We usually tend to picturise the Sahara Desert as a vast, parched, lifeless stretch of sandy landscape with scattered nomadic tribes and their domesticated camels. However, there is much more to the Sahara than what we think. The Sahara Desert occupies an area of 9,400,000 square km, an area comparable to the size of the United States. It stretches across much of Northern Africa, covering about 31% of the African landmass. Thus, it is the largest hot desert in the world.
The Sahara Desert hosts an incredible array of species that are well-adapted to survive in the desert climate. 70 mammalian species, 90 avian species, 100 species of reptiles, and several species of spiders, scorpions, and other smaller forms of life, call the Sahara Desert their home. Apart from the dromedary camel and goats, the desert hosts the highly feared deathstalker scorpion, the extremely venomous sand viper, the elegant and fierce cheetah, the graceful gazelles, the swift-footed red-necked ostrich and more.
Here, on our list of "What Animals Live In The Sahara Desert?" we present the unique species of the Sahara Desert.
A unique animal, the Saharan Silver Ant (Cataglyphis bombycina), remains active for only 10 minutes a day. These creatures have longer legs than other ants and produce heat shock proteins before exiting their burrows. Both these adaptations help them survive the extreme heat of the desert.
14. Deathstalker Scorpion
#14 Deathstalker Scorpion
The deathstalker scorpion (Leiurus quinquestriatus) is the most poisonous scorpion species in the world. It produces a lethal cocktail of neurotoxins that might trigger excruciating pain in an adult human when bitten by this scorpion. Children, the aged, and the infirm individuals are also at risk of dying by envenomation in extreme cases of deathstalker bites.