Original Story Published by: Aaron Spray, The Travel, www.thetravel.com
Photo Source: The Travel
Only a few thousand years ago the mighty Sahara did not exist. The Sahara was green and people and many animals inhabited it (as is shown by prehistoric rock paintings). It was home to vast lakes, savannas, and innumerable herds of Africa's most iconic animals. Today the Sahara has become a desert and the animals have long since moved on. Well. Almost. There are still isolated pockets of animals clinging on to a vastly changed
landscape - the Guelta d'Archei in Chad is one of the most spectacular.
The guelta is a sight no one will forget. Imagine being deep into the Sahara, in a country few ever tread, and seeing hundreds of camels come to quench their thirst, a remnant of a historic crocodile clinging on, and traditional nomads on their way to pasture their camels!
Why Guelta d'Archei Is So Unique
The Guelta d'Archei is a guelta - that is a pocket of water that forms in a drainage canal or wadi in the Sahara. Like an oasis.The Guelta d'Archei is home to several kinds of animals - the most notable of which is the West African crocodile (different from the Nile crocodile).
The crocs are one of the last colonies in the Sahara today, it is known from ancient rock paintings that the crocodiles once thrived throughout the Saharan. And today these are survivors and some of the last of their kind in the region.
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