Arthropods make up over 80% of living animal species on Earth and include insects such as butterflies, beetles, bees, ants, and grasshoppers, as well as spiders, scorpions, and more. They are characterized by their exoskeleton, divided body parts, jointed legs, and bilateral symmetry. Here’s a sampling of arthropods found in Sinai. Can you identify them?
Photos by Bernadette Simpson
How many of these Sinai wildflowers can you identify? They are all in bloom now in south Sinai!
Check out the Wildlife of the Sinai Peninsula mission on Project Noah for help.
Just in time for the upcoming spring season, which is bound to be one of the greenest springs Sinai has experienced in years due to the generous rainy season we’ve had….
Wandering through Wadis: A nature-lover’s guide to the flora of South Sinai is a field guide to the plants growing in the mountain wadis and coastal plains of South Sinai. Perfect for the nature-lover or hobbyist interested in identifying the various plants encountered while trekking, hiking, or camel riding in the Sinai desert. For each of the 104 plants in the directory, you will find the Common English and Arabic names, general description and information, photographs, and practical and traditional Bedouin uses.
The eBook (PDF) is currently available for sale and pre-orders are being taken for printed copies. You can also download a free sample from my website.
Happy Wandering!
~Bernadette
The mountains in Dahab and the surrounding areas have been blessed with several rain showers already this season. There was much damage caused to the plants by the hail and floods, but the wadis are full of new sprouts! Pictured above are just a few examples of the plants growing happily in the coastal wadis near Dahab.
Top Left: Aizoon canariense, Horse Purslane
Top Right: Forsskaolea tenacissima, Desert Nettle
Bottom Left: Citrullus colocynthis, Bitter Gourd or Desert Squash
Bottom Right: Fagonia mollis, Common Fagonia
Wildlife in South Sinai
Photography and text: Dina Aly and Rafik Khalil
Funded by the EU in cooperation with G.O.S.S., 2011
ISBN 13: 9789774761027
Available for LE 220 from Al Kotob Khan, Diwan Bookstore, and AUC
From the Author’s notes:
This book is not meant to provide a complete or comprehensive guide to the flora and fauna of South Sinai but rather to show some characteristic species, with a special emphasis on their behavioural patterns. It is through understanding the complicated life patterns of the desert creatures, while revealing their beauty and vulnerability, that we hope expanded awareness and deeper appreciation are achieved amongst readers. Understanding and appreciation are the solid ground upon which conservation efforts will build.
The book is divided into seven chapters: Water, Mammals, Birds, Reptiles, Insects, Arachnids and Flora. Local names are provided whenever Bedouins have verified them, taking into account that some names were sadly lost for many reasons.
My Thoughts:
An absolute must-have for Sinai nature lovers! This book is full of the most stunning images of the plants and animals of South Sinai, not to mention all the interesting facts about the critters’ behaviors. I’ve read a lot about the wildlife of our desert over the past several years, but the text in this book left me fascinated! Did you know, for example, that the female Velvet Spider ends her life to become food for her young? Or that the nest of White-crowned Black Wheatear is built of small rocks in crevices – and the Bedouin call these little rocks “darahem Om Ghrair” (the money of the Black Wheatear)? That the Bedouin have a vaccine against the venomous scorpion and wasp bites that is given to infants before they eat their first solid food? Besides the amazing photos and facts, the authors provide an excellent brief overview of the flora and fauna of South Sinai. Their admiration and devotion to the natural world is obvious throughout the book, and they discuss sensible and attainable suggestions for protecting the remaining wildlife in the region.
Autumn is in the air – and so are the birds! It´s prime migration season right now and Egypt lies on one of the busiest flyways in the world. On a recent bird watching trip, a friend lent me a camera with an actual zoom lens so I could try to get some shots. We stopped near Wadi Mandar and also at the ¨Sharm Pools¨ – sewage treatment pools, that is, a popular hang out for all the migrating birds. Besides the obvious White Storks, we also saw ducks, cranes, plovers, and dozens of gorgeous raptors soaring above our heads. Unfortunately, I can´t be more specific than that. I also recently wrote a piece about migration for a local publication in Sharm el Sheikh, MIX Mag, and thought I´d share an excerpt here:
Every autumn thousands of White Storks (Ciconia ciconia) pass through Sharm as they migrate south to Africa for the winter. Like many other birds, storks migrate to find the best place for feeding, breeding, and raising their young. That usually means a journey of thousands of kilometers. When the days begin to get shorter, birds know it is time to start this journey. Their bodies start to produce different hormones and fat accumulates under their skin. This fat provides the energy they will need for all that flying. Most birds, storks included, migrate from their northern summer homes to the south in winter, but some birds breed in the south of Africa and migrate north in the winter. Others migrate east to west to take advantage of the milder coastal climates and several species migrate in altitude, living higher up in the mountains in the summer and spending the winter in lowlands. Scientists do not fully understand how birds migrate, but it is believed to be a combination of sight, smell, monitoring of magnetic fields, observation of the sun and stars, and following their friends. (Most birds migrate in flocks.)
White Storks are only one of many species of migratory birds that pass through Sinai. White Storks are large birds about 100 – 115 cm tall with a wingspan of 155 – 165 cm. They are completely white except for their black wing flight feathers and red bill and legs. Both male and females have the same plumage but males are generally larger. Young birds have black bills and yellowish-gray legs. Storks walk slowly and steadily and fly with their neck outstretched. Usually silent birds, storks will only make noise when annoyed when they will clatter their jaws together.
Storks migrate in large flocks, generally in groups of about 100 birds. Because of their long wings and large bodies, storks do not get very far by flapping their wings. Instead, they soar. The storks use warm air currents, called thermals, that form over land. Since these thermals rarely form over sea, storks choose a migration route that involves the shortest trip across water. Most birds coming from the north cross over the Bosporus, circle around the Mediterranean Sea and through the Middle East where they fly through eastern Sinai and cross the Red Sea near El Tor. Sharm el Sheikh is actually outside of the normal migration route, but many birds – especially the old, tired, sick, or injured ones – are lured to the city by the hotels’ green areas…and the garbage.
Bedouin History Desert Safari 