Desert National Park
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Desert National Park is a national park in the Indian state of Rajasthan, near the towns of Jaisalmer and Barmer. It is one of the largest national parks, covering an area of Template:Cvt in the Thar Desert. Sand dunes form around 44% of the park. The major landform consists of craggy rocks and compact salt lake bottoms, intermedial areas and fixed dunes. It was gazetted in 1980.
Despite a fragile ecosystem, it harbours an abundance of birdlife, both migratory and resident birds, including short-toed eagle, tawny eagle, spotted eagle, laggar falcon, kestrel, sand grouse and great Indian bustard. Desert National Park has a collection of fossils of animals and plants which are 180 million years old. Some fossils of dinosaurs which are 65-66 million years old were found in the area.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Geography and location
Desert National Park covers an area of Template:Cvt, of which Template:Cvt is in Jaisalmer district and the remaining Template:Cvt in Barmer district of Rajasthan. It mostly consists of sand dunes (44%), but also has pediments, pavements and structural plains. Fossils from the Jurassic Period were found in side the park.<ref name=":0">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Fauna
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The chinkara (Gazella bennettii) is a common antelope of this region. The national park also hosts Indian wolf, Indian desert jird, Indian gerbil, long-eared hedgehog, small Indian mongoose, desert hare and Asiatic wildcat. <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Reptiles: Sind gecko, Sindh awl-headed snake, Whip-snake, spiny-tailed lizard, monitor lizard, saw-scaled viper, Russell's viper, Red-spotted royal snake, common krait.Template:Cn
Avifauna: sandgrouse, Indian bustard, partridges, bee-eaters, larks and shrikes are year-round residents, while demoiselle crane and houbara bustard arrive in winter. Raptors include tawny and steppe eagles, long-legged and honey buzzards, and falcons.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> In the winter, the birdlife is augmented by species such as the demoiselle crane and MacQueen's bustard.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Flora
Habitats that are found in the park include open grassland, thorny bushes, and dunes. 168 plant species have been recorded in the park.<ref name=":0" /> Some species of trees that inhabit the park include Tecomella undulata, Moringa concanensis, Helitropium rariflorum, and Ammannie desertorum.<ref name=":0" />
See also
References
External links
- Desert National Park; Nomination as World Heritage Site; Nomination entry – UNESCO World Heritage Centre
- Location on Google Maps
- Birding in Desert National Park