South Arabia covers the largest track of land of all the Asian countries. Despite the country being the largest, most of its land composes of the Arabian Desert, which covers over 95 percent. Most of the rivers that occupy the country are seasonal, which makes the country have minimal plant cover. With these prevailing desert conditions, most of the wildlife indigenous to Saudi Arabia have adaptations for survival in hot environments with scarcity of water. Worth noting is the fact that due to human exploitation and shifts in natural ecosystems, some of these animals are at risk of extinction. This paper seeks to discuss three of the most famous animals native to Saudi Arabia and their habitat, together with how these animals survive in arid climate.
The Lone Wolf
The lone wolf is one of the most famous of the desert animals in Saudi Arabia. The animal weighs about 40 pounds and have a genetic link to the South American species of grey wolfs. These animals live in burrows that they dig in the desert canyons and sand dunes. In this habitat, they hide from the extreme daytime temperatures. At night lone wolfs come out of the holes to prey antelopes and smaller reptiles. These animals also hunt farm animals and are a great threat to domestic sheep, goats, and calves. Lone wolfs make a characteristic cry at night and are identifiable by this. To survive in an environment where water is scarce, they can live for several months without a visit to a water source. As an adaptive feature, lone wolfs perspire using their tongue to regulate their temperature during the hot days. They also have disproportionately large ears that they use to lose excess body heat. Due to the constant threat lone wolfs pose to domestic animals, farmer kill them by poisoning them, which has significantly the number of these animals (Bell, 2010).
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Nomadic Antelopes
These animals also go by the name Arabian oryexes. They are termed nomadic because they move from pace to place in large groups in search for water and pasture. In fact, they are capable of speculating rainfall patterns, and potential areas of green grass. This survival tactic also enables the animals to track places of water supply hence evading hostile arid environments. Nomadic antelopes move in groups to enhance security and reduce chances of being preyed upon. To guard against sun exposure and heat absorption, they have white fur. They have hooves that facilitate their movement in the desert sand. Due to the value of their meet and skin to human, these became endangered in the 1970s. However, wildlife preservation measures have helped restore the numbers of nomadic antelopes (Bell, 2010).
Arabian Leopards
These are one of the most docile animals of the desert and currently are a rare species. As it stands, estimates hold that there is only 250 of such animals in the world. Leopards feed on meet, which they obtain by killing antelopes and other animals kept by farmers in Saudi Arabia. They live in burrows and caves that exist in rocky areas. An adaptation of these animals is their spotted skin, which makes them camouflage in the brown-grey sand environment while stalking other animals. Human conflicts with the leopards have occurred due to their hunt on cattle, leading to massive killing of these wild animals (Bell, 2010).
Conclusion
In summation, the Saudi Arabia despite being in desert climate offers a habitat to a number of native wildlife. The adaptations to this type of habitat makes it possible for these animals to thrive in lands that lack water and constant green pasture. Human interference with the existence of these animals creates a likelihood of extinction of some of these indigenous species.
Reference
Bell, C. E. (2010). Encyclopedia of World’s Zoos . London: Cambridge University Press.
