EPOW - Ecology Picture of the Week

Life is Harsh in the Aïr

Aïr Mountains, Agadez Province, Niger

Explanation:  This is one harsh place to live.  This week's image is a stitched panoramic vista of the Aïr Mountains of central Niger in northern Africa.

The Aïrs consist of a basaltic massif with 130 volcanic cinder cones and dark peaks of granite, some extending to over 6000 ft (1800 m) elevation, covering more than 32,430 square miles (84,000 square km), all set in the midst of the Sahara Desert.  Talk about tough living.  The area occurs north of the city of Agadez in the province by the same name. 

These basaltic volcanoes may have last erupted as recently as a few centuries ago, although it is not really known.   

The area boasts some amazing Neolithic rock art, is the site of dinosaur fossil beds, and potentially holds rare metals and gemstones.  

In the Aïr and Ténéré Nature Reserves of the region are found disjunct populations of some surprising wildlife, including cheetahs, baboons, ostriches, hyenas, fennec foxes, sand cats, and some 165 bird species attracted to the wetter canyons and oases.  The region has some of the last remnant populations of Addax antelopes and Dorcas gazelles.  It is also called home by about 5,000 members of the Twareg culture, agriculturists and herders and famous for their salt caravans.