Kalahari Desert bird ("Sagittarius serpentarius"), martial eagle ("Polemaetus bellicosus") and other eagles, the giant eagle owl ("Bubo lacteus") and other owls, falcons, goshawks, kestrels, and kites. Other animals include wildebeest, springbok and other antelopes, porcupines ("Hystrix africaeaustralis") and ostriches ("Struthio camelus"). Some of the areas within the Kalahari are seasonal wetlands, such as the Makgadikgadi Pans of Botswana. This area, for example, supports numerous halophilic species, and in the rainy season, tens of thousands of flamingos visit these pans. The biggest threat to wildlife are the fences erected to manage herds of grazing cattle, a practice which also removes the plant cover
Karakum Desert Karakum Desert The Karakum Desert, also spelled Kara-Kum and Gara-Gum (, ; ;), is a desert in Central Asia. Its name means "Black Sand" in Turkic languages, in reference to the dark soil that lies beneath the sandy surface of much of the desert. It occupies about 70 percent, or 350,000 km², of the area of Turkmenistan. The population is sparse, with an average of one person per 6.5 km² (one person per 2.5 square miles). Rainfall is also sparse, ranging from 70 to 150 mm per year. Covering much of present-day Turkmenistan, the Karakum Desert lies east of the