The marine world
The waters of the Gulf are home to a highly diverse fauna, including over 240 species of fish. More unexpected are the frequent encounters with bottlenose dolphins Turciops aduncus, but also with whale sharks, which are terrifying in name only, as they are members of the fish family and feed only on plankton. The largest fish on earth can be easily recognized by the white spot pattern on its dorsal surface. Every year, on Abu Dhabi's Saadiyat beaches, hawksbill turtles return to land to dig their nests in the same spot where they were born thirty years earlier. The turtles reproduce offshore, laying their eggs two to three weeks later. Around a hundred eggs incubate between 50 and 70 days, after which the baby turtles crawl out of the sand and set off on a frantic race towards the sea to escape their predators guided by the moonlight. With their species in serious danger of extinction, numerous initiatives are being developed throughout the emirates to protect and care for them.
Near the coast, in shallow waters, Halodules, perennial marine plants, are the delight of dugongs. The only herbivorous marine mammal, whose distinctive caudal fin is the source of the mermaid legend, dugongs measure between 3 and 4 m, weigh around 400 kg and can live up to 70 years. Dugongs are said to "chirp", as they whistle or chirp to communicate with each other. The horseshoe-shaped upper lip is mobile and large, and powerfully muscled, enabling it to graze, hence its other nickname, the sea cow. The Emirates have the second largest population in the world after Australia, with almost 6,000 individuals. Long hunted for its oil and meat, it is now the world's most endangered marine mammal. Amid the mangrove forests, migratory and non-migratory birds (400 species) abound close to the coast: flamingos, egrets, plovers, spoonbills, ibises, grebes, herons, cormorants, ducks, spotted eagles, redshanks and Mongolian gravelots.
The mangroves that surround the shallows create important natural habitats for many crustaceans and become the ideal place for fish to lay their eggs.
A desert not so desert...
Let's get out of the water and head back to the golden dunes of the desert to try and catch a glimpse of the Arabian oryx, easily recognized by its long, fluted horns up to 70 cm long, its beautiful white coat and its black legs. The largest of the Arabian antelopes is surely the origin of the unicorn myth. The oryx has just been removed from the red list of endangered species, thanks to a 40-year effort initiated by Sheikh Zayed to restore its population, which is now close to 4,000, but it remains on the list of vulnerable species, as does the goitered gazelle, whose coat color blends with that of the dunes, hence its nickname of sand gazelle. There are around 50,000 of these bovids in the country, but most live in protected areas. You'll need a good dose of baraka to catch a glimpse of them, or you'd be better off in one of the country's reserves, such as Al Maha, known as the 225 km² Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve. As for hunting enthusiasts, they will be disappointed, for when Sheikh Zayed became ruler of Abu Dhabi in 1966, one of his first decisions was to ban it and create an animal welfare agency.
But how can we fail to mention the vessel of the desert, what the Bedouins call Ata Allah, God's gift? Here, it doesn't have two humps, but only one. The dromedary of the Emirates, whose hump is not used to store water but to draw nutrients when it runs out of food, is armed with 34 teeth and wide lips that enable it to eat thorny bushes without hurting itself. A champion of resistance in arid environments, it can fill up with water, drinking up to 100 liters in 10 minutes! Camelids, with their characteristic, slightly haughty gait, have legs ending in 2 toes, which rest on elastic, flexible pads that prevent them from sinking into the sand, and can cover distances of up to 40 km/day. What you might not expect is to play hide-and-seek with small mammals (35 species) such as the Arabian hare, desert fox, sand cat, hedgehog, jerboa, gerbil, daman and many others.
As for snakes, out of 8 species, only 4 are venomous, such as the sand viper, the pyramid viper and the carpet viper. Rest assured, they are rarely found in the desert. Among lizards, the largest is the desert monitor, which can grow up to 1 m long! Sand shrinks, which bury themselves in the sand at the slightest vibration, can also be seen. As for arachnids, the camel spider can be much larger than a hand. It feasts on insects and small animals and can travel at speeds of up to 16 km/h. Beware, though, as its bite is painful. There are also 25 types of scorpion, 2 of which can cause venomous stings.
The mountains
Up in the mountains, apart from the blue agama lizard, you're more likely to come across a Blanford fox with big ears and a very pointed snout than one of the 2,000 Hemitragus Jayakari, a kind of wild ibex with a rich fleece. Sadly, critically endangered, you won't be able to see the lesser Arabian leopard, which has been seen twice in 35 years, most recently in February 2019.
Could this fauna, which has adapted to withstand the most arid of climates, survive the destruction of its habitat? While progress is being made on the sand, the danger seems to come from the seabed, where the explosion in salinity levels could eventually turn the sea into a desert?
The date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) is inseparable from arid regions. For decades, it provided food for the people of the desert, but also had many practical uses: its wood was used to build boats, while its leaves were transformed into baskets, mattresses and toys, and were also used to build houses. Today, date palm production is a veritable industry, and its fruit is one of the few Emirati agricultural products exported worldwide. There are over 42 million date trees and more than 73 different species in the Emirates. Fairly undemanding, the date palm can tolerate any type of soil (even sandy and salty). Although it can grow to be a hundred years old, it takes several years to bear fruit and requires manual pollination. It also needs minimal but regular watering to flourish.
In addition to its date production, the palm tree encourages the growth of other plants and small fruit trees (fig, mango, lemon, almond, etc.) to which it provides welcome shade.
Alsidr. Known since time immemorial, used in Pharaonic Egypt and mentioned in the Book of the three great monotheistic religions, Ziziphsspina christi is the jujube tree that is said to have provided the thorns for Christ's crown. Considered a deciduous shrub, it has an upright habit, with a slender, zigzag branching and sharp thorns. Composed of three fused kernels, its fruits, known locally as Nabch, are yellow. They are highly prized in the emirates. It has a high vitamin B and C content and was even used to make shampoo in the past. The bees that gather them produce a honey that is highly prized in the region. The tree was also used to treat respiratory infections, bacterial infections and as an anti-inflammatory. Mixed with vinegar, it was long considered a remedy for snakebites.
Neem, Azadirachta indica, also known as Al Neem in the region. The Neem is a fast-growing monoecious tree that can reach a height of 20 meters and is highly resistant to drought and very high temperatures. The protandrous flowers are white and fragrant, and the fruit is an olive-like drupe. Neem has over 60 therapeutic uses. For example, it is a powerful disinfectant and is also used to treat blood pressure and diabetes. The branches are used as a toothbrush.
Prosopis cineraria, or simply Ghaf, the "national" tree, belongs to the mimosa family. Its leaves are used as camel fodder, and the tree is home to a veritable ecosystem in the heart of the desert. Its roots draw groundwater from depths of over 30 metres. If the ancients are to be believed, ghaf has many therapeutic virtues for treating liver problems and relieving pain. Sheikh Zayed even promulgated a law prohibiting the felling of these trees. Most schools, universities and government buildings have been home to them since Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum renamed them the UAE Tree in December 2012. In Dubai, there are 5,972 trees listed.
Mangroves. Mangroves, locally known as Qurm, grow in coastal lagoons sheltered from the waves. This evergreen tree reaches a height of 4m. The branches are gray, the leaves gray and green on the front, and white on the back. Mangroves are invaluable plants, providing sustenance for certain ecosystems: they are veritable breeding grounds for marine fauna, and their roots prevent soil erosion. Thanks to their rot-proof wood, they have often been transformed into beams for buildings.
