When the sun goes down, the nocturnal inhabitants of Qatar come out to play
Deserts can be very ruthless. By the day, the sun bakes the earth to extreme high temperatures, and then by night, the very same temperatures fall considerably. Finding food and water is hard to come by, unless you know how.
Under these extreme conditions, there are animals that have learned to adapt. They have learnt to live in the desert. They have survived. The stay in by day, and come out at night. Come and meet the incredible nocturnal creatures that live in the deserts of Qatar:
The Arabian Sand Boa
Photo credit: Google Images:
The Arabian Sand Boa, also known as Jayaka’s Sand Boa, resides in the sandy areas of the Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Saudia Arabia and Iran where it remains buried in the soft soil or sand for the greater part of the day. It is, perhaps, Qatar’s only snake that is not venomous. It is a mostly nocturnal animal and can sustain all kinds of temperatures. When evening falls, it moves towards the surface of its sandy home to wait for its prey.
Since the Arabian Sand Boa cannot move very fast and is non-venomous, it relies on ambushing its prey, wrestling with it and strangling it to death.
The Arabian Sand Boa grows to a maximum of 15-16 inches and is a sandy-brown or yellowish grey color so it can camouflage itself in the sand. Its body is spattered with white flecks and and has dark marks that cover it diagonally. Its eyes are at the top of its head rather than on the side like most snakes are. This helps it to look out of the sand without taking its whole head out.
The female Arabian Sand Boa lays a small clutch of eggs that take 66 days to hatch. The Arabian Sand Boa feeds on geckos, rodents and lizards.
Horned Viper
The Horned Viper is a venomous snake that can be found in Qatar, other parts of the Middle East and North Africa. It lives in a semi-arid habitat and stony desert areas up to a altitude of 1,500 meters. It is nocturnal and comes out at night to hunt for its prey. If surprised or feels like its in danger, it may become hostile. Though its bite is not poisonous, it may be rather painful and its venom may not let a wound clot like it is supposed to.
The Horned Viper grows to approximately 12-24 inches, but may also grow to 33 inches. Known for moving sideways in an S pattern, the Horned Viper may be yellowish, brownish, grayish to reddish, and mostly has the same color as the sand in which it lives. The underside is white and its back may be light brown with some rectangular blotches which may blend to look like crossbars
The Horned Viper has a horn over each eye which is what gives it its name. These horns help camouflage the Viper and protect its eyes from getting sand in them.
The Horned Viper mates from April to June. The female lays 8-24 soft-shelled eggs either in abandoned borrows or under rocks which take 50-80 days to hatch.
The diet of the Horned Viper consists of lizards, and sometimes, certain birds and mammals that are found in its environment. They catch their prey by ambushing them. They do this by lying below the sand near rocks or under foliage, such that their eyes and horns are almost invisible, and catch its prey with amazing speed. It holds onto its potential food till the venom kills it.
Rüppell’s Fox
Photo credit: Google Images: https://www.google.com/search?q=arabian+sand+boa&biw=1829&bih=861&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&sqi=2&ved=0ahUKEwiTw5bI8NrRAhWmCcAKHaMMAscQsAQIKw&dpr=1.05#tbm=isch&q=rupelles+fox&imgrc=WkequPuNWu1QnM%3A
It’s rare to actually see a Rüppell’s Fox in the deserts of Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, Ethiopia, Somalia, Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan because it is an elusive animal that is mostly nocturnal. It stays in crevices and caves during the daytime ad comes out in the evening and stays out most of the night. It doesn’t stay in one place for long and moves every four to five days.
The Rüppell’s Fox is not as big as the red fox and looks a bit like a coyote that has big ears that are bigger than its head which help to keep it cool. It has a white tail and its fur is mostly a light reddish grey color and has dark patches that are present from the nose to the eyes, though it may differ a little depending on what region it lives in.
The female Rüppell’s Fox has a gestational period that lasts 53-55 days. It gives birth to a litter of 3-6 pups, that drink its milk for approximately 6-8 weeks.
The Rüppell’s Fox is omnivorous and eats fruit, lizards, insects, birds, rodents and carrion.
Cover photo credit: Google Images: https://www.google.com/search?q=arabian+sand+boa&biw=1829&bih=861&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&sqi=2&ved=0ahUKEwiTw5bI8NrRAhWmCcAKHaMMAscQsAQIKw&dpr=1.05#tbm=isch&q=arabian+sand+boa+in+sand&imgrc=WLG6JvE8-ffrXM%3A
