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Desert National Park

The
Thar Desert, which is known as the 'ocean of sands', covers a large portion
of western Rajasthan. It's a wrong notion of people that the deserts can't support
a varied flora and fauna. The fragile ecosystem of the Thar supports a unique
and varied wildlife species. In this vast ocean of sands lies the famous Desert
National Park, which provides an excellent example of the ecosystem of the Thar
Desert and its diverse wildlife.
The Desert National Park is situated in Jaisalmer district of Rajasthan close
to the India- Pakistan border. Spread over an area in excess of 3150 sq km,
this is probably the largest park of India. The topography of the park comprises
of craggy rocks, compact salt lake bottoms and vast sand dunes, which form about
20% of the Park. As the desert only supports a few type of small grasses, shrubs
and xerophytic trees, the leaf cover is limited and not suitable for large herbivorous,
camel being an exception. The wildlife here include the spiny- tail lizard,
desert monitors, sand fish, chameleons, and snakes that include the deadly viper
and krait. Other important wilds found here are chinkara, blackbuck, the desert
fox, and Bengal fox among many others.

But,
the desert park is comparatively rich in avian population. The greatest attractions
of the park are the great Indian bustards, an endangered species of bird. This
large, heavy and graceful bird draws thousands of bird lovers from all corners
of the world. Besides, the great Indian bustards the park supports a wide variety
of exotic and rare birds. While in the park you can spot birds such as sand
grouse, spotted eagles, gray partridges, shrikes, demoiselle crane, quails,
peafowl bee-eaters, larks, eagles, harriers, falcons, orioles, warblers, babblers,
buzzards, kestrel and vultures to name a few with.
Desert National Park, National Park in Rajasthan Reservation Form