Help safeguard desert species by contributing to their conservation this NATIONAL THREATENED SPECIES DAY.
Today we are traveling to the world’s deserts to learn more about their incredible, albeit at risk, species.
Receiving less than 25 centimeters of rain per year (10% of what rainforests receive) and with temperatures so extreme, deserts boast a reputation as some of the harshest, most hostile biomes on the planet. Only those species resilient and adaptable enough can conquer the terrain and call such places home.
But as robust and fit as these animals may be, they are now facing more extreme challenges as droughts from global warming, uncontrolled hunting, and agricultural activities change the landscape they inhabit.
One of the most critically threatened desert animals today is the addax — a graceful, spiral-horned antelope of the African Sahara. Here are some things you ought to know about this fascinating species:
- While other animals return to the Sahara only after it blooms, addaxes are able to live in the Sahara all year round
- And that’s because addaxes rarely need to drink! They are able to absorb enough moisture from the vegetation they eat
- Addaxes’ snowshoe-like hooves prevent them sinking in sand
- Unlike other antelopes, both males and females bear horns
Unfortunately, civil war and human activity have led to the severe decline in the addax population. Today, there are fewer than 100 mature addaxes in the wild. Without help, they could be gone forever. Donate now to save this endangered species and others like them.
