A hedgehog in Iraq. Soldiers in the 314th PAOC have come across smaller hedgehogs inside the city of Baghdad.
Living Things All Over
If you thought the desert region of Iraq was barren of plants and animals, you would be wrong. There are living things all over this country, in a variety of geographic and climatic regions –even in the desert. Many people do not know there are also large lakes, river, mountains and forests in Iraq. No matter where you are in this country, if you slow down and look, you will see the plants and animals that inhabit this country.
That’s exactly what MAJ Randel Rogers of the Ohio Army National Guard has done. He describes himself as the “Unofficial Unit Naturalist” and he is always on the prowl for news and pictures about local animals and plants of all kinds.
His newsletters, published every other week, will be posted below on this page. In addition, 314th PAOC soldiers will be posting pictures and stories about unusual plants and animals they find in the area.
What Can You Find in Iraq?
Small trees growing in the desert.
From Encyclopedia Brittanica: Vegetation in Iraq reflects the dominant influence of drought. Some Mediterranean and alpine plant species thrive in the mountains of Kurdistan, but the open oak forests that formerly were found there have largely disappeared. Hawthorns, junipers, terebinths, and wild pears grow on the lower mountain slopes. A steppe region of open, treeless vegetation is located in the area extending north and northeast from the Hamrīn Mountains up to the foothills and lower slopes of the mountains of Iraqi Kurdistan. A great variety of herbs and shrubs grow in that region. Most belong to the sage and daisy families: mugwort (Artemisis vulgaris), goosefoot, milkweed, thyme, and various rhizomic plants are examples. There also are many different grasses. Toward the riverine lowlands many other plants appear, including storksbill and plantain. Willows, tamarisks, poplars, licorice plants, and bullrushes grow along the banks of the lower Tigris and Euphrates rivers. The juice of the licorice plant is extracted for commercial purposes. Dozens of varieties of date palm flourish throughout southern Iraq, where the date palm dominates the landscape. The lakesides and marshlands support many varieties of reeds, sedges, pimpernels, vetches, and geraniums. By contrast, vegetation in the desert regions is sparse, with tamarisk, milfoil, and various plants of the genera Ziziphus and Salsola being characteristic.
Birds are easily the most conspicuous form of wildlife. There are many resident species, though the effect of large-scale drainage of the southern wetlands on migrants and seasonal visitors—which were once numerous—has not been fully determined. The lion and oryx have become extinct in Iraq, and the ostrich and wild ass face extinction. Wolves, foxes, jackals, hyenas, wild pigs, and wildcats are found, as well as many small animals such as martens, badgers, otters, porcupines, and muskrats. Marcia’s gazelle survives in certain remote desert locations. Rivers, streams, and lakes are well stocked with a variety of fish, notably carp, various species of Barbus, catfish, and loach. In common with other regions of the Middle East, Iraq is a breeding ground for the unwelcome desert locust.
- Al-Asad au Natural Newsletters
Newsletter 1
Newsletter 2
Newsletter 3
Newsletter 4
Newsletter 5
Newsletter 6
Newsletter 7
Newsletter 8
Newsletter 9
Newsletter 10
Newsletter 11
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Newsletter 14
Newsletter 15
Newsletter 16
Newsletter 17