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| A comprehensive
guide
to current and future events and exhibitions in
the UAE |
|
Valuable concise reference source on the UAE,
covering political system, economy, business, history and
heritage,
education, women, healthcare, tourism and environment. |
|
|
Natural history of the UAE,
covering all animals and plants recorded in the
Emirates. |
|
|
Report by National US Arab Chamber of Commerce on the
UAE. Vol XV, No 3, June 2007. Includes analysis of UAE economy. |
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NATURE
General information
Natural
Emirates
Key animals
Captive breeding
of rare breeds
Watching whales and
dolphins in the UAE
Scorpions and snakes
The coasts
Desert
The Mountains
Ornithological importance
of UAE
Environmental agencies
Fossil hunting
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DESERT
Few animals can tolerate the extreme
heat of the desert for long so they are obliged to adopt one of a number
of strategies. For many this involves burrowing, spending long periods
resting in holes well below the surface, whilst others such as the sand
skink and the sand boa move rapidly beneath the surface of uncompacted
sand. A high proportion of species are nocturnal, coming out only at night
when it is cooler, and some aestivate, i.e. spend the summer months underground
in a condition of torpor similar to hibernation. As a result, it is often
difficult to see wildlife, nevertheless it is there!
Birds cannot burrow or aestivate, but they do migrate. The number of species
resident in the desert are very few, but this was probably always so.
The most desert-adapted species resident in the UAE are the hoopoe lark,
the cream-coloured courser and the black-crowned finch lark. The long
legged buzzard, little owl and desert eagle owl maintain small breeding
populations, and the brown-necked raven is not uncommon. In the autumn
and winter months the resident birds are joined by a range of migrants
that breed in Central Asia – various species of lark, wheatear and
warbler, as well as the much-prized houbara bustard. To find out more
about desert birds CLICK
HERE
Reptiles are the dominant animal group in the desert, including a number
of lizards, ranging from the delicate geckos to the larger and more robust
dhubs or spiny-tailed lizards, together with the giant of desert lizards,
the monitor, which can be nearly a metre in length. You may encounter
several species of snake in the desert, the commonest being the poisonous
horned viper. To find out more about desert reptiles CLICK
HERE
In general, desert mammals have not fared as well as the birds or reptiles.
Within the last few decades the desert has experienced local extinctions
of the wolf, oryx, striped hyaena and jackal. On the other hand, the fearless honey badger, previously thought to be extinct in the UAE, has been sighted near Ruwais. Two species
of gazelle still survive, though both are rare and with limited ranges.
The sand gazelle is present to the south of the Liwa and the mountain
gazelle occurs in an area bordered by the major roads between Abu Dhabi,
Dubai and Al Ain. The sand cat is believed to have been reduced to a seriously
low level but data is lacking because this is such a shy nocturnal animal.
The beautiful little Rueppell’s fox and even the cape hare are probably
far less numerous than they used to be. However the main stronghold for
these species is thought to be the western part of Abu Dhabi emirate.
The lesser jerboa and three species of hedgehog survive, but again are
shy creatures and therefore difficult to see. To find out more about desert
mammals CLICK
HERE
We do not often think of the desert in terms of vegetation, and it is
true that one can travel for many miles without seeing much in the way
of plant-life, but the flora is there, specially adapted to the inhospitable
conditions, like the palm trees growing in the dunes, their roots reaching
down to the water table Other valiant plants such as Tribulus species
manage to survive the extremes of heat and drought, providing grazing
for domesticated and wild ungulates. Ghaf (Prosopis cinerea) also provide
shelter and grazing. And then there are the spring rains which can really
bring the desert to life with veritable fields of grasses and brightly
flowering plants carpeting the sandy expanses. To find out more about
desert plants CLICK
HERE
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