Wildlife of Egypt
The wildlife of Egypt is composed of the flora and fauna of this country in northeastern Africa and southwestern Asia, and is substantial and varied. Apart from the fertile Nile Valley, which bisects the country from south to north, the majority of Egypt's landscape is desert, with a few scattered oases. It has long coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea, the Gulf of Suez, the Gulf of Aqaba and the Red Sea. Each geographic region has a diversity of plants and animals each adapted to its own particular habitat.
Geography
Egypt is bordered by the
The River Nile enters Egypt as it flows through Lake Nasser, formed by the building of the Aswan Dam. In its lower reaches, the river is about 0.75 km (0.5 mi) wide and the alluvial plain about 10 km (6 mi) wide.[2] The annual flooding of the Nile no longer occurs and the fertility of the Nile Valley is now maintained by irrigation rather than the deposition of silt. Much of the Nile is bordered by flat land but in some places there are low cliffs. Where the river flows into the Mediterranean, there is an extensive fan-shaped delta area with channels, lakes and salt marshes.[1]
To the west of the Nile lies the
In general, Egypt is a very dry country. The Western Desert receives only occasional rainfall, the winters being mild and the summers very hot. The Eastern Desert receives some precipitation in the south in the form of orographic rainfall from winds that have crossed the Red Sea; this may cause torrential flows in the wadis. The winters here are mild and the summers hot, and Gebel Elba is cooler and wetter than other parts. The northern areas of the country, particularly close to the coast, receive some precipitation from Mediterranean weather systems.[2]
Flora
The Nile is the lifeline of Egypt, the land bordering the river being rendered fertile by the irrigation it receives. Crops grown in the Nile Valley include
Large parts of the Western Desert are completely devoid of vegetation. The plants that do grow are adapted to the arid conditions and tend to be small and wiry, have small, leathery leaves, long shallow roots to exploit any available water, prickles or thorns to deter herbivores, and sometimes thick stems or leaves to store water. They include acacia trees, palms, succulents, spiny shrubs, and grasses. Some plants adopt an ephemeral life style, sprouting or springing into life when rain falls, rapidly reaching the flowering stage and producing long-lived durable seed.
In the mountains of the Eastern Desert grows the tree Balanites aegyptiaca, the open patchy woodland being remnants of forests that used to cover this region. In the Gulf of Suez coastal area the rainfall is supplemented by condensation from clouds. Water may ooze from cracks, flow down runnels and collect in potholes. Here mosses, ferns and various vascular plants grow, and Ficus pseudosycamorus and stunted date palms grow from cracks.[7]
The flora of the Sinai Peninsula mountains is very varied and is largely of Irano-Turanian origin. Here soil and plant litter accumulates in crevices and depressions in the rock and provides anchorage for roots. The commonest plant is Artemisia inculta, and rocky slopes support shrubs, semi-shrubs and trees.[8]
Fauna
At one time Egypt had a cooler, wetter climate than it has today; ancient tomb paintings show
Mammals of the Western Desert have been depleted over the years and the
The Eastern Desert has a quite different range of fauna and has much in common with the Sinai Peninsula, showing the importance of the broad Nile in separating the two desert regions. Here are found the striped hyena, Nubian ibex, bushy-tailed jird, golden spiny mouse, Blanford's fox and Rüppell's fox. The sand partridge, streaked scrub warbler, mourning wheatear and white-crowned wheatear are typical of this region. The high rocky mountains of Gebel Elba in the south have a distinctive range of animals including the aardwolf, striped polecat, and common genet, and there may still be African wild ass in this area.[10]
Birds are abundant in Egypt, especially in the Nile Valley and the Delta region. Birds of prey include vultures, eagles, hawks, falcons and owls. Other large birds include storks, flamingoes, herons, egrets, pelicans, quail, sunbirds and golden orioles.[4] About four hundred and eighty species of bird have been recorded, the globally endangered ones being the red-breasted goose, white-headed duck, Balearic shearwater, Egyptian vulture, Rüppell's vulture, sociable lapwing, slender-billed curlew, saker falcon and yellow-breasted bunting.[11] Egypt is on a major bird migratory route between Eurasia and East Africa and around two hundred species of migrants pass through twice a year.[9]
About thirty species of snake occur in Egypt, about half of them venomous. These include the Egyptian cobra, false smooth snake and horned viper. There are also numerous species of lizards.[9] Above the Aswan Dam, the shores of Lake Nasser are largely barren, but the lake does support the last remaining Nile crocodiles and African softshell turtle in Egypt.[10]
Over one hundred species of fish live in the Nile and the Delta region.[4] Egypt also has a large aquaculture industry producing tilapia in semi-intensive pond systems.[12]
References
- ^ ISBN 0-540-05831-9.
- ^ ISBN 978-94-015-8066-3.
- ^ El-Nahrawy, Mohamed A. "Egypt". Country Pasture/Forage Resource Profile. FAO. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8225-0367-5.
- ^ "Desert plants and animals". Defenders of Wildlife. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
- ISBN 978-94-015-8066-3.
- ISBN 978-94-015-8066-3.
- ISBN 978-94-015-8066-3.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-7614-1670-8.
- ^ ISBN 978-977-416-254-1.
- ^ Avibase – Bird Checklists of the World (Egypt)
- ^ Macfadyen, G.; Nasr-Allah, A.M.; Dickson, M. The market for Egyptian farmed fish. WorldFish. p. 1. GGKEY:YFQSNDDE2WB.