The documentary explores the lives of reptiles in the deserts of Morocco, focusing on their unique characteristics, behaviors, and adaptations to their environment. The desert is a harsh and mysterious landscape, home to various species of snakes, lizards, and scorpions.
The documentary highlights the desert monitor lizard, the largest lizard in the desert, which can grow up to one meter in length and has a powerful tail that can deliver strong whiplashes. It is a skilled hunter that feeds on lizards, rodents, and snakes, using its sharp, backward-bent teeth to capture and kill its prey.
Other reptiles featured in the documentary include the cobra, known for its ability to spit venom, and the viper, which has a sophisticated venomous apparatus and can strike with incredible speed. The puff adder is also highlighted, with its colorful body providing excellent camouflage, and its ability to perceive vibrations through the ground.
The documentary also showcases the relationship between humans and reptiles in the desert. Ahmed, a member of the Aïssaoua cult, is a snake hunter who has the power to control reptiles and is protected from their venom. He travels the desert, capturing snakes and other reptiles, and selling them to snake charmers.
The documentary also explores the daily lives of reptiles, including their hunting habits, mating rituals, and territorial behaviors. It highlights the unique characteristics of each species, such as the horned viper's ability to sink into the sand to regulate its body temperature, and the scorpion's use of sensory bristles to locate prey.
Throughout the documentary, the narrator emphasizes the importance of balance in the desert ecosystem, where every species has its place and plays a vital role in the survival of others. The documentary concludes by noting that even humans have not significantly modified the desert ecosystem, and that the reptiles continue to thrive in this harsh and beautiful environment.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. The desert monitor lizard is the largest lizard in the desert.
2. The desert monitor lizard can grow up to one meter in length.
3. The desert monitor lizard has a long, cylindrical tail that can deliver powerful whiplashes.
4. The desert monitor lizard travels great distances to feed and is a very active hunter.
5. The desert monitor lizard's favorite prey is lizards and rodents.
6. The desert monitor lizard can detect snake tracks by feeling the ground with its tongue.
7. The desert monitor lizard's teeth are very sharp and bent backwards.
8. The desert monitor lizard's bite can be poisonous and wounds frequently become infected.
9. Among nomads, the desert monitor is a sacred animal that protects them from evil by keeping snakes away.
10. The cobra is a rare but very dangerous snake that causes intolerable pain.
11. The cobra has the ability to spit its venom.
12. The worship of snakes as an evil deity or beneficial dates back to the Bronze Age.
13. In antiquity, the snake was associated with the god of science and wisdom.
14. The cobra that adorned the adornment of the pharaohs assured them of divine protection.
15. The cobra has spread all over Africa.
16. The viper is the most dangerous snake in the south of Morocco, especially the puff adder.
17. The puff adder has a highly sophisticated venomous apparatus and can strike with extraordinary speed.
18. The puff adder is practically invisible on the ground due to its colorful body, which provides excellent camouflage.
19. The viper rarely drinks from ponds or puddles, but mainly drinks dew that it collects on blades of grass at dawn.
20. The viper has an inner ear that allows it to capture low-frequency sounds and perceive vibrations transmitted through the ground.
21. Reptiles are not alone in the desert territories, where the heat can exceed 40 degrees.
22. The grass snake moves quickly on burning ground, looking for the nearest water point to refresh itself.
23. The Barbary squirrel is widespread in southern Morocco and can resist the snake's attack because it is not poisonous.
24. The turkey is not worried by the viper's hiss because the serpent has no hold on it.
25. Ahmed is a snake hunter who travels the campaign to capture reptiles during the hunting season.
26. Ahmed is a follower of the Aïssaoua cult, which has the power to control reptiles and is protected.
27. Ahmed uses a mirror and an iron bar to search for snakes.
28. The boomslang is a snake that can be poisonous and is very lively.
29. Ahmed feeds vipers and cobras, but not other snakes, which devour each other.
30. The viper's teeth are constantly being replaced, and it never goes without a hook.
31. The Aïssaoua plays with snakes, a dangerous and deadly game, but essential to assert their power.
32. Desert Monitors are loners who don't like to share, and the big male continues its way in search of other prey.
33. The horned viper owes its name to the long scales pointed above its eyes.
34. The horned viper sinks into the sand to protect itself from the sun and benefits from a cooler temperature.
35. The horned viper is widespread in the Sahara and perfectly adapted to life in the desert.
36. The horned viper can travel up to five kilometers a day to find prey.
37. The horned viper does not remain faithful to a well-defined home range and changes sector depending on weather conditions.
38. The scorpion is responsible for many accidents and deaths in the Sahara.
39. There are about thirty species of scorpions within the limits of the Sahara.
40. The scorpion moves fast, claws extended, tail raised, and can travel relatively large distances.
41. The scorpion is very aggressive and uses its sensory bristles to locate prey.
42. The monitor lizard, despite being the largest, seems to flee before the smallest scorpion.
43. Venomous or not, animals have established a balance where everyone has their place.