are also lakes: Chad, Fagibin, Garou, Niangai, etc.

Very poor flora of the Sahara. But they have adapted. Desert plants are mainly drought-resistant grasses, with a developed root system that reaches 21 m in depth. herbaceous plants three days after precipitation they can produce seeds, after 10-15 days they can be sown. IN mountainous areas olives, cypress, mastic, acacia, sagebrush, oleander, doom palm, thyme, dates grow. Citrus, olive, fruit trees, dates, figs, and vegetables are grown in oases.

The fauna is much more diverse than other deserts, it is about 4 thousand species. The animals of the Sahara desert have also learned how to survive. Many are nocturnal. They settle mainly near oases. Some travel daily from pastures to rare, far-flung pools, and find water there. Others extract the necessary amount of moisture from food (from the juice of leaves, seeds, prey). And some produce water within their bodies by breaking down their fat stores. One way or another, animals get water or have learned to get moisture. Here you can meet jerboas, Cape hares, hedgehogs, rams, antelopes, gazelles, donkeys, hyenas, jackals, cheetahs, foxes, mongooses, ostriches, secretary birds, guinea fowls, lizards, chameleons, monitor lizards, cobras, vipers. And that's not all animal world Sahara. And the rare addax antelope, gazelle dorcas are under the threat of extinction.

The desert is popular with tourists. Many travel agencies lure tourists with photos of the Sahara desert. Here you can go on an excursion on a camel to the nearest city or on an expedition for two weeks. Those who like to tickle their nerves can fly on a hang glider.

The Sahara is the largest and most mysterious of the hot deserts in the world. It is so huge that it is almost the size of the United States. In the Sahara, so high sand dunes are formed that they can reach up to 180-190 meters, and in winter snow cover appears on the peaks. In the recent history of the inhabitants of the Sahara, snow was seen, it fell in 1879 and in 2012.

The Sahara is the largest desert in the world. It is located in North Africa. 3000 years ago, there was a flourishing land on the site of the Sahara Desert, giraffes, antelopes and buffalo roamed. Hunters, warriors, shepherds lived. And now silence and heat. Climate tropical deserts very hot and dry. Rain falls infrequently and irregularly. In many places there is no rain for several years.

The Sahara occupies about a quarter of the African continent and its area is growing all the time. The entire Sahara lies on the ancient African platform. In the depressions of the platform there are sandy deserts with sparse bushes of dry grasses. Raised flat spaces are rocky deserts. Sometimes they are replaced by ancient volcanic highlands. Relief features are associated not only with the history of development earth's crust, but also climate merging. The dry trade winds of the northern hemisphere dominate the Sahara. The sun and winds dry up the earth.

In the daytime, when the thermometer shows 50 degrees of heat, snakes burrow into the sand, turtles and insects rush to hide. Even hardy camels can't handle the heat of the day. Caravans go through the desert in the morning and evening hours. Nights are cold here, especially in winter. From a sharp change in temperature, the mountains in the Sahara are cracking. Massive rocks turn into piles of stones, rubble, sand. Rocky deserts are widespread in the Sahara. Vast spaces are covered with small stones. Deserts covered with angular rubble locals called hamada. Rocky mountain deserts form a special type of landscape.

About a quarter of the area of the Sahara is occupied by sandy deserts - ergs. The largest of them are called sandy seas. And, indeed, these huge accumulations of sand dunes and dunes resemble frozen sea waves. But the sands of the desert live, they are constantly carried by the wind. The dunes and dunes are constantly changing their outlines. Slowly but steadily they move, as if crawling in the wind.

But no matter how harsh the climate of the desert, people live here. The Sahara is mainly inhabited by nomads, but many also live settled. The way of life of people, their way of life and economy is determined by the nature of these places. Water is here the main problem Sahara, every sip is precious. A few sources come to the surface. The most ancient riverbeds are filled with water only during rare showers. Water quickly evaporates, seeps into the sand and leaves the ground, moistening it. So here more vegetation, richer pasture. But cattle destroy the grasses that hold the sands together with their roots. And the desert is advancing on the oases.

To protect themselves from the burning sun, the locals wrap themselves from head to toe in loose, long clothes. The most difficult moment for a traveler in the desert is sudden sandstorms. This is how Samum begins. In the Sahara it is called the breath of death. Many caravans perished in the hot chaos of the swirling sand.

Loose sands and bare rocky spaces of tropical deserts are practically devoid of soil cover. And where a thin layer of soil is formed, there is very little organic matter in it. And it's understandable why. The point here is the extreme poverty of vegetation. Vegetation cover is very sparse, and in many areas, generally absent. Only here and there are scattered bunches of hard, like wire, herbs or miserable thorny bushes, mainly from the mimosa family.

Only on the outskirts of the deserts, where they are replaced by semi-deserts, there is, though meager, but still a more developed grass cover. Individual, drought-adapted shrubs and trees grow.

Every piece of land is valued here. Water is used carefully, directed in thin streams to tiny fields. Where there is enough water, three crops are harvested a year. Dates, vegetables, grain are taken to the cities by long and difficult caravan trails. Crowded bazaars are noisy there, where nomadic cattle breeders and farmers flock. But there are very few cities in the Sahara. They arose only in large oases. Most of many African states are located in the Sahara:

Algeria;
Libya;
Egypt
Sudan;
Niger;
Mali;
Mauritania.

The Sahara is rich in minerals: iron, copper and manganese ores. The main wealth of the subsoil of the Sahara is oil and gas. In the desert, new cities and towns spring up around the mining sites. A traditional feature of the Saharan cities is the narrow streets-corridors between the blank walls of houses. At the bottom of these deep corridors the sun does not penetrate and it is cooler here on a hot day.

The animal world of the desert is also poor. If in the semi-deserts you can meet antelopes or lions, then in the center of the desert mainly reptiles and insects live. The reason for the poverty of species of flora and fauna in one thing is the lack of drinking water. But even with the sparse vegetation of deserts, cattle breeding is possible. Pasture cattle breeding is the main occupation of the inhabitants of the Sahara (Arabs, Tuareg, Tibu). They lead a nomadic life, moving their pastures from one place to another. Saharan nomads breed sheep, goats and camels.

East of the Sahara great river The Nile finds the strength to cross the desert from south to north. The Nile waters the land scorched by heat with life-giving moisture. The Nile Valley is the largest oasis in the Sahara. This is the cradle of the most ancient Egyptian culture in the history of mankind.

Federal Agency for Education

Tomsk State University

Abstract on the discipline "Biogeography"

Flora and fauna of the Sahara

Introduction

The Greatest Desert in the World

Modern desert flora

Modern desert fauna

Conclusion

Bibliography

Introduction

The Sahara occupies a large part of the African continent. On the western, northern and eastern outskirts, it is limited by boundaries in the form Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean and Red Seas, in the south it merges with the tropics. Most of the greatest desert is located at an altitude of 200-500 meters above sea level, where there are almost no sources of water and well-developed vegetation.

Sahara means "desert" in Arabic. It stretches from west to east for five thousand and from north to south for one and a half thousand kilometers. Its area is about nine square kilometers.

The purpose of this essay is to consider the flora and fauna of the Sahara.

The purpose of the abstract is:

· Description of modern desert flora;

· Description of modern desert fauna;

Identification of the characteristics of organisms living in the Sahara.

This work is written on 17 pages, contains a table.

1. The Greatest Desert in the World

The area of the Sahara itself is about 9 million km 2, which is almost equal to the continental part of the United States. Although it is commonly believed that this desert is endless dunes, in fact, only one seventh of the desert is sandy, including ergs - sandy seas. The Great Sand Sea of Libya and Egypt, covering an area equal to that of France, is the largest in the world, with dunes 100 m or more high. Most of the Sahara, that which is not covered with sand, is a rocky desert (reg) with a gravel surface of polished black and purple stones, or a gamada covered with flat limestones.

Topographically, this desert is a region of plateaus and plains, intersected by highlands.

Nile - the only river flowing through the Sahara; numerous dry riverbeds in other watersheds originate in mountain ranges within or along the edges of the desert and terminate in inland basins, some below sea level.

Since the Sahara is located in a subtropical high pressure zone, it generally receives less than 125 mm of precipitation per year. As in all deserts, these precipitations fall very unevenly. Daytime temperatures in summer usually exceed 40C, and often 50C.

In the northern third of the Sahara, precipitation falls mainly from autumn to spring. Bushes grow here and herds of sheep and goats graze, belonging to the Arabs, who two generations ago led a nomadic lifestyle, and now have become mostly sedentary. The central part of the Sahara is the driest zone, there is very little moisture here. Although these parts have the least vegetation, Muslim nomads graze herds of sheep and goats here. In the southern third of the Sahara, called the Sahel, prolonged droughts in last years led to a significant increase in the area of the desert.

In the Sahara there are big mountains, and endless rocky plains, and incredible size sand dunes that serve as a refuge for amazing animals. Here and there oases are scattered; in some places with clean and fresh water, in others with bitter or even poisonous. The scorching heat is replaced by night cold. strong winds, resulting from temperature changes, raise sand and dust, exhaust all living things. Sometimes, when the air is completely still and there is absolute silence, which is not disturbed by the singing of birds or the rustle of insects, sparkling stars are visible in the night sky. The bright sun can make a terrifying desert even beautiful, if you manage to forget that life in it is a constant fierce struggle for water.

The northern boundary of the Sahara is usually considered the Atlas mountain range. Its southern slopes are already attributed to the Sahara. The northern border of the Sahara is formed by several depressions, which are called the "Sahara fault". Some animals and plants never cross this ecological barrier. For example, a noisy viper that occurs south of the "rift" never appears north of it, not even a raven flies over it. The southern border is difficult to determine.

There are three main types of deserts in the Sahara: ergs, regs and hamads. Ergs are large sandy massifs, such as the Libyan Desert or the Great Western Erg. Regs are almost dead plains covered with a layer of coarse sand, rubble or pebbles. Hamads are huge flat spaces, the surface of which is formed by rocks.

The climate of the Sahara has been a desert climate for centuries. The few rivers of the Sahara, with the exception of the Nile, originate in the Atlas Mountains and flow until all their water disappears into the desert sands. There are oases in the Sahara - places where there are water sources or wells. In oases, water is strictly limited, and its use is usually controlled. The original plants of the oases are tamarisk, oleanders, and various shrubs. Groves of date palms, fruit trees, and wheat grow on fertile plots. The oases are distributed along four arcs: Saura, Gurara, Tuat and Tidikelt. This chain of oases, known as the "Palm Road", is 1200 km long. It stretches from the Moroccan border at Figig to In Salah in Tidikelt.

Like the Palm Road, the region of oases stretched along the northern border of the Sahara.

Among the largest oases of the Sahara, in addition to those mentioned, located from west to east, there are oases on the plateau of Mauritania, Dra and Tafilalet Djalo, Kufra (Libya), Kawar (Niger), Borku, Tibesti (Chad) and the oases of Egypt - Farafra, Dakhla, Kharga, Siwa.

The animals and plants of the Sahara are divided into those that exist only near water sources, and those that can live in a waterless desert. No part of the Sahara is completely devoid of life. Even where there is no rain for several years in a row and where we do not find vegetation, there are at least bacteria and fungi.

The uneven distribution of precipitation and different temperature regimes that characterize the northern and southern territories of the Sahara cause very significant differences in their floras. The Central Sahara is a border region between two large floristic kingdoms - the Paleotropical and the Holarctic. In the Northern Sahara, floristic elements of the Holarctic kingdom are found (first of all, plant species common in the Mediterranean region): representatives of the genera astragalus, mignonette, plantain, saltwort. The floristic elements of the Paleotropical kingdom, characteristic of the Southern Sahara, are the species of the genera indigo, hibiscus, cleome, acacia, field grass and syt, common here. In the Sahara, about 25% of endemic plant species. The flora of the Sahara is ten times poorer in species than the flora Southern Europe. But still, 450 species of flowering and 75 species of other plants were found in the Central Sahara.

Plants in the desert struggle to obtain the necessary amount of moisture to continue their existence. Precipitation in the desert in the form heavy rains happen rarely. Part of the water accumulates in the creeks and penetrates deep into the sand and silt. Quite tall perennial shrubs and trees can grow in such places. Along the dried up riverbeds, which are briefly filled with water after rains, thickets of tamarisk and oleander are visible. In places where there are constant sources of water, there are many large acacias; in the southern regions of the Sahara, you can also see the doom palm, although these are not typical desert plants. Perennial plants that create the green dress of the Sahara have to retain moisture in their tissues. Their main feature is a powerful root system, stretching for several meters. To reduce evaporation, desert plants have created various "devices", for example, their leaves are reduced to thorns, pubescent or covered with a kind of wax coating. Some species settle on the ground so that the winds do not dry them out, others collect water either in bulbs or in roots.

An unusual plant grows in the hamads of the Southern Atlas - anabasia, which is sometimes called sugar cauliflower. It consists of gray-green pads in the form of stars, similar to moss, but hard as stone.

Countless gray-green stars act as leaves. Sand gets into the gaps between the leaves, and sometimes the plant absorbs it. These grains of sand make the plants hard and stable. "Pillows" of anabasia are scattered everywhere, as far as the eye can see.

The animals of the Sahara face the same problem as the plants: how to get water and how to save it. From this point of view, ergs are better for animals than regs and hamads, mainly because their soil is soft and animals can hide in the sand from the heat of the day. Animals such as the fox, the fox, or the jerboa usually live in ergs, where they can easily dig a hole.

Only a relatively small number of desert animals are able to do without water for a long time. The skink lizard lives in deserted and dry places. This nimble, sand-burrowing animal up to 20 cm long was known in Europe already in the Middle Ages. Its meat was considered medicinal. The inhabitants of the oases catch the skink, as they consider it a delicacy. The lizard is dried, crushed in a mortar, the resulting powder is mixed with date jam, leather bags are filled with this mass and sold to caravans.

Some animals cannot exist at all in waterless lands. This applies mainly to small animals that find it difficult to overcome waterless distances.

In the Sahara, you can find toads that spend only a small part of their lives in the water. When after a downpour a short time a puddle is formed, the water is simply teeming with toads. The growth period of tadpoles is shorter here than in other places, so their tail falls off, and they have time to become toads before the puddle dries up. the main task these animals - hold out until the next rain. To do this, toads burrow into the ground or cracks between stones and thus escape from the scorching sun. In their burrows they sleep, breathe slowly and lose a large amount of fluid, sometimes up to 60%. As soon as they fall into the water, they immediately come to life. Reptiles are best adapted to the harsh life in the desert: they have dry skin covered with horny scales, they retain fluid because they do not sweat. Reptiles feed not only on insects, but also on animals whose tissues contain a significant amount of water. The main enemies of reptiles are carnivores, primarily birds of prey.

Birds and some large mammals solve the problems that the desert confronts them with the help of fast movement. In the Sahara, two types of gazelles, the true inhabitants of the desert, can be found: the dorcas gazelle and the sand gazelle. In the southern regions of the Sahara, a lady gazelle is sometimes seen. Gazelles cannot live in a bare desert permanently. Although they can go without water for quite a long time, they need food, which most often grows around dry riverbeds, temporary puddles, or in places where there is enough underground moisture. Long legs and the slender bodies of these animals allow them to move quickly through the desert in search of food and water.

Some birds, such as sandgrouse, found in all African deserts and semi-deserts, fly very far for water. When they drink, they stand in the water and wet their lower feathers. There are two types of larks that can live farthest from water sources in the desert: Saharan and desert larks. The Saharan lark (its length is 23 centimeters) on its high legs can run very quickly on the sand. It feeds mainly on beetle larvae, which it takes out of the sand with a long beak from a depth of up to 5 centimeters. It is inexplicable how he determines where a larva is hidden in the sand: his beak almost never dives into the sand to no avail. The desert lark is somewhat smaller than the Saharan, and the color of its plumage merges with the color of the land on which it lives. In larks living in the sand, it is sand-colored; those who live on dark rocks have a dark one. A bright lark never sits on dark ground, and vice versa. The desert lark is not afraid of people.

Large animals, due to their size, cannot dig a hole for themselves to hide from the sun. Such animals are forced to evaporate moisture, cooling themselves during the day, and at night, maintaining their temperature, lose energy. The most amazing of the animals living in the Sahara is the addax antelope. She lives in large sandy expanses, sometimes in the very heart of ergs. These antelopes are the size of a small donkey, with spiral horns, walk in small groups or singly, unite in numerous herds only in mating season. They drink very rarely, so they can live in absolutely dry places. Addaxes have disproportionately large hooves, well adapted for moving on loose sands.

There are no more wild camels in the Sahara, they are all tamed and serve people as a means of transportation or as a draft animal.

On the southern slopes of the Atlas and in the mountains of Tibesti, Ahaggar and Aira, a maned ram comes across. This shy mountain animal is very difficult to see. During the day, it hides from the scorching sun in caves or gorges, and goes out to graze at night.

2. Modern desert flora

The climate of the Sahara region is characterized by high temperatures air, often with sharp and large drops, and a small amount of precipitation that falls extremely unevenly. In the areas of genuine desert that are in the same region, rainfall, if any, is insufficient to support life. The combination of high temperatures and poor rainfall creates an environment of very low air humidity and high evapotranspiration, and in some areas these factors can also lead to an increase in the salt content of the topsoil. As a result of these contrasting external conditions vegetation becomes sparse and monotonous. In such an environment, ephemera xerophytes feel especially good, and the prevalence of halophytes is also noted.

The vegetation of the Sahara has 1200 species, including 104 families of angiosperms and 10 families of spore plants.

Table 1

Species diversity of Sahara plants

Family
			endemic species
Compositae

cruciferous


clove

An amazing feature of the flora is the appearance of a number of completely isolated monotypic genera with a wide and narrow distribution. The presence of such numerous monotypic genera is considered evidence of their origin in the distant Tertiary period with the probable disappearance of connecting forms.

3. Modern desert fauna

Since the outlines and boundaries of the Sahara are rather vague, the number of species of small mammals that live in this desert can only be indicated approximately. If we talk about eight countries or localities, then 6 orders, 24 families and 83 species are registered in them. Judging by the number of species, rodents (40 species) master the Sahara especially successfully, and among rodents, the family Cricetidae (22 species) gives the largest number of species. All gerbils are characterized by brown or sandy hair on the back, a whitish color of the abdomen, long tails, usually with a tassel at the end, big eyes and swollen ear drums. Although very numerous in pre-Saharan Africa, representatives family Muridae develop the desert, apparently, less successfully, with the exception of only one of their species, the Egyptian jerboa, is widespread, and the rest are confined to separate areas of the Mediterranean coastal region. Other families of rodents are represented by a small number of species, often with small or broken ranges. Dormouse and mole rats are not truly desert rodents and exist as relict populations in a few outlying areas. Gundia or comb-toed rats and hyraxes are rock dwellers, forming isolated populations in mountains and other rocky habitats. The only other group of small herbivores in the Sahara are the hares, which form scattered populations in places where grasses grow in sufficient numbers.

An interesting and important group small predators represent insectivores and carnivores. Insectivores are represented by hedgehogs, shrews and long-eared jumpers. Hedgehogs are rarely seen, but they are quite widespread in areas teeming with insects; shrews are rarer and occur in rocky or wet habitats. Carnivores include three types of foxes, two types of mustelids, genet, mongoose, two types of cats. The populations of all these predators are small and dispersed, mainly due to the difficulty of obtaining food.

Monitor lizards are the most famous lizards. In the sandy areas of the northwest Sahara, there is a large desert monitor, which is 100-120 cm long. It is most often found in the reins and dunes, preferring hard areas where it can find shelter and prey. The desert monitor lizard feeds on lizards, sometimes feasts on snakes and birds. A hungry monitor digs holes and eats small rodents, in particular jerboas and gerbils.

In the extreme south of the Sahara, monitor lizard can be found on outcrops of granite rocks. During the day, these reptiles make long sorties at a distance of 4-5 km from their burrow. Going on such a long journey for them, they hope to find islands of vegetation in the desert, in the thickets of which you can hide from the heat and heat.

From enemies, including humans, monitor lizards defend themselves with the help of a tail and sharp claws, sometimes they can bite into the body of an animal with their teeth. The monitor lizards use their tail skillfully and masterfully. Waving them like cowboys with whips, they knock down even wild dogs. The bite of a monitor lizard is very dangerous: pathogenic microbes remaining on his teeth lead to suppuration of the wound, and the animal (like a person) can die from an infection.

In the territory central countries Africa is inhabited by the Nile monitor lizard - a famous lover of crocodile eggs and small crocodiles. By extracting these delicacies, Nile monitor lizards show ingenuity and sharpness. They go hunting in pairs, one of them distracts the attention of the mother, the other at this time robs the egg laying. It is not easy to tame these lizards, they often run away from the cage, preferring freedom and tedious search for food. They eat quite a lot, they can swallow 10 eggs very quickly. Often Nile monitors raid chicken coops, devouring eggs and chickens.

Gray monitor lizards live in North Africa, most often they can be found in dry and rocky areas. Here, between rocky hills on sandy plains, he attacks small mammals. Upon an unexpected meeting with a person, representatives of this species of lizards instantly rush to the chest or face; attacking large mammals, bite into their stomach. gray monitor lizards- guests of many zoos in the world. They very quickly get used to life in captivity, are tamed and do not harm people.

Mamba is the scariest and dangerous snake Africa, distributed from the Sahara to the south of the continent. The locals are not afraid of cobras or vipers as much as these tree snakes. If ordinary snakes crawl at a speed of 1 km / h, then the mamba is able to reach speeds of up to 11.3 km / h, and it moves even faster along the branches of trees. In terms of speed of movement, mamba ranks second in the world.

Before biting, the snake raises its head, opens its mouth wide and hisses softly (and such a threat is usually short-lived), then swiftly attacks the victim and plunges its long poisonous teeth into it. Protective coloring allows her to remain invisible in the foliage, almost all mambas are painted in green color. But you can meet her not only in the thicket of the forest, but also in the fields, and sometimes these snakes even penetrate into houses.

Despite its impressive length (up to 4.5 m), mamba glides through trees and shrubs with fantastic dexterity and dexterity, seeping through dense vegetation without hindrance.

Mambas feed on birds and rodents. Not all mamba bites are fatal, and snake danger in the tropics is exaggerated.

Sahara Agama - These are reptiles that live in the Sahara. Some agamas live on rocky mountain cliffs, deftly and nimbly climb the rocks, others can be seen on wide and flat plateaus, but they all easily tolerate high temperatures and excess sunlight. Agamas feed on beetles, locusts, ants and termites, which are especially found in the desert after rains. Thanks to protective coloration it is very difficult to notice the agama among the cereal vegetation.

The largest of all agamas is the Saharan, locals call it dabb. Males of this species are easily distinguished from females, their backs are decorated with a pattern of spots, lines and stripes. The color scheme of the picture depends on the habitat of the agama and combines yellow, green and red-orange tones. Females are most often painted dirty yellow or gray. Agamas try to stay away from settlements and villages, because people catch them and eat them. Both plants and insects serve as food for the Saharan agama. These reptiles spend most of the day hunting for locusts, sometimes attaching themselves to rock ledges and tracking insects.

The largest inhabitant of the Sahara is the camel. It belongs to the order of corns. Its characteristic features are Long neck headstretched, split upper lip, a special structure of the teeth, the absence of horns and posterior incisors, as well as callused soles.

Two types of camels are known: the swift-footed two-humped Bactrian, living mainly in the Asian steppes, and the one-humped dromedary, common to the Sahara. The dromedary can also run fast, but prefers a measured caravan pace, which covers 4-4.5 km per hour. A pack camel can carry a load of up to 200 kg for weeks, being content with a small amount of water and food, and doing thirty to forty kilometers daily.

A camel can go without water for a long time. In its hump, it contains fat, from which water is formed as a result of transformations. In addition, with sweat, he releases a small amount of liquid. During the day, when the sun is burning, his body temperature rises to 40C, only after that he begins to sweat, which allows him to conserve a lot of water. At night, when the air temperature drops, the camel's body temperature drops significantly, sometimes even up to 34C.

Conclusion

It is difficult to count the number of species living in the Sahara. But according to approximate data, there are about 1,400 plant species and about 100 animal species in the desert now. In this abstract, examples of only some species are given, their descriptions are given. Also in this work, the features of organisms living in the Sahara are revealed.

Bibliography

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What is she really like?

The word "Sahara" in any person evokes associations with the breathing scorching heat of the African continent. Under the influence of stereotypes, the layman often judges this African desert one-sidedly. But she is completely different. Endless, stretching beyond the horizon line of sand with dunes and dunes rising on them, flat as a table, areas of salt marshes, rocky plateaus and oases immersed in greenery, exhausting daytime heat and piercing night cold, almost complete absence of moisture and violent floods during heavy rains . In the eastern part, the Nile River flows through the Sahara Desert, which served as the only source of life for the civilizations that lived along its banks in antiquity.

Why is the desert called the Sahara?

An interesting fact: this unique area owes its name to the nomadic Tuareg tribes that have lived here since time immemorial. Translated from the local dialect, "Sahara" means "desert area." The Sahara Desert, located in northern Africa, was first mentioned in documents dating back to the 1st century AD.

The area of the Sahara desert.

According to various sources, the area of the Sahara desert is from 8.6 to 9.1 million km 2. Due to its vast territory and differences in climatic and relief conditions, the following deserts are distinguished in its composition:

Nubian;
Arabian;
Talak;
Libyan;
Algerian.

Each of them has its own unique ecosystem, microclimate and unique topography.

The climate of the Sahara desert.

In the northern part of the desert, the climate is subtropical, in the southern - tropical. The average monthly winter temperature in the northern and southern parts of the Sahara reaches +13 degrees Celsius, in July it is +37.2 degrees Celsius. At the same time, temperature fluctuations in the northern part are much higher than in the southern part. The average daily temperature in the Sahara desert can reach +50 degrees in summer (the maximum is fixed at +57.8 degrees), while the surface of the earth warms up to 70-80 degrees Celsius. In mountainous areas, the temperature can drop to -18 degrees, so in winter the soil freezes at night, and occasionally even snow falls.

In the northern part, it rains from December to March, in the remaining months there is little rainfall. In the southern part, rains are observed mainly in summer, often accompanied by thunderstorms. Also in the desert are often dust storms, at which the wind speed reaches 50 meters per second. In the western part of the Sahara Desert, humidity is increased and fogs are not uncommon.

In which countries is the Sahara Desert located?

Millions of tourists flock to touch the secrets that the Sahara hides and admire its grandeur every year. It stretched across several states. The list of the most visited countries where the Sahara Desert is located includes Morocco, Mauritania, Tunisia, Egypt and Algeria. Each of them has its own unique sights.

The Sahara Desert in Tunisia.

Tourists who came to Tunisia and want to see great desert, should visit the city of Douz, standing on the border of a flowering oasis and endless sands and being a kind of gateway to the Sahara Desert. As a reminder of this, on the outskirts of the city, near the Great Dune, there is a monument in the form of a symbolic key.

Tourists are offered a variety of excursion options. These can be one-hour camel rides to the nearest dune to the city or expeditions deep into the desert, designed for two weeks. Those wishing to see the Sahara from above are invited to fly on a hang glider. It is possible to breathe the spirit of the ancient desert in the distant oasis of Ksar Gilan with its thermal waters and date palms surrounded by dunes.

Here you can also see the ruins of an ancient Roman settlement and a defensive structure. And, taking a walk around the drying salt lake Chott el-Jerid, you can see the famous bizarre mirages of the Sahara desert.

As part of the tour, it is proposed to visit the filming locations of the Star Wars movie. An addition to the program is the opportunity to eat dates and buy a "desert rose" as a keepsake - a creation of sand, sun and wind, similar to a rosebud.

Sahara desert in Egypt.

Not all tourists who come to Egypt are interested in beaches, sea and sunbathing. Many of them buy tickets to get acquainted with the pyramid complex in the Giza Valley, take pictures against the backdrop of the grandiose and mysterious, and feel the magic of the desert. Travelers can visit the numerous oases of the Sahara desert.

In the city of Siwa, in addition to lush thickets of date palms growing near springs, you can see the remains of ancient fortresses built of unbaked clay and brick, as well as a temple dating back to the reign of Alexander the Great. According to local legends, somewhere here is the grave of this commander.

Most of the Southern Oases are ideal starting points for riding, driving or walking tours of the vast Black or White Deserts that are part of the vast Sahara. You can get close to the Crystal Mountains, which enchant travelers with their picturesqueness.

A visit to Bahariya, an oasis located in the western part of the Sahara Desert and consisting of several Bedouin villages, provides an opportunity to get acquainted with their way of life and customs. Some of the landscapes surrounding this oasis are reminiscent of the lunar surface, and thermal waters gush from hundreds of springs located near the main settlement.

In the oasis of Dakhla, located in the Nile Valley, knowledgeable tourists come to improve their health. There are many hot springs, the waters of which help to get rid of sciatica and some diseases of the stomach. And in the city of Muta there is the famous Ethnographic Museum, where you can learn in detail about the culture and customs of the people living here.

Travelers who find themselves in Morocco will certainly be attracted by the Draa Valley, which contains many oases. The main attraction here are the incredible landscapes that make up the red dunes and the ruins of ancient fortresses.

Once here was the final stop of caravans making the transition through the desert to the Mediterranean Sea. People come here to admire the eternal dunes - the virgin ergs of Shigaga. The path to this magnificent spectacle can be made both on an off-road vehicle and on camelback, but only as part of a group. You won't be able to reach this place on your own.

Sahara desert in Mauritania.

Traveling in the Mauritanian Sahara is quite dangerous due to the political situation in the country. But lovers of extreme sensations are attracted here by the Adrar plateau. It became famous after the beginning space age humanity. From the depths of space, a grandiose structure called Gu-Er-Rishat is clearly visible on it. The diameter of this formation exceeds 50 km, and the age is more than 0.5 billion years. The origin of this phenomenon is still not exactly known. Previously, it was assumed that this was a trace of a meteorite impact, but today most scientists are inclined to the version of erosional origin. Although this place is remote from civilization, travel companies organize excursions here.

Sahara Desert in Algeria.

The largest area of the Sahara desert went to a country like Algeria. Its endless sandy expanses occupy about 80% of the territory of the state.

Unfortunately, the tourism infrastructure in Algeria is underdeveloped, but travelers will be happy to visit numerous attractions, including the Tassil Mountains of the Sahara Desert with unique rock paintings protected by UNESCO, and the Mzab Valley with its unique architecture of all five cities located in it.

The Sahara is the largest desert on our planet. Its sultry climate promises its inhabitants a constant struggle for existence. Therefore, only some of the most resistant species of animals live in the Sahara. Approximately a quarter of the Sahara is covered with sands where life does not exist. As a rule, these are deserts brought by rivers to the old plains and have the Arabic name "erg".

Most of the territory of the Sahara is occupied by pebbly deserts called "reggae", as well as rocky wastelands "hamadami".

Abundant rainfall in ancient times contributed to the formation of the modern relief of the desert. Yes, and now there is a slow change in the landscape. Undoubtedly, rain and wind play an important role, but the main "architect" of the Sahara landscape is sand. Its slow movement even changes the appearance of the rocks, polishing them and sometimes leaving through holes in them.

The eastern part of the Sahara is the sunniest place in the world. Throughout the year, the sun shines here for about 4000 hours, that is, about half a day a day.

The inhabitant of the Sahara is the most poisonous fat-tailed scorpion, from the bite of which a person dies within four hours, and some animals - after a couple of minutes.

At times, scarlet snow can be observed in the Alps. This happens when strong wind currents lift the smallest particles of desert sand, and air currents move them to the very mountains. The highest air temperature in the shade, +58 ° C, was recorded in the northern part of the desert, in the Libyan city of El Azizia.

The Sahara desert occupies the northern part of the African continent, from the west from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea in the east. The size of the Sahara is almost similar to that of the United States and covers about 30% of the area of Africa, which is approximately nine million square kilometers.

Birds

There are very few birds in the Sahara. There are no more than 80 species, some of them are predators, such as the eagle owl, desert raven and falcon. Mostly in the desert there are birds that feed on insects. Many of them nest near oases, such as larks and finches.

But there are those who travel great distances in search of water. So, the male grouse, adapted to "deliver" water to the chicks in his feathers, which absorb moisture when he drinks.

Climate and vegetation

The climate of the Sahara desert is characterized by high evaporation, dry air and a large deficit of humidity. The average rainfall per year in the extreme regions of the desert is 100 mm, and in the middle 50 mm, and there are even places where it does not rain for years, while in Europe the norm is about 1000 mm. And only the morning dew, which is typical for most of the Sahara, is the only salvation for the inhabitants of the desert.

Also, the desert is characterized by large differences in daily temperatures, so during the day there is excruciating heat, and at night it is cold. Due to the aforementioned climatic conditions and external factors, the flora of the Sahara desert is very scarce and is located very unevenly. In the most arid regions of the Sahara, you can drive tens of kilometers and not see a single plant.

But still, plants have adapted to living in the desert. Some have developed a powerful and deep root system (up to 21 m), while others, called "ephemera", in anticipation of rare rainfall, can store their seeds for many months. When they receive the desired moisture, the plants can produce seeds within three days and sow within ten.

Reptiles, amphibians and insects

The great specialists for survival in the sands and rocky areas of the desert are spiders and scorpions. Some individuals are protected by a waterproof layer of wax that protects against excessive moisture loss. The chitinous shell, which many desert dwellers have, has the same properties. insects and different kinds snails serve as food and a source of liquid for many inhabitants African desert. Insects, in turn, adapted to hastily multiply when the rains appeared, proof of this is the locust.

Some snakes are excellently adapted to life in the sands - sand efa, horned viper. A sharp diurnal temperature drop causes many reptiles to fall into a stupor at night due to a slowdown in blood circulation, and in the morning they warm up and go hunting. During the day, when the sun becomes stinging, they hide in burrows or burrow into the cool sand.

mammals

There are no more than 70 species of mammals in the Sahara. There are more rodents in the desert than big-hoofed animals. Due to climatic conditions, many animals would simply not have survived. The daily search for liquid and food in extreme conditions is subject only to the most resistant species of animals.

These animals include Gazelle-Dorcas. She spends a lot of time looking for the plants she feeds on and the dew that covers her need for fluids.

The Addax antelope, like the gazelles, receives fluid from moisture-absorbing plants and morning dew. Appearance antelope is similar to reindeer. Spiral horns serve as a defensive weapon, and wide hooves keep it from falling through when it moves.

It can not only eat plants, but also dig up their roots. Unfortunately, their numbers are declining. And this is facilitated not only by harsh climatic conditions, but also by the human factor.