Banner
عربيHome
Biodiversity Habitats & Flag species Wild Life Eco-tourism & protectorates Indigenous people Conservation
Gebel Elba
Mountains and Wadis of the Eastern Desert
Red Sea Littoral Habitats
Red Sea Islands
Red Sea Marine Habitats
Mountains and Wadis of South Sinai
Central and North Sinai
Mediterranean Wetlands
The Nile Valley and Delta
Gebel Uweinat and Gilf Kebir
Sands and Dunes of the Western Desert
Western Desert Depressions and Oases
Western Desert Mediterranean Coast
Mediterranean Marine Habitats
 

Due to its relatively high rainfall, the coastal belt that extends from Alexandria to Salum, is characterized by the richest and most diverse flora in Egypt except for that of Gebel Elba. The dunes of white sand by the sea are followed further inland by limestone ridges separated by wadis in some of which salt marshes are found. Inland of these is a relatively flat strip of hamada (sand and clay interspersed with exposed rocky surfaces). The people of this zone graze their livestock here and practice small-scale agriculture, growing dates, olives and figs among other crops. In addition there is considerable tourism development along this stretch of coast.
      The vegetation of this zone includes nine plants that are endemic to Egypt. Of these four are found only along this stretch of coastline. Among them are an endemic variety, Zygophyllum album var. album and a full species of the same genus, Z. aegyptium. Also along this coastal desert is an endemic globe thistle, Echinops taeckholmianus, named for a famous botanist of Egypt, the late Dr. Vivi Täckholm.
      The abundance of vegetation and temperate climate of this zone allow a rich assemblage of reptiles and mostly small mammals together with a high number of breeding birds. Many of these birds are restricted to this zone. During the autumn and spring migration seasons many millions of birds make landfall along the coast, which is their first resting place after crossing the Mediterranean or the great desert to the south. In one year the number of migrating Short-toed Larks, Calandrella cinerea, was estimated at 10,000 birds per square mile in a typical area west of Alexandria. The Cream-colored Courser, Cursorius cursor, is a characteristic resident of this area together with Dupont's Lark, Chersophilus duponti, Thekla Lark, Galerida theklae, and the Red-rumped Wheatear, Oenanthe moesta. The Raven, Corvus corax, is not known from elsewhere in Egypt.
      Among the reptiles, the Moorish Gecko, Tarentola mauritanica, the Egyptian Leopard Lizard, Acanthodactylus pardalis, Changeable Agama, Trapelus mutabilis, and the Javelin Sand Boa, Eryx jaculus, a nocturnal, gecko-eating constrictor, are typical of this zone.
      Among typical mammals of this zone are several endangered species of rodents including the Four-toed Jerboa, Allactaga tetradactyla, Greater Egyptian Jerboa, Jaculus orientalis. The fascinating Mole Rat, Spalax ehrenbergi, a blind, tailless, fossorial animal spends most of its life underground. The Mole Rat's vestigial eyes  are covered with hairy skin and although it is totally unable to see, it is known to be active above ground when mating or occasionally to find edible vegetation. The Red Fox, Vulpes vulpes, and the Long-eared Hedgehog, Hemiechinus auritus, are also known from this area as well as the Fat Sand Rat, Psammomys obesus.

 
First Back 2 of 6 Next Last
Long-eared Hedgehog, Hemiechinus auritus

This nocturnal animal is not a true desert hedgehog and is seen in more densely vegetated areas of the coastal desert. It sometimes digs a shallow burrow but is more often found in buildings, small caves or the burrows of other animals. The diet is largely insects and small vertebrates. Hedgehogs often suffer from infestation by ticks and fleas.