Wildlife in The Libyan Sahara

The Sahara is the largest desert in the world. Temperatures are high during the day and low at night; during the winter temperatures can fall below freezing point. The highest temperature in the world was recorded in Libya on the 13th of September 1922, in el-Azizia, close to Tripoli: a staggering 136.4 degree Fahrenheit (or 58 degrees Celsius). Occasionally, dust from the Sahara has been carried as far as Germany and the United Kingdom. In prehistoric times the Sahara was significantly wetter, but climatic desiccation over the past few thousand years has destroyed much of its wildlife. Today the Sahara is covered with rocks and stones (H'ammadah), sand and sparse vegetation, most of which is scatterings of salt bush and alfalfa and esparto grasses. 

The flora of the Sahara is estimated to include about 1,200 species, consisting mainly of xerophytes and ephemeral plants, with halophytes in moister areas, and Acacia, Tamarisk and Calotropis procera along the wadis. However, according to another scientific study, the Sahara's flora still includes about 3000 species.

The fauna of the Sahara includes about 70 species of mammals, 90 species of resident birds, and around 100 species of reptiles. Owing to extreme heat, most small desert creatures are nocturnal. The populations of these species have been greatly reduced by over-hunting and many are now endangered species, like the ostrich, addax, some species of gazelles and the cheetah. Most of the African large mammals that were reported to have been present in the desert until the second half of the 19th century have now become extinct. Some of these animals can be seen in Fezzan Park, and also in Tripoli's zoo.

ground-creeping, inedible, wild gourds, the size of small melons. The milky sap of these gourds is used as a remedy for scorpion stings.

Life

But how do plants survive in the desert?

For plants to survive in the desert, they must invent ingenious ways to deal with lack of water. Shrubs and trees have extensive root systems which can penetrate as far as 50 metres into the ground; tamarisk and acacia have short, fat trunks that act as reservoirs for excess water. The seeds of ephemerals germinate only after heavy rain, and then very quickly consume their entire life-cycle; producing brightly coloured flowers to attract insects. Grasses, however, develop large and complex root systems for collecting water over a wide area, enabling them to survive when the over ground parts are scorched to death. Geophytes survive by remaining underground as bulbs, and like ephemerals, they quickly grow and develop when rain comes. Saharan succulents, like euphorbia, suck the extra water to store for later.  Some insects collect moisture from the air and then direct it as droplets of water into their mouths. While the desert-ships (the camels) vary their bodies' temperature according to conditions: low when it is cool, and high when hot; when they are thirsty, transpiration drops to zero.

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Some of the main animals and insects that can be found in the Sahara include

• Scarab Beetles
• Ants
• Locusts
• Ostriches
• Chameleon
• Spiders
• Snakes (serpents, pythons, cobras, horned viper, sand snakes, etc.)
• Scorpions
• Mosquitoes
• Jackals
• Fennec foxes (Vulpes zerda, Vulpes rueppellii, Vulpes pallida)
• Vultures
• Crows
• Eagles
• Hawks
• Moula Moula bird ('the messenger')
• Beetles
• Pigeons
• Brown-necked ravens
• Mouse-like jerboas
• Desert rodents: gundi
• Lizards
• Goats
• Oxen
• Brown desert larks
• Desert sparrow
• Rock martins
• Small moths
• Flies
• Leaf bugs
• Antelopes (Leucoryx)
• Camels
• Hyenas
• Wildcats
• Porcupines
• Gazelles
• Waddan (large goatlike deer)

Desert Camels:

Camels are nearly 50 million years old; and, like horse, were as big as domesticated cats, living in North America's forests. By 12 million years ago, several types of camels evolved, including the one-meter-tall Procamelus of the Camelus genus, from which modern camels descended. The Camelus crossed North America to Asia, some 3 million years ago, and then reached Africa rather recently (between 4 and 3 thousand years ago). 90 %  of camels are dromedaries (with one hump), most of which live in North/East Africa. On average camels can travel the hot Sahara for two weeks without drinking water, slowly loosing weight; and when water is found, their large stomachs can carry as much as 100 litres of water. Camels do not carry water in their humps, which are mainly fat.

 Libyan Serpents:

There are about 95 species of reptiles in the Sahara, consisting mainly of three types: lizards, snakes and tortoises. Although most of them are small creatures, the desert monitor lizard can reach up to 1.5 meters long. Unlike other vertebrates reptiles are cold-blooded and therefore are unable to produce their own heat. They live on insects and small mammals, and their thick skin helps them minimises water loss.

There are about 400 species of snakes in Africa today, 90 of which are venomous. According to classical Greek sources the Sahara was infested with serpents, mythical and real, like those of the Libyan Gorgon Medusa. Libyan traditions state that snakes are harmless if they are left alone. However, be reminded that when travelling in the desert it is best to avoid disturbing stones and small rocks, and if you have to, like when camping, then be aware of scorpions and serpents, some of which are deadly. Camping preparations should always take place in full day light and never at night. If you see snakes sneaking about, then learn to leave them alone and keep a safe distance from them, and remember to never corner a snake or a cobra as they might attack before you get a chance to react.

 

 

Gazelle Species:

• Scimitar-Horned Oryx (now extinct in the wild)
• Dorcas Gazelle (Gazella dorcas)
• Dama Gazelle (Gazella dama)
• Red-Fronted Gazelle

 

 

 

Sahara Foxes:

• Fennec (Vulpes zerda): small, clever fox,  with large ears, capable of tracking down lizards and beetles at night from their slightest sounds.
• Ruppell's (Vulpes rueppellii)
• Pale fox  (Vulpes pallida).

 

 

Desert Crocodiles:

Crocodiles were the masters of the Sahara some 100 million years ago, and were very common to the Sahara, especially in large lakes and rivers, until a century ago. Today, some survived in small numbers, particularly in the Ennedi mountains of Chad and the Tagant in Mauritania.

 

 

Sahara Scorpions:

Insects are very numerous in the Sahara, especially  scorpions, termites, ants, sacred scarab beetles, spiders, and the most devastating of  all the locusts, which can cover massive areas very quickly and consume entire fields in a matter of minutes. Most desert insects are nocturnal and the secret of their survival is their hard, crusty and waxy skin which minimises water loss, in addition to hiding under rocks (like scorpions) and under the sand (like centipedes). Scorpion are the most deadly of the desert's insects and some of the species can kill in a matter of minutes. They administer their poison from their tail sting, which if cut away the scorpion becomes edible. Scorpions get their fluids from their prey and thus they rarely drink. If scorpions are left alone and not disturbed, they, like serpents, are harmless and rarely attack humans for no reason. Stepping over them accidentally, however, forces them to attack, thinking they were attacked.

If you have been stung by a scorpion, then you should get help as soon as you can. Meanwhile, you can tie your belt or any string above the the affected area, if possible, to stop the spread of poison, and try and let some blood out by making a small cut. If you come across ground-creeping wild gourds, as pictured above, then it might be handy to keep one in your bag, as they are traditionally used by the Tuareg to treat scorpion stings, by applying their milky sap to the affected area. There are those who say one should not attempt the traditional remedy and should get help instead. But then how one can get help in the desert? Traditional Environmental Knowledge, known as TEK to scientists, is currently being collected from around the world as human heritage, and most of it, if not all, is rather impressive.

 

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acacia

Some of the main plants that can be found in the Sahara desert

• Date Palms
• Thorny Palms
• Thorny acacias
• Scrubby bushes
• Euphorbia
• Olive-hued shrubs
• Orange trees
• Oleander
• Fig trees
• Oleander trees
• Tamarind
• Alfalfa grass
• Esparto grass
• Oat grass
• Tamarisk
• Anrthirrnum ramosissimuma
• Ononis angustissima
• Cypress
• Artemisia
• Thyme
• Eragrostis
• Panicum
• Aristida
• Ground-creeping inedible wild gourds.
• Olive trees (olives and olive oil promote healthy living and skin, long life, and vitality).
• Magaria (a tree bearing a fruit the size of a cherry and of light brown colour. When dry it is pounded and formed into little cakes).
• Tribulus (blooms after desert rainfall).
• Calotropis (the milky sap released when the stem is broken is poisonous and should be avoided).
• Cornulaca monacantha (blooms after desert rainfall, liked by camels).

 

Please click here for a comprehensive Latin-Tuareg list of plants in the Sahara.

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