Fauna in Coastal Deserts
Coastal deserts are commonly located near the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, as the name suggests they reside on the coast. There is a diverse range of fauna in these deserts. The three major coastal deserts are the Atacama Desert in Chile, the Skeleton Coast of Namibia and the Atlantic Coastal Desert of the Western Sahara.
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Birds
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The great horned owl is a species of owl native to North and South America that can be found flying over the coastal desert of Atacama. The golden eagle, a large bird of prey, and the bald eagle, the national bird of the United States, can be found in coastal deserts. Vultures can also be found scavenging for dead animals.
Canidae
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The golden jackal can be found in coastal deserts; this is the largest type of jackal and the only one that also lives outside of Africa. Fennec foxes are the smallest members of the dog family, growing up to 16 inches in length. They eat insects, small mammals and reptiles. Sand foxes, found in the Atlantic desert, have pale brown four with a white tip on their tail. They live in social groups or pairs.
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Felidae
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Coastal lions are found gathered in their prides around water holes in the Skeleton Coast, waiting for gemsbok and springbok to hunt down and feed on. While staying in the cat family, sand cats are much smaller than the coastal lions. Located in the Atlantic coastal desert, these felines can be as small as 15 inches long and have sand colored fur.
Other Species
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The Dorcas gazelle, a small gazelle no more than 2.1 feet in height, can be found roaming the Atlantic coastal desert. The striped hyena also resides in the Atlantic desert. It has vertical stripes over its body stripes; these stripes are more prominent in the summer than in the winter. Toads in the Atacama desert seal themselves in burrows for eight to nine months until heavy rainfall. Black rhinos in the Skeleton coast need to drink once every two days and they move up to 93 miles to find the next watering hole. The Skeleton Coast is also home to elephants. Like the rhinos, the elephants travel up to 37 miles a day for food and water.
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References
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