Desert snakes. What animals live in the Sahara Desert?
A snake is an animal of the chordate type, class reptiles, order squamate, suborder snakes (lat. Serpentes). Like all reptiles, they are cold-blooded animals, so their existence depends on the ambient temperature.
Snake - description, characteristics, structure. What does a snake look like?
The body of the snake has an elongated shape and can reach a length of 10 centimeters to 9 meters, and the weight of the snake ranges from 10 grams to more than 100 kilograms. Males fewer females, but have a longer tail. The body shape of these reptiles is varied: it can be short and thick, long and thin, and sea snakes have a flattened body resembling a ribbon. That's why internal organs these scaly ones also have an elongated structure.
The internal organs are supported by more than 300 pairs of ribs, movably connected to the skeleton. The snake's triangular head has jaws with elastic ligaments, which makes it possible to swallow large food.
Many snakes are venomous and use venom as a means of hunting and self-defense. Since snakes are deaf, to navigate in space, in addition to vision, they use the ability to capture vibration waves and thermal radiation. The main information sensor is the forked tongue of the snake, which allows it to “collect information” about the environment using special receptors inside the palate. Snake eyelids are fused transparent films, scales covering the eyes, therefore snakes don't blink and even sleep with their eyes open.
The skin of snakes is covered with scales, the number and shape of which depends on the type of reptile. Once every six months, the snake sheds its old skin - this process is called molting. By the way, the color of the snake can be monochromatic in species living in temperate zone, and variegated among representatives of the tropics. The pattern can be longitudinal, transversely circular or spotted.
Types of snakes, names and photographs.
Today, scientists know more than 3,460 species of snakes living on the planet, among which the most famous are adders, sea snakes (not dangerous to humans), pit snakes, pseudopods, which have both lungs, as well as rudimentary remains of the pelvic bones and hind limbs.
Let's look at several representatives of the snake suborder:
King cobra (hamadryad) (lat. Ophiophagus hannah)
The most gigantic poisonous snake on earth. Some representatives grow up to 5.5 m, although the average size of adults usually does not exceed 3-4 m. King cobra venom is a lethal neurotoxin, causing death in 15 minutes. The scientific name of the king cobra literally means “snake eater”, because it is the only kind, whose representatives feed on snakes of their own kind. Females have exceptional maternal instinct, constantly guarding the clutch of eggs and completely going without food for up to 3 months. The king cobra lives in the tropical forests of India, the Philippines and the islands of Indonesia. Life expectancy is more than 30 years.
Black mamba (lat. Dendroaspis polylepis)
The African venomous snake, growing up to 3 m, is one of the fastest snakes, capable of moving at a speed of 11 km/h. The highly toxic snake venom causes death in a matter of minutes, although the black mamba is not aggressive and attacks humans only in self-defense. Representatives of the black mamba species received their name due to the black coloration of the oral cavity. The snake's skin is usually olive, green or brown in color with a metallic sheen. Eats small rodents, birds and bats.
Fierce snake (desert taipan) (lat. Oxyuranus microlepidotus)
The most poisonous of land snakes, whose poison is 180 times stronger than poison cobras This species of snake is common in the deserts and dry plains of Australia. Representatives of the species reach a length of 2.5 m. The color of the skin changes depending on the season: in extreme heat it is straw-colored, when it gets colder it becomes dark brown.
Gaboon viper (cassava) (lat. Bitis gabonica)
The poisonous snake that lives in African savannas is one of the largest and thickest vipers, up to 2 m long and with a body girth of almost 0.5 m. All individuals belonging to this species, have a characteristic, triangular-shaped head with small horns located between the nostrils. The Gaboon viper has a calm character, rarely attacking people. Belongs to the type viviparous snakes, reproduces once every 2-3 years, bringing from 24 to 60 offspring.
Anaconda (lat. Eunectes murinus)
The giant (ordinary, green) belongs to the subfamily of boas; in former times the snake was called a water boa. The massive body, 5 to 11 m long, can weigh over 100 kg. The non-poisonous reptile is found in low-flow rivers, lakes and creeks of the tropical part South America, from Venezuela to the island of Trinidad. Feeds on iguanas, caimans, waterfowl and fish.
Python (lat. Pythonidae)
Representative of the family non-venomous snakes is different gigantic size from 1 to 7.5 m in length, with females much larger and more powerful than males. The range extends throughout the eastern hemisphere: tropical forests, swamps and savannas African continent, Australia and Asia. The diet of pythons consists of small and medium-sized mammals. Adults swallow leopards, jackals and porcupines whole, and then digest them for a long time. Female pythons lay eggs and incubate the clutch, by contracting muscles, increasing the temperature in the nest by 15 -17 degrees.
African egg snakes (egg eaters) (lat. Dasypeltis scabra)
Representatives of the snake family that feed exclusively on bird eggs. They live in savannas and woodlands of the equatorial part of the African continent. Individuals of both sexes grow no more than 1 meter in length. The movable bones of the snake's skull make it possible to open its mouth wide and swallow very large eggs. In this case, the elongated cervical vertebrae pass through the esophagus and, like a can opener, rip open the eggshell, after which the contents flow into the stomach, and the shell is coughed up.
Radiant snake (lat. Xenopeltis unicolor)
Non-venomous snakes, the length of which in rare cases reaches 1 m. The reptile received its name for the rainbow tint of its scales, which are dark brown in color. Burrowing snakes live in the loose soils of forests, cultivated fields and gardens in Indonesia, Borneo, the Philippines, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam and China. Small rodents and lizards are used as food items.
Worm-shaped blind snake (lat. Typhlops vermicularis)
Small snakes, up to 38 cm long, resemble earthworms in appearance. Absolutely harmless representatives can be found under stones, melons and watermelons, as well as in thickets of bushes and on dry rocky slopes. They feed on beetles, caterpillars, and their larvae. The distribution area extends from the Balkan Peninsula to the Caucasus, Central Asia and Afghanistan. Russian representatives This type of snake lives in Dagestan.
Where do snakes live?
The distribution range of snakes does not include only Antarctica, New Zealand and the islands of Ireland. Many of them live in tropical latitudes. In nature, snakes live in forests, steppes, swamps, hot deserts and even in the ocean. Reptiles lead an active lifestyle both during the day and at night. Species living in temperate latitudes, V winter time hibernate.
In the travel area there are four species of snakes: Asian cobra, sand epha, arrow snake and sand boa, the first three are poisonous, but the bite of the arrow snake for the person is not dangerous. The cobra always warns everyone of its presence by taking a characteristic stance, and is never in a hurry to attack itself. Only a truly insane person, and an extremely persistent one at that, can get a cobra bite. Sandy efa she also does not attack a person herself, and if there is somewhere to go, she always flees. The likelihood that a group of eight or more people will even see a snake, even in summer, is very slim. Snakes hear very poorly, but they perceive vibrations well, and the trampling of eight pairs of legs is a reliable guarantee that you will never meet a snake on your way. Caution should only be exercised when hiking from the camp for the dune, and best of all in such hikes never walk alone, or at least, look carefully at your feet.
Asian cobra(above, left) is a rather large snake, up to 160 centimeters. When threatened, it raises the front part of the body vertically, hisses, sways, but usually does not stick out its tongue.
A meeting with a cobra is possible only in the first half of November, and then only in April.
(above, right) - up to 90 centimeters long, very thin. Crawls exceptionally quickly, from the outside it seems that she does it without any effort. It climbs trees very well, among the branches of which it is not at all noticeable. When running away, it often jumps to a small height and length. It is not dangerous to humans, because due to the structure of the teeth, when bitten, it cannot penetrate his skin.
(below, right) - no longer than 80 centimeters, but quite a powerful snake. It can be active from February to the end of November. She is very mobile and makes a swift throw when attacking. In the described area the most dangerous to humans snake. She often buries herself in the sand and is easy to accidentally step on. Therefore, anyone traveling around the area outside of December or January should be sure to take the necessary medications with them and be able to provide assistance to a victim of a snake bite.
The best of the rabbis became blind over their books, turned gray and grew old in the study of the Law, in anticipation of the Messiah. Finally, the Promised One appeared, but not all those who prayed for His speedy arrival recognized Him as the Long-awaited One. Instead of final relief of conscience, temptation arose, an annoying swarm of questions and bewilderment.
Archpriest Andrey Tkachev
Indeed, Christ came to the “fall and rising of many in Israel and to the point of controversy” (Luke 2:34). Christ is the precious and cornerstone, but “whoever falls on this stone will be broken, and on whomever it falls, will crush" (Matthew 21:44)
It was necessary to have a very humble soul and a blessed mind so as not to make a mistake in the matter of recognizing Christ or not recognizing Him.
One of the owners of such a mind is Nicodemus. This ruler of the Jews came to the Messiah at night and talked with Him. The third chapter of John's Gospel conveys this conversation. In it, Nicodemus admitted that Christ came from God, and “we,” that is, the Pharisees, “know” this. Christ spoke to him about being born again and about the Kingdom of God. In a conversation with him, the conversation touched on the future crucifixion of the Son of God. Christ spoke about His suffering, remembering the events described in.
The words of Christ sound like this: (John 3:14)
A student of Scripture at this point needs to look at the footnote, find the coordinates of the words mentioned (Num. 21:9), and read the quoted text itself. This is what you should always do when you encounter references to the Old Testament in the New Testament.
So, in this place The book of Numbers speaks of Israel's repeated grumblings during their journey through the desert. The Jews grumbled that there was “neither bread nor water here, and our souls,” they said, “were disgusted with this junk food"(Num. 21:5).
“Wretched food,” by the way, was called manna, the food about which it is said “he gave them the bread of the angels to eat.” Aversion from manna is what is best expressed by the words “the habit of grace.” This disease especially threatens the priesthood and the entire church clergy, that is, those who literally live in the temple of God. However, other Christians are not spared from the threat of this disease.
In response to such an attitude of the people’s heart towards Himself and His gifts, “the Lord sent poisonous snakes among the people, which bit the people, and many of the people of the children of Israel died” (Num. 21:6).
The Jews, punished in this way, began to ask Moses for protection and help, and in response to Moses’ prayer, the Lord commanded to make the same serpent that Christ remembered in his conversation with Nicodemus.
This snake was made of copper. There was a command about him: “Put him on the banner, and if a snake bites any person, the one who is bitten, looking at him, will remain alive” (Num. 21:8).
But what do you and I care about that? And is there a bridge thrown from hoary antiquity to today so that we can cross it back and forth?
There is such a bridge, and there are benefits from such readings. speaks of the wandering sons of Israel and all the events of the wandering, that “all these things happened to them as images; but it is described for instruction to us who have reached last centuries"(1 Cor. 10:11).
The person bitten by the serpent is me and you, brother and sister in Christ. It is not another snake that bites us, but the same one that deceived the foremother in Paradise. After the deception, he gained some power over man and is especially angry with those who make a journey to the land of promised bliss, to the Kingdom of God.
The very history of the journey, starting from the Exodus and until the very entry into the land flowing with milk and honey, is a figurative story about the salvation of an individual soul and the entire Church. This is a story about the obstacles encountered along the way, about punishments for the unfaithful, and about the amazing perseverance of some of God’s chosen ones.
Who among us has not felt the fire of sin spreading through our veins?
Who among us does not know that sin does not exactly hit, but stings a person, on the sly and secretly, in order to more accurately kill him?
Who doesn’t have the intelligence to understand that someone who has been stung must act quickly and wisely, otherwise he will die?
And so we travel and feel that the snake bites us painfully and unexpectedly. Where is the medicine? Here it is. “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.”(John 3:14). The Jews looked at the image of a serpent, but we look at the image of Jesus Christ crucified for us under Pontius Pilate. Crucified, buried, and raised again on the third day, according to the Scriptures.
On these days, the Cross is often presented to the gaze of believers precisely because the snake bites become noticeable and especially painful. Look, Christian, at your crucified Lord and heal your heart from the poison that is in you.
The poet said this about this looking and falling to the Cross:
Come with hot tears
Embrace the foot of the cross
You will make peace with heaven
With yourself and with people. (I. Nikitin)
These verses are addressed to a child who is learning to pray without yet knowing the power of sin. “Pray, Child” is the title of the poem. And an adult warns the child in advance about what will need to be done if sin deceives and seduces the matured soul over time. But we, who have long matured and have been deceived by sin many times, see for ourselves in these words a lesson and a call.
It remains only to understand why the serpent, a creature overloaded with a negative attitude and meaning, is connected here with the Lord. One of the fathers says on this matter that just as a copper snake is similar to a real one, but has no poison in itself, so Christ was in everything like an ordinary person, but had no sin in Himself.
In addition, it is common for Scripture to use the same name, depending on the context, to designate the concepts of saints and sinners.
So Peter the Apostle says about the devil that he walks “like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Pet. 5:8). And he speaks of the lion, connecting his image with the Lord: “Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome, and is able to open this book and open its seven seals” (Rev. 5:5). Both there and there - a lion, but in opposite meanings.
Therefore, let our hearts not be troubled about anything, but when we come to the temple of God and see before us the image of the Redeemer nailed to the cross, let us look at Him with faith. From this glance we who were stung will remain alive in Christ Jesus. For this purpose He came, so that people “would have life and have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).
Daytime temperatures in deserts reach 60 degrees Celsius. This is how the air warms up. Sand under the hot sun reaches a temperature of 90 degrees. Living beings seem to be on a hot frying pan. Therefore, most desert inhabitants lead night look life.
During the day, animals hide in burrows and depressions between stones. Those who cannot hide underground, for example, birds, have to look for shade. Thus, small birds often build nests under the homes of larger birds. In fact, the expanses of the desert - back side"medals" of the Earth's poles. There frosts are recorded down to -90 degrees, but here it is hot.
The fauna of the sandy expanses is equally sparse. However, every animal in the desert is interesting because it has acquired adaptations for survival in harsh conditions.
Desert Mammals
Caracal
This is a desert cat. Easily kills antelope. The predator is able to do this not only with its powerful grip and dexterity, but also with its size. The length of the caracal reaches 85 centimeters. The height of the animal is half a meter. The color of the animal is sandy, the fur is short and soft. The ears have long awn tassels. This makes the caracal look like a lynx.
The desert lynx is solitary and active at night. With the onset of darkness, the predator hunts medium-sized mammals, birds, and reptiles.
The name caracal can be translated as “black ear”
Giant mole rat
A representative of the mole rat family weighs almost a kilo and is 35 centimeters long. Hence the name. The animal is blind because it leads a life similar to that of a mole. The desert dweller also digs tunnels in the ground. To do this, the animal is equipped with powerful claws and large teeth protruding from its mouth. But the mole rat does not have ears or eyes. Because of this, the animal’s appearance is intimidating.
Mole rats - desert animals, which residents of the Caucasus and Kazakhstan can meet. Sometimes animals are found in steppe regions. However, living underground, mole rats rarely appear above it. If this happens, the animals burrow back at lightning speed. Therefore, the habits of mole rats are poorly studied even by zoologists.
The mole rat has no eyes, it navigates by ultrasonic vibrations
long eared hedgehog
This is the smallest representative of the hedgehog family. In the desert, the animal runs the risk of overheating, which is why it has grown large ears. Unlike the rest of the body, they are naked. The open area of the skin releases excess heat into the environment. This happens due to the expansion of capillaries. Their dense network penetrates every millimeter of the hedgehog’s ears.
With a 20 cm needle body length long-eared hedgehog stretch 2.5 centimeters. The color of the tips varies depending on the habitat of the mammal. Due to the coloring of the needles, the hedgehog is camouflaged among the surrounding landscape.
Distinguish long-eared from ordinary hedgehog You can, of course, with big ears
Manul
It usually settles in the steppes, but in the south of Turkmenistan it also lives in deserts. Outwardly, the manul resembles a long-haired domestic cat. However, her face is fierce. Because of anatomical structure The cat's face always looks unhappy. It is difficult to train a Pallas's cat. It's easier to have a caracal at home.
The ends of the Pallas's fur are white. The remaining area of the hairs is gray. As a result, the color of the animal looks silver. There are black stripes on the face and tail.
Manul is the rarest type of cat
fennec
Otherwise called deserted forest. Among the red cheats, the animal is the smallest, and not red at all. Fennec fox color is sandy. The animal also differs in its ears. Their length is 15 centimeters. The purpose of wearing such large ears on a miniature body is thermoregulation, as is the case with desert hedgehog.
Fennec ears - desert animal adaptations, performing another function. Large shells pick up the slightest vibrations in the air. This is how the fox cub identifies reptiles, rodents and other small animals that it feeds on.
Fenech cats are often kept as pets
Dune cat
Inhabits the deserts of northern and central Asia. This is the first time the animal has been spotted in the sands of Algeria. The discovery dates back to the 15th century. Then a French expedition walked through the deserts of Algeria. It included a naturalist. He described a previously unseen animal.
The sand cat has a wide head with equally wide-set ears. Their shells face forward. The ears are large. There are some sort of whiskers on the cat's cheeks. There is dense fur even on the pads of the paws. This is a device that saves the skin of a predator from burns when walking on hot sand.
The sand cat is one of the most secretive animals
Meerkats
One of the few socially organized desert inhabitants, they live in families of 25-30 individuals. While some are getting food, others are standing guard. Rising on their hind legs, the animals inspect the surroundings for approaching predators.
Meerkats - desert animals located among the savannas of Africa. There, animals of the mongoose family dig underground passages, going 2 meters deep. They hide in holes and raise children. By the way, meerkats do not have courtship. Males literally rape females, attacking and taking when the chosen one is exhausted from the fight.
Meerkats live in clans in which each has a certain status
Pereguzna
Refers to mustelids. Externally, the animal resembles a ferret with big ears and a stupid face. The color of the peregrine is variegated. Black spots alternate with beige and white.
The length of the saddle is 50 centimeters including the tail. The animal weighs about half a kilogram. Being small in size, the animal is a predator, settling in the burrows of its victims. At the same time, peregrines are excellent at climbing trees. The animals do this alone, uniting with relatives only during the mating season.
In the photo there is a re-dressing or bandaging
Jerboa
Rodents cannot be more than 25 centimeters in length. Most of falls on a long tail with a brush at the end. The body of the animal is compact. The jerboa's legs are jumping, and the hand on the tail acts as a rudder in the air.
Animal world desert Not a single jerboa complements it, but about 10 species. The smallest of them do not exceed 4-5 centimeters in length.
Jerboas have a large number of enemies, which negatively affects their life expectancy
Camel
In North Africa the animal is sacred. The fur of camels reflects light, saving the “ships of the desert” from the heat. Camels store water in their humps. Some animal species have two of them, while others have one. The filler is encased in fat. When there is a lack of water, it splits, releasing moisture.
When water supplies are depleted in the humps, camels unerringly find sources of moisture. Animals can smell them at a distance of 60 kilometers. Also, “ships of the desert” have excellent vision. Camels notice movements at a distance of a kilometer. Animals also navigate among the dunes using visual memory.
There is not water in the camel's humps, but adipose tissue which can be converted into energy
Addax
This is a large antelope. It reaches 170 centimeters in length. The height of the animal is approximately 90 centimeters. The antelope weighs up to 130 kilograms. The color of the ungulate is sandy, but there are white spots on the ears and face. The head is decorated long horns, bent by a large wave.
Of all the antelopes, the addax is best adapted to life among the dunes. In the sands, ungulates find sparse vegetation, from which they obtain not only nutrients, but also water.
Antelope addax
Dorcas
The Dorcas gazelle is small and slender. The color of the animal is beige on the back and almost white on the belly. Males have folds of skin on the bridge of their nose. The horns of males are more curved. In females, the outgrowths are almost straight and about 20 centimeters long. Males' horns reach 35.
The length of the most ungulate is 130 centimeters. At the same time, the animal weighs about 20 kilograms.
Desert birds
Griffon Vulture
Red Book bird within Russia and the countries of the former Soviet Union. The predator is named white-headed because it is mostly brown. White color is present only on the head and a little on the legs of the bird. It is a large flying predator, weighing up to 15 kilograms. The wingspan of the vulture reaches 3 meters, and the length of the bird is 110 centimeters.
The head of the vulture is covered with short fluff. Because of this, the body seems disproportionately large, because it is hidden under full, long feathers.
Barn owls are considered long-lived, living from sixty to seventy years
Vulture
All 15 species of vultures live in desert areas. Most birds do not exceed 60 centimeters in length. Vultures weigh about 2 kilograms.
All vultures have a large and hooked beak, bare neck and head, hard feathers and a pronounced crop.
Vulture big fan fell
Ostrich
The largest flightless birds. Ostriches cannot fly into the air not only because heavy weight, but also underdevelopment of feathers. They resemble fluff and are not able to withstand air currents.
The African ostrich weighs about 150 kilograms. One bird egg is 24 times larger than a chicken egg. The ostrich also holds the record for running speed, accelerating up to 70 kilometers per hour.
Ostrich is the most big bird on the planet
Vulture
What animals are in the desert can they stop dating? Vultures.For last decades only 10% of the population remained. The species is listed as International Red. Their prey is partly to blame for the birds' deaths. They eat food and grass “stuffed” with pesticides.
The second factor in the decline in the vulture population is poaching. They also hunt protected rhinoceroses and elephants. Vultures flock to the carcasses until they are transported.
Employees environmental organizations They comb desert areas, focusing specifically on flocks of scavenger birds. In order not to find the main prey of poachers, they also shoot vultures.
Looking out for prey, vultures are able to rise above the ground more than 11 kilometers. Other birds are not capable of flying higher than Everest.
Jay
The saxaul jay lives in deserts. She is the size of a thrush. The jay weighs about 900 grams. The color of the bird is ashen on the back and pinkish on the chest and belly. The tail and wings are black and have a blue tint. In an animal long legs gray in tone and an elongated, pointed beak.
The desert jay prefers to feed on coprophages. These are organisms that eat feces. Accordingly, saxaul jays look for breakfast, lunch and dinner in the excrement of other animals.
Desert Raven
Otherwise called brown-headed. Not only the head, but also the neck and back are chocolate-colored. The length of the bird is 56 centimeters. The bird weighs about half a kilo and is found in Central Asia, the Sahara, and the deserts of Sudan.
The desert raven nests on acacia, saxaul, and tamarisk. Females build nests on them together with males, using the dwelling for several years in a row.
Desert Shrike
It belongs to the passeriformes, weighs about 60 grams, and reaches a length of 30 centimeters. The color of the bird is gray-gray. Black stripes run from the eyes to the neck.
Shrike enters Russian desert animals, found in the European part of the country. Beyond its borders, the bird is found in the Middle East, Central Asia, and Kazakhstan.
Ryabka
Lives in the deserts of Africa and Eurasia. Like many birds of arid areas, sandgrouses fly for water for many kilometers. During the breeding season, chicks remain in the nest. Sgrouse bring them water on their feathers. They absorb moisture from representatives of the species.
There are 14 species of sandgrouse in nature. All live in arid steppes and deserts. In order to water the chicks, the hazel grouse “covered” even their paws and toes with feathers. From the outside it seems strange why a desert dweller needs such a warm “fur coat”.
Desert reptiles
Snake arrow
A colubrid venomous snake, typical of Central Asia. The species is especially numerous in Kazakhstan. Sometimes the arrow is found in Iran and Tajikistan. There the snake moves so quickly that it seems to be flying. That's why the reptile was nicknamed the arrow.
The body of the arrow also matches the name. The snake is thin, with a pointed tail. The animal's head is also elongated. Inside the mouth are poisonous teeth. They are deeply set and can only penetrate the victim when it is swallowed. Only miniature creatures are capable of swallowing a small one. Therefore, the arrow poses almost no threat to humans.
Arrow is a very fast snake
Gray monitor lizard
It grows up to one and a half meters and weighs more than 3 kilograms. The giant lives among lizards in the East, Africa, and Asia. Only young monitor lizards are gray. The color of adults is sandy.
Zoologists believe that monitor lizards are the ancestors of snakes. In lizards of the genus too Long neck, deeply forked tongue, brain enclosed in a bony membrane.
The gray monitor lizard is one of the largest reptiles
Round head
Found in Kalmykia. Outside of Russia, the lizard lives in the deserts of Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, and Iran. The length of the animal is 24 centimeters. The lizard weighs approximately 40 grams.
The lizard's profile is almost rectangular, but there are skin folds. When the animal opens its mouth, they stretch. The outer sides of the folds are oval. Therefore, the lizard's head is open mouth seems round. The integument inside the animal’s mouth and on the inside of the folds is pink-scarlet. The size of the open mouth and its color scare off offenders of the roundhead.
The roundhead buries itself in the sand by body vibrations
Efa
Belongs to the viper family. The snake lives in Africa, Indonesia and Asian countries. Living in deserts, efa grows to a maximum of 80 centimeters. Often the snake stretches only half a meter. This helps save resources. The reptile needs them 24 hours a day. Unlike other snakes, the efa is active both during the day and at night.
Efa is poisonous. With the small size of the animal, the toxins of one individual are enough to kill an adult. In the absence of medical care, he will die painfully. Efa's poison instantly corrodes red blood cells.
Horned viper
The snake is medium in size. The length of the animal rarely exceeds a meter. The horned viper differs in the structure of its head. It is pear-shaped and flattened. Above the eyes, several scales are arranged into horns. The snake's tail is also covered with similar spines. The needles are pointed towards outside.
The horned viper looks scary, but the snake's venom is not fatal to humans. Animal toxins cause a local reaction. It is expressed in tissue swelling, itching, pain at the site of the bite. You just need to be patient. The discomfort goes away without leaving a trace on your health.
The snake got its name from the pair of horns on its head.
Sand boa
It is the smallest in the boa constrictor family. A relative of the anaconda does not even grow to the meter mark. If you look at the snake's anus, small claws are visible. These are the rudiments of the hind limbs. Therefore, all boas are called pseudopods.
Like other boa constrictors, the desert boa obtains food by grasping and squeezing its prey.
Spiketails
Representatives of a genus of 16 species of lizards. They are found in the Sahara, deserts of Algeria. Animals choose mountainous, rocky wastelands.
The tail of lizards of the genus is covered with spine-like plates. They are arranged in circular rows. Thanks to its exotic appearance, the lizard began to be kept in terrariums.
Spiketails hide by leaving their spiked tail outside
Gecko
There are 5 species of skink geckos that live in deserts. Everyone has a wide and large head. She is set high. The scales on the tail are folded like tiles.
Animals of deserts and semi-deserts They choose dunes with sparse vegetation. Lizards do not drown in sand because they have fringed scales on their toes. The growths increase the area of contact with the surface.
Steppe tortoise
It is called steppe, but lives exclusively in deserts, loves thickets of wormwood, saxaul and tamarisk. From marsh turtle The animal is distinguished by a convex shell. It is not suitable for cutting waters. Where are they from in the desert?
Between the fingers steppe turtle no swimming membranes. But the animal’s paws are equipped with powerful claws. The reptile uses them to dig holes in the sand. Animal life in the desert made adjustments to their anatomy.
Being a long-liver in the desert, the lifespan of turtles is significantly reduced when kept outside the wild
Insects and arthropods of the desert
Scorpion
Scorpions have 6-12 pairs of eyes. However, vision is not the main sense organ for arthropods. The sense of smell is more developed.
Scorpions can go without food for 2 years. Together with toxicity, this ensures the survival of the species. Scorpions are already 430 million years old. This is exactly how many adults carry numerous children on their backs. They ride on their mother for the first week of life. The female protects the offspring, because few dare to attack an adult scorpion.
Darkling beetle
These are desert beetles. On photo of desert animals small, coleopterous, black. This is one of many subspecies of darkling beetles, called the desert slugger. The beetle's front legs have teeth.
Darkling beetles of other species settle in the tropics, in the steppes, and even in human homes. Being nocturnal and hiding under wooden floors, insects rarely catch the eye of the owners of the building. Therefore, in the old days, meeting a beetle was considered bad luck.
Scarab
Most of the 100 species of scarab are native to Africa. In Europe and Asia, only 7 species of beetle are found. In length it is from 1 to 5 centimeters. The appearance of the animal is similar to the dung beetle. The species are related. The activities of insects are also related. Scarabs also roll dung balls, rolling them along the sands.
Scarabs bury dung balls in the sand, jealously guarding them from other beetles. If they encroach on the food supplies of a relative, there will be a fight.
In ancient times, the scarab was considered a sacred deity
Ants
In deserts, ants build houses not so much above as below the ground. Only the entrances to the anthills are visible. The system of passages is inhabited by long-legged individuals. Otherwise you will simply drown in the sand.
In deserts, ants rarely find food. That's why families have colonies of so-called honey barrels. They have elastic bodies. When filled with food, they can stretch 10 times. Here what animals live in the desert. They fill their bellies with honey barrels in order to feed their relatives during dark days, weeks and even months.
Smoky Phalanxes
This is a spider. The animal reaches 7 centimeters in length. The animal is distinguished by powerful chelicerae. These are the mouthparts of spiders. In the phalanx they consist of two parts fastened like a joint. The general appearance of the arthropod's chelicerae is similar to the claws of a crab.
Of the 13 species of phalanxes, only one lives in forests. The rest are inhabitants of deserts and semi-deserts of Sri Lanka, Pakistan, India, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan.
The desert does not have the most favorable atmosphere for living organisms. But despite this, there is an amazing diversity of animal life here. During the midday heat, this diversity is practically invisible.
You can meet only a few or, and with great luck, several. But with the arrival of evening twilight, when the heat gradually subsides, the desert begins new life, she seems to come to life.
In the photo there is a jungle cat
Puma
This widespread desert animal is the second largest of the cat family. It has so many other names that it was even included in the Guinness Book of Records.
Most often they are also called mountain lions And . This slender and agile animal reaches a length of 100 to 180 cm and weighs from 50 to 100 kg. Males usually larger than females.
Dawn and dusk are chosen by the puma for hunting. Likes to be in places with dense vegetation, in caves, rocky crevices. But it can also live on open area. When hunting, it prefers to wait for its prey in ambush.
Animals avoid meeting people, but recently there have been more than one case of puma attacks on people. Ungulates are considered the favorite prey of pumas. They can also feast on domestic animals if they find themselves in places inhabited by people. They compete with and wolves.
Animal puma
Coyote
This is the name of the lonely predators that howl at the moon and are symbolic animals of the American Wild West. They are not always lonely. There have been cases when they hunted in whole packs.
The length of the animal is from 75 to 100 cm, its weight is from 7 to 20 kg. They are active at night. They are able to adapt to any environment. They feed mainly on small mammals, carrion, deer and sheep. As soon as dusk falls, coyotes go in search of prey for themselves.
As for coyotes and humans, humans are the cause of their spread. Competitors of coyotes are wolves, which people have recently begun to exterminate en masse.
Thus, it was people who created favorable conditions to expand the range of coyotes. Their fur is highly valued in the fur industry, so these wild predators There is always a hunt going on.
These animals are an immediate, direct threat to farm animals and they are very fond of sheep. For this they earned great hostility among the farmers.
But all attempts to destroy them do not bring great success because coyotes have insight, amazing intelligence and cunning. They avoid traps without any problems, avoiding bullets and various baits. The burrows of these animals are located in caves, rock crevices, and tree hollows.
Animal coyote
Tiger
This majestic animal is the largest and largest among all cats. The length of an adult male animal can reach up to 3.5 m and weight 315 kg. For a hungry tiger, everything that catches his eye is good food.
Gazelle Dorcas
Holy Scarab
This representative of dung beetles is listed in Krasnaya. The beetle is black in color, has a short body length - 4 cm, it is smooth to the touch and convex. The male tibia differs somewhat from the female tibia due to the fringe of golden hairs. Scarabs live on sea coasts and sandy soil.
Their food is the dung of large cattle. They can stock up on this manure for future use, sometimes rolling it into balls larger than the manure itself. They do not live long, about two years.
IN Ancient Egypt this beetle is sacred. It is believed that a talisman with his image brings eternal youth to women and helps men earn good money.
Sacred scarab beetle
Addax
This animal belongs to equine mammals and changes the color of its coat depending on the seasons. IN summer time years addax white, in winter it darkens to brown tones.
The animal lives closer to fresh waters. It eats desert grass and shrub plants. Addaxes can travel long distances to find food. They may be without water for some time. The necessary moisture is drawn from plants.
These social animals prefer to live in herds of up to 20 or more animals, headed by a male. Addaxes make poor runners, which makes them prey for many predatory animals.
In the photo there is an animal addax
yellow scorpion
In another way, it is also called the deadly hunter. This creature is truly very dangerous for humans and brings death or paralysis with it. The body of a scorpion reaches from 8 to 13 cm. Males are usually smaller than females.
They weigh 2-3 g. Their decoration is a long, slightly thickened tail raised up. The insect feeds on zofobas, and. They are more picky about food than all their steelhead relatives.
For housing, they choose areas under rocks and small gorges. They live without problems in sandy burrows they dug themselves. From the bite yellow scorpion small insects die immediately, and a person experiences cerebral edema or paralysis. This property of insect venoms has recently increasingly begun to help in the treatment of oncological diseases.
yellow scorpion
African ostrich
This largest bird can reach impressive sizes. The height of this majestic bird can be up to 2.7 m and weight 160 kg. Not only this attracts everyone's attention.
Pictured is a monitor lizard
Animals of tropical deserts
Tropical deserts have a difficult, hot and dry climate. But for many animals this is not the case. global problem. They can adapt to any habitat.
Animals of tropical deserts They can go without food for a long time and also travel long distances in search of it. Many of them to avoid consequences extreme heat They just hibernate for a while.
For some of them, life underground is their salvation. Those who are not able to withstand the severity of the tropical desert climate in the summer simply leave the hot regions.
Hyena
Open desert spaces, forest edges next to paths and roads are the places where you can most often meet this interesting animal. For many, it is a negative animal; it does not cause anything other than negative emotions.
This is how people treat her, thinking that she feeds on carrion and is dangerous for many innocent animals. In fact, the hyena is not much more angry and cunning than some other predatory representative tropical desert.
Until recently, it was believed that hyenas were more related to dogs. But later it was concluded that they belong to felines. The enemies of hyenas are. Skirmishes often occur between them, which end in victory for the flock in which there are more individuals.
Animals make scary sounds that frighten people even now. Often, because of their laughter, hyenas can lose food. Or rather, their provisions are taken away by lions, who understand from the sounds of the animal that there is a lot of food near them. They lead a mainly nocturnal lifestyle, and during the day they rest from long hikes or hunting.
They cannot be considered ugly and insensitive animals. The fact that hyenas eat carrion gives them the right to be called real orderlies environment. They hunt with pleasure all ungulates, and can also covet the babies of large animals.
Animal hyena
Cheetahs
A beautiful and majestic feline predator has an incredible color and huge claws. He develops unprecedented speed and forces himself to be respected with his entire appearance.
The length of an adult reaches up to 150 cm, and cheetahs weigh on average 50 kg. They have excellent eyesight, which helps them hunt well. They are the fastest animals.
For life they choose to a greater extent open areas, avoiding thickets. They prefer to hunt in the daytime, which is very different from most predators that hunt at night. They don't like to climb trees.
In the photo there is a cheetah
Jerboa
Mammals from the order of rodents live almost everywhere thanks to their excellent ability to adapt. These animals only come in small sizes. They have a long tail, longer than the body itself.
Thanks to their well-developed hind legs, they run very quickly, while their tail serves as something like a steering wheel. In winter, they go into hibernation.
More active image Jerboas lead their lives at night. In search of provisions they can travel about 5 km. During the day after these trips, the animals sleep.
For homes, jerboas dig holes for themselves. They eat plant foods - fruits, vegetables, root vegetables, grains. They do not refuse to feast on larvae, insects, etc.
Animal jerboa
Animals of the arctic deserts
The Arctic deserts are more dominated by birds than animals. It is easier for them to endure all the harshness of those places. But there are also animals and fish, although there are not so many of them.
This animal can survive such harsh winters thanks to large cluster fat, which protects them from frost and their special structure coat. They walk smoothly, slowly and swaying from side to side.
They have no fear towards humans. It is better for people to stay away from this giant. Animals prefer to lead a solitary lifestyle. They live mostly amicably among themselves, but it happens that clashes arise between them, which most often occur during the mating season.
Bears swim and dive beautifully. It is in the water that they get their food. Their victims are sea hares. They search for the victim using well developed sense of smell.
These animals are thrifty. If they have plenty of food, they will definitely hide it in reserve. Fathers have absolutely no developed parental feelings. Not only do they not help in raising their children, but sometimes they can even pose a threat to them.
polar bear
Seals and walruses
These animals are most popular in the Arctic deserts. They are separate populations. Seals have a large number of subspecies. sea hares are the largest and most dangerous of them. The seal is the smallest and most active representative of these inhabitants. arctic deserts.
Walruses are considered the closest relatives of seals, and also represent for them great danger. Their sizes are much larger, their fangs are sharper. Walruses feed on small animals, including a moderately well-fed seal.
Animals of the deserts of South America
In the deserts of South America you can find quite unique and diverse animals. Each of them is interesting in its own way.
Armadillo
This mammal with a shell covering its back has small sizes. The body length of the desert armadillo reaches 12-16 cm, and the weight is 90 g. They prefer sandy plains.
They burrow into this soil and look for food there. They feed on worms, snails and vegetation. They are not social animals and prefer to live alone. They sleep during the day and forage for food at night.
The animal in the photo is an armadillo
Guanaco
They are considered the largest of all desert herbivores. They are not picky about food. Moisture is obtained from plant products. With its slender and light build, it is very reminiscent of deer or antelope.
Distinctive feature of these animals, which immediately attracts attention are their big eyes With long eyelashes. The night time of the day is reserved for guanacos to rest. At dawn they begin to wake up. In the morning and evening every day they go to water. They live in herds, in which there are many females and children and one male.
Pictured is a guanaco.
Jaguarundi
The cat family has many interesting representatives. One of them is. The puma is considered its close relative. They choose to live dense forests, thickets of bushes through which they make their way without much difficulty due to their flexibility. They don't like to climb trees. This only happens in extreme cases, out of great need.
This cat eats various animals, including domestic ones. During mating season cats form pairs. Against this background, there are frequent fights without rules for the same female that two males like. Female jaguarundi are wonderful and caring mothers.
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