Many types of frogs, salamanders, snakes and lizards can be found in almost every layer of the forest. Now, Shaq has once again cleared up what he said in the Netflix series. Many wildlife researchers believe that, historically, tigers inhabited much of Asia, and that various tiger subspecies naturally migrated and spread out over time.
Pleistocene glacial fluctuations and geographic boundaries, however, probably made it too difficult for tigers to return to Africa. Tigers die in conflict with humans or occasionally from poaching on the edges of Reserves, but more often than not they die fighting other tigers over mates, kills, or territories.
Occasionally tigers also die from injuries sustained while hunting potentially dangerous prey. But in the wild, they say, tigers and lions fight quite differently: A group of 2—4 female lions would have a similar advantage over a lone tigress. They conclude that while one on one, a tiger would certainly best a lion, in the wild the lion pride could hold their own against the solitary tiger.
Despite being home to elephants, lions, hippos, and more dominant animals, there have never been any wild tigers in Africa. As part of the Felidae family of cats, ancestors of tigers originated in Africa. The family includes cheetahs, lions, tigers, leopards and jaguars — some of which do live in the African plains. Pit viper snakes are another highly venomous snake that could kill a tiger in a forest.
Both the hump nosed pit viper and the Bengal tiger inhabit Southern India. The Jaguar regularly preys on larger animals and are one of the most dangerous animals in the wild. Fortunately for the Jaguar, it can still escape from the tiger by climbing trees and swimming in the water.
With the help of stronger claws and remarkable fighting ability, the Bengal Tiger will surely defeat the Jaguar. Although the lion is far more likely to beat the jaguar in a one-on-one fight, there is definitely a chance that the jaguar could kill a lion. Jaguars are extremely powerful for their size, and even have a stronger bite than lions. Not only that, jaguars hunt by going for the skull — the seldom use their claws to actually maul prey while hunting.
They jump and make a grab for the skull while holding the prey in place — a horrible manner of hunting as far as killing gorillas go. Jaguar attacks on humans are rare nowadays. In the past, they were more frequent, at least after the arrival of Conquistadors in the Americas. Underground water sometimes rises to the surface, forming spring s or seeps.
A fertile green area called an oasis , or cienega , may exist near such a water source. About 90 major, inhabited oases dot the Sahara. People, animals, and plants all surround these oases, which provide stable access to water, food, and shelter. Many desert cities, from the American Southwest to the Middle East , rely heavily on such aquifers to fill their water needs. Rural Israeli communities called kibbutzim rely on aquifers to furnish water for crop s and even fish farming in the dry Negev Desert.
Drilling into aquifers provides water for drinking, agriculture , industry , and hygiene. However, it comes at a cost to the environment. Aquifers take a long time to refill. If desert communities use groundwater faster than it is replenished, water shortages can occur.
The Mojave Desert, in southern California and Nevada, for instance, is sinking due to aquifer depletion. The water level in the aquifer has sunk as much as 30 meters feet since the s, while the land above the aquifer has sunk as much as 10 centimeters 4 inches. River s sometimes provide water in a desert.
People often modify rivers to help distribute and store water in a desert. The Nile River ecosystem dominate s the eastern part of the Sahara Desert, for instance. The Nile provides the most reliable, plentiful source of freshwater in the region. The Aswan Dam harnesses the power of the Nile for hydroelectricity used in industry. Construction of the Aswan High Dam was a huge engineering project. Local desert communities can divert rivers on a smaller scale.
Throughout the Middle East, communities have dug artificial wadis, where freshwater can flow during rainy seasons. In countries like Yemen, artificial wadis can carry enough water for whitewater rafting trips during certain times of the year. When deserts and water supplies cross state and national borders, people often fight over water rights.
Rapidly expanding populations in California, Nevada, and Arizona have compounded the problem. Agreements that were made in the early 20th century failed to account for Native American water rights. Mexican access to the Colorado, which has its delta in the Mexican state of Baja California, was ignored. Desert agriculture, including cotton production, demanded a large portion of the Colorado.
The environmental impact of dams was not considered when the structures were built. States of the Colorado River Basin continue to negotiate today to prepare for population growth, agricultural development , and the possibility of future droughts. Life in the Desert Plants and animals adapt to desert habitat s in many ways. Desert plants grow far apart, allowing them to obtain as much water around them as possible.
This spacing gives some desert regions a desolate appearance. In some deserts, plants have unique leaves to capture sunlight for photosynthesis , the process plants use to make food. Small pore s in the leaves, called stomata , take in carbon dioxide. When they open, they also release water vapor. In the desert, all these stomata would quickly dry out a plant.
So desert plants typically have tiny, waxy leaves. Cactus es have no leaves at all. They produce food in their green stems. Some desert plants, such as cactuses, have shallow, wide-spreading root system s. The plants soak up water quickly and store it in their cell s. Saguaro cactuses, which live in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona and northern Mexico, expand like accordions to store water in the cells of their trunks and branches. A large saguaro is a living storage tower that can hold hundreds of liters of water.
Other desert plants have very deep roots. The roots of a mesquite tree, for example, can reach water more than 30 meters feet underground. Mesquites, saguaros, and many other desert plants also have thorns to protect them from grazing animal s. Many desert plants are annual s, which means they only live for one season. Their seeds may lie dormant for years during long dry spells.
When rain finally comes, the seeds sprout rapidly. Plants grow, bloom, produce new seeds, and die, often in a short span of time. A soaking rain can change a desert into a wonderland of flowers almost overnight.
Animals that have adapted to a desert environment are called xerocole s. Xerocoles include species of insects, reptiles, birds, and mammals. Some xerocoles avoid the sun by resting in scarce shade. Many escape the heat in cool burrow s they dig in the ground. The fennec fox, for example, is native to the Sahara Desert.
Fennec fox communities work together to dig large burrows, some as large as 93 square meters 1, square feet. Dew can collect in these burrows, providing the foxes with fresh water.
However, fennec foxes have adapted so they do not have to drink water at all: Their kidney s retain enough water from the food they eat.
Most xerocoles are nocturnal. They sleep through the hot days and do their hunting and foraging at night. Deserts that seem desolate during the day are very active in the cool nighttime air. Foxes, coyotes, rats, and rabbits are all nocturnal desert mammals. Snakes and lizards are familiar desert reptiles. Insects such as moths and flies are abundant in the desert.
Most desert birds are restricted to areas near water, such as river banks. However, some birds, such as the roadrunner, have adapted to life in the desert.
The roadrunner, native to the deserts of North America, obtains water from its food. Some xerocoles have bodies that help them handle the heat. Some desert vultures urinate on their own legs, cooling them by evaporation. Many desert animals have developed ingenious ways of getting the water they need. The thorny devil, a lizard that lives in the Australian Outback , has a system of tiny grooves and channels on its body that lead to its mouth.
The lizard catches rain and dew in these grooves and sucks them into its mouth by gulping. Camels are very efficient water users. The animals do not store water in their humps, as people once believed.
The humps store fat. Hydrogen molecule s in the fat combine with inhaled oxygen to form water. During a shortage of food or water, camels draw upon this fat for nutrition and moisture. Dromedary camels, native to the Arabian and Sahara deserts, can lose up to 30 percent of their body weight without harm.
People and the Desert About 1 billion people live in deserts. Many of these people rely on centuries-old customs to make their lives as comfortable as possible Civilization s throughout the Middle East and Maghreb have adapted their clothing to the hot, dry conditions of the Sahara and Arabian deserts. Clothing is versatile and based on robes made of rectangles of fabric.
Long-sleeved, full-length, and often white, these robes shield all but the head and hands from the wind, sand, heat, and cold. White reflects sunlight, and the loose fit allows cooling air to flow across the skin. These robes of loose cloth can be adjusted folded for length, sleeves, and pockets, depending on the wearer and the climate.
A thobe is a full-length, long-sleeved white robe. An abaya is a sleeveless cloak that protects the wearer from dust and heat. A djebba is a short, square pullover shirt worn by men. A kaffiyeh is a rectangular piece of cloth folded loosely around the head to protect the wearer from sun exposure, dust, and sand.
It can be folded and unfolded to cover the mouth, nose, and eyes. Kaffiyehs are secured around the head with a cord called an agal. A turban is similar to a kaffiyeh, but wrapped around the head instead of being secured with an agal. Turbans are also much longer—up to six meters 20 feet! Desert dwellers have also adapted their shelters for the unique climate.
The ancient Anasazi peoples of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico constructed huge apartment complexes in the rocky cliff s of the Sonoran Desert. These cliff dwellings, sometimes dozens of meters off the ground, were constructed with thick, earthen walls that provided insulation. Although temperatures outside varied greatly from day to night, temperatures inside did not.
Tiny, high windows let in only a little light and helped keep out dust and sand. The need to find food and water has led many desert civilizations to become nomadic.
Nomadic cultures are those that do not have permanent settlements. In the deserts of the Middle East and Asia, nomadic tent communities continue to flourish.
Tent walls are made of thick, sturdy cloth that can keep out sand and dust, but also allow cool breezes to blow through. Tents can be rolled up and transported on pack animal s usually horses, donkeys, or camels. Nomad s move frequently so their flocks of sheep and goats will have water and grazing land.
Besides animals like camels and goats, a variety of desert vegetation is found in oases and along the shores of rivers and lakes. Figs, olives, and oranges thrive in desert oases and have been harvested for centuries.
Some desert areas rely on resource s brought from more fertile areas—food trucked in from distant farmlands or, more frequently, water piped from wetter regions. Large areas of desert soil are irrigate d by water pumped from underground sources or brought by canal from distant rivers or lakes. The booming Inland Empire of southeastern California is made up of deserts the Mojave and the Sonoran that rely on water for agriculture, industry, and residential development.
Canal s and aqueduct s supply the Inland Empire with water from the Colorado River, to the east, and the Sierra Nevada snowmelt to the north. A variety of crops can thrive in these irrigated oases. Sugar cane is a very water-intensive crop mostly harvested in tropical regions. However, sugar cane is also harvested in the deserts of Pakistan and Australia. Water for irrigation is transported from hundreds of kilometers away, or drilled from hundreds of meters underground.
Oases in desert climates have been popular spots for tourists for centuries. The Dead Sea has had flourishing spas since the time of King David.
Air transportation and the development of air conditioning have made the sunny climate of deserts even more accessible and attractive to people from colder regions. Desert parks, such as Death Valley National Park, California, attract thousands of visitors every year.
But in cities, structures like buildings, roads, and parking lots hold on to daytime heat long after the sun sets. This is called the urban heat island effect. It is less pronounced in desert cities than cities built in heavily forested areas.
New York was built on wetland habitat, and Atlanta was built in a wooded area. They may be only slightly warmer than the surrounding desert. Deserts can hold economically valuable resources that drive civilizations and economies. The most notable desert resource in the world is the massive oil reserve s in the Arabian Desert of the Middle East. More than half of the proven oil reserves in the world lie beneath the sands of the Arabian Desert, mostly in Saudi Arabia.
The oil industry draws companies, migrant workers, engineers, geologist s, and biologist s to the Middle East. When the sun shines on the ground, all of the absorbed sunlight goes into raising the ground's temperature. What makes a biome a desert? The desert biome is an ecosystem that forms due to the low level of rainfall it receives each year. There are four major types of desert in this biome - hot and dry, semiarid, coastal, and cold.
They are all able to inhabit plant and animal life that are able to survive there. Are deserts tropical? The tropical desert is an environment of extremes: it is the driest and hottest place on earth.
Rainfall is sporadic and in some years no measurable precipitation falls at all. The terribly dry conditions of the deserts is due to the year-round influence of subtropical high pressure and continentality. Why are rainforests important? Rainforests are often called the lungs of the planet for their role in absorbing carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, and producing oxygen, upon which all animals depend for survival.
Rainforests also stabilize climate, house incredible amounts of plants and wildlife, and produce nourishing rainfall all around the planet. Where the Amazon rainforest is located? How Rainforests are formed? Rainfall: rainforests receive at least 80 inches cm of rain per year. Canopy: rainforests have a canopy, which is the layer of branches and leaves formed by closely spaced rainforest trees [picture]. Most of the plants and animals in the rainforest live in the canopy.
What are 5 facts about the tropical rainforest? The tropical rainforest is very rainy as its name implies. The rainfall can reach up to inches in one year. Orchids are a type of epiphyte plant that grows in the tropical rainforest. What are the two types of tropical forest?
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