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Afghan Arabia Wild
SAUDI ARABIAN WILDLIFE
Hope you enjoy this tribute to some of the wildlife of the Middle East. We get plenty of bad news politically from this region of the world so let's take a break from all that and concentrate on the wildlife of the region. Despite the harsh desert conditions there is a wonderful variety of wildlife in Saudi Arabia. Camels are everywhere, of course, but don't limit your imagination. From scorpions and giant wasps to to wolves and ibex and baboons this exotic land has it all. There is a dazzling array of avian life and a wealth of easily accessible fossils for those into prehistoric time zones. And if reptiles are your thing - you'll be in heaven in the Saudi desert.
No trip to the desert over here is complete without sighting the camels. A lot of the herds are tended by the Bedouins, but many animals do run free. Seeing them against the setting sun is beautiful.
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Sometimes you meet beautiful blonds - and baboons - in unusual places.
Scorpions, like camels are an inevitable part of the desert landscape, as is the big and rather famous Dhub lizard. And you never know who might visit your windowsill.
Fossil hunters have a ball over here. The area is especially rich with ancient sea life. On the left is one of many examples of coral fossils and in the center is what appears to be the remains of a coral branch of some kind (it is not a fossilized finger). An ammonite fossil displays nicely from the side of a rock face.
Some contrasting views of the Saudi Desert: Wide, almost oasis like wadis plunge between rocky cliffs. Below are the striking dunes of Red Sands national Park. That devilishly handsome fellow in the photo below was very surprised to find that he liked the desert so much considering his predilection for Northwest rain. Many thanks to my friend Jose Pagan for the beautiful photograph.
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