The Sahara Desert Habitat
The Sahara is the largest hot desert and the third large desert following behind the cold deserts, Antartica and the Artic. The Sahara is 3.6 million square miles. It has one of the harshest climates on Earth as well as its environment. This desert covers around one third of of the African continent. This is also as big as the whole Unites States, including Alaska and Hawaii. The name Sahara comes from an Arabic word ṣaḥrā, that means desert. So basically, it is called the desert desert.
The Sahara is surrounded by four different bodies of water. The Atlantic ocean on the west, Mediterranean sea north, Red Sea from the east, and the Sahel Savannah from the south. This desert even goes over eleven countries. These are Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Western Sahara, Sudan, and Tunisia.
Despite the tough conditions, there are many plants and animals that live in this habitat. There around 500 species of plants, 70 mammal species, and 100 reptilian species. There are also several spiders, scorpions, and other insects.
In the Sahara, water can be very scarce across the entire region. There are at least around twenty seasonal lakes, as well as aquifers. These are primary sources in more then ninety oasis’. The main bodies of water are permanent rivers called the Nile and Niger.
The Nile is the worlds longest river. The Nile flows through Egypt and is 4,132 miles long. The river flows northward to the Mediterranean sea. The river flows from two different sources, the blue and white nile. The blue nile is from the Abyssinian highlands. The white nile is from the equatorial Africa. There are many myths about these rivers on how the Nile was held up to the ancient people as the source of all life in Egypt. This was known as an important part of the lives of all gods.
The Niger is the principle river of Western Africa. The Niger is the third longest river after the Nile and Congo. This river was believed to be called by the greeks. The basin of the Niger is the largest basin in western Africa. The Niger river rises in the mountains of Guinea and enters the sea through its delta in southern Nigeria. The river is around 2,600 miles in length. Rapids interrupt its course at several points. Although some have been submerged with water then impounded by dams.
The dryness of the desert has moved out a lot of plants and animals. The low chance of rain do not help. This is why vegetation is very rare as well as plant life. Not to mention, the land is very dry. Oases are found all throughout the desert and support many varieties of plant life.
There isn’t much water or anything in the Sahara, but there are quite a few plants. Due to the high temperatures and arid conditions of the Sahara desert, the plant life in the Sahara is sparse and includes only around 500 species. Here are four of the most famous plants that you would see the most.
The first plant is the peyote cactus. Cacti are the most popular in the Sahara desert. The peyote cactus is dark green and has a flower bloom at the top. Unlike most cacti, this cactus does not have spines, (the things that poke you). Although it does have stubs that are short and feel like hair. These are called hairlike protrusions. Protrusions have no purpose. Like most cacti, the peyote cactus stores in water in its very thick stems. This allows them to live a lot longer without water during periods of time. These cacti are not tall. They usually grow between 2 to 7 inches tall.
The next plant is called the date palm tree. These are palm trees with some orange in between its green palms. This plant is the most useful to people who live there. The fruits on this tree are used to sweeten drinks or they are dried and eaten on their own. Even the leaves on this tree can sometimes be cooked to eat. They are very tender and nutritious. Like the peyote cactus, the date palm tree stores water in it’s thick trunk. This allows them to survive even when there is lack of rain in the Sahara.
The third plant is the tobacco tree even though it is not much of a tree. These are very pretty plants, however, these are native to the Sahara. They are called invasive species because they grow in the Sahara anyways. These plants originally came from South America but were brought to other continents by settlers. This plant can grow to over six feet in height. The tobacco tree also has small leaves which prevents the desert sun from taking away all of its moisture. This plant also stores water in its roots just like the other plants.
The fourth and last plant is called the Tamarisk. This plant is very shrubby and native to the Sahara. Unlike most plants in the Sahara, it actually does not store water in its roots. Instead, it uses little water to maintain itself. So, its need for water is very low. Its green leaves and pink flowers are very dry and scalelike. Another thing tamarisk shrubs do is they help decrease soil erosion.
In conclusion, the Sahara desert is the largest hot desert in the world. Many animals and plants call this desert home. This desert is not like any other. Keep on reading my other blogs to find out about endangered animals as well as extinct animals in the Sahara desert.
Sources:
1435189https://www.thoughtco.com/sahara-desert-overview-1435189
