Cholistan Wildlife Sanctuary

Cholistan Wildlife Sanctuary
Location	Cholistan Desert, Punjab, Pakistan
Nearest city	Bahawalpur
Coordinates	28.940°N 72.132°E / 28.940; 72.132
Area	26,000 km^2 (10,000 sq mi)

Cholistan Wildlife Sanctuary is located in Punjab, Pakistan.[1] It comprises 2.6 million hectares.

Topography

This desert can be classified into two geomorphic zones based on its topography, the territory of the northern section, known as Lesser Cholistan, is around 7,770 km2, bordering canal-irrigated areas, while the area of the southern region, known as Greater Cholistan, is 18,130 km2. Low sandy ridges alternate with salty alluvial flats, known locally as dahars, to form the smaller Cholistan. Saline or saline-sodic soils are the two categories into which these soils fall, with pH values varying from 8.2 to 8.4 and from 8.8 to 9.6, respectively. The Greater Cholistan consists of river terraces, sizable sand dunes, and depressions. It is a wind-sorted sandy desert. The dunes are approximately 100 metres tall on average.[2]

The region experiences a wide range of temperatures, with summers potentially reaching over 50°C. The temperature difference between day and night is significant. The region experiences sporadic, erratic, and sparse rainfall, often between 100 and 250 mm, primarily during the monsoon season.[2]

Flora and fauna

Fauna

List of fauna found in the sanctuary.[3]

Mammals # Name Scientific name Picture 1 Caracal Caracal caracal 2 Jungle cat Felis chaus 3 Indian grey mongoose Urva edwardsii 4 Asiatic wildcat Felis lybica ornata 5 Indian jackal Canis aureus indicus 6 Bengal fox Vulpes bengalensis 7 Long-eared hedgehog Hemiechinus auritus 8 Chinkara Gazella bennettii 9 Nilgai Boselaphus tragocamelus 10 Indian ratel Mellivora capensis indica 11 Indian crested porcupine Hystrix indica 12 Indian hare Lepus nigricollis 13 Arabian wolf Canis lupus arabs 14 Indian boar Sus scrofa cristatus 15 White-footed fox Vulpes vulpes pusilla 16 Small Indian mongoose Urva auropunctata 17 Small Indian civet Viverricula indica

Birds # Name Scientific name Picture 1 Grey francolin Ortygornis pondicerianus 2 Desert lark Ammomanes deserti 3 Common starling Sturnus vulgaris 4 Houbara bustard Chlamydotis undulata 5 Great Indian bustard Ardeotis nigriceps 6 Black-bellied sandgrouse Pterocles orientalis 7 Great grey shrike Lanius excubitor 8 Spotted owlet Athene brama 9 Laggar falcon Falco jugger 10 Saker falcon Falco cherrug 11 Common buzzard Buteo buteo 12 Eurasian sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus 13 Tawny eagle Aquila rapax 14 Pallid harrier Circus macrourus 15 Eurasian collared dove Streptopelia decaocto 16 Cinereous vulture Aegypius monachus

Amphibians & reptiles # Name Scientific name Picture 1 Indian marbled toad Duttaphrynus stomaticus 2 Common skittering frog Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis 3 Indian bullfrog Hoplobatrachus tigerinus 4 Indian burrowing frog Sphaerotheca breviceps 5 Black pond turtle Geoclemys hamiltonii 6 Brown roofed turtle Pangshura smithii 7 Indian roofed turtle Pangshura tecta 8 Indian flapshell turtle Lissemys punctata 9 Indian softshell turtle Nilssonia gangetica 10 Oriental garden lizard Calotes versicolor 11 Brilliant ground agama Trapelus agilis pakistanensis – 12 Afghan ground agama Trapelus megalonyx – 13 Indian spiny-tailed lizard Uromastyx hardwickii 14 Sind gecko Crossobamon orientalis – 15 Rough-tailed gecko Cyrtopodion scaber 16 Yellow-belly gecko Hemidactylus flaviviridis 17 Leschenault's leaf-toed gecko Hemidactylus leschenaultii 18 Indian fringe-fingered lizard Acanthodactylus cantoris 19 Eremias cholistanica Eremias cholistanica – 20 Persian long-tailed desert lizard Mesalina watsonana 21 Striped mole skink Eumeces indothalensis – 22 Ribbon-sided skink Eurylepis taeniolata

# Name Scientific name Picture 23 Indian three-banded skink Eutropis trivittata – 24 Bronze grass skink Eutropis macularia 25 Three-toed snake skink Ophiomorus tridactylus – 26 Bengal monitor Varanus bengalensis 27 Indian desert monitor Varanus griseus koniecznyi – 28 Sindh thread snake Myriopholis blanfordi – 29 Long-nosed worm snake Myriopholis macrorhyncha 30 Slender worm snake Indotyphlops porrectus – 31 Indian sand boa Eryx johnii 32 Indian gamma snake Boiga trigonata 33 Common cliff racer Platyceps rhodorachis 34 Hardwicke's rat snake Platyceps ventromaculatus 35 Dotted dwarf racer Eirenis punctatolineatus 36 Sind longnose sand snake Lytorhynchus paradoxus – 37 Pakistan sand racer Psammophis leithii – 38 Steppe ribbon racer Psammophis lineolatus 39 Red-spotted diadem snake Spalerosophis arenarius – 40 Black headed royal snake Spalerosophis atriceps 41 Checkered keelback Xenochrophis piscator 42 Indian cobra Naja naja 43 Sind krait Bungarus sindanus 44 Eastern saw-scaled viper Echis carinatus sochureki

References

1. "Protected Areas".
2. "Pakistan Journal of Biological Sciences". Science Alert. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
3. "Natural Resource Diversity in Cholistan Desert (Pakistan) and Possible Conservational Measures". researchgate.net. Research Gate. Retrieved November 13, 2023.