Hobyo Plains, Somalia Photograph by Michael Brown/Innovative Resources Management, Inc.   Eastern Africa: Somalia Deserts and Xeric Shrublands   10,100 square miles (26,100 square kilometers) -- about the size of New Hampshire and Rhode Island combined Vulnerable

· Somalia's Shrubby Coast
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
More Photos

Somalia's Shrubby Coast

Bordering the Indian Ocean on Africa's northwestern coast, the Hobyo Grasslands and Shrublands is an arid, shrub-filled ecoregion with relatively few people. Although the overall number of plant and animal species is quite low, the number of endemic species, particularly plants, is fairly high. As a result, it is considered a center of endemism for plants. Among the animals found here and nowhere else are such colorful-sounding creatures as the silver dikdik (a tiny antelope) and a species of forty-toothed golden mole.

Special Features

This ecoregion lies in former Somalia, extending in a narrow coastal strip from just south of Mogadishu to about 100 miles (250 km) north of Hobyo. A fairly inaccessible low-lying region, it consists largely of dunes and dune grasslands that give way to dry savannas and semi-desert vegetation in more inland areas. Temperatures here are hot, ranging from about 70° to 91° F (21°-33° C). And the climate is very dry, with about 8 inches (200 mm) of rainfall per year, most of it falling between April and June. Along the coast, powerful winds sandblast the vegetation to form a specialized community of low, dense thickets. These plants have year-round green growth due to the humidity of the sea breezes.

	The silver dikdik is the smallest of the world's dikdiks, measuring just over a foot high.

Wild Side

The Hobyo Grasslands and Shrublands ecoregion contains many endemic plants, two endemic reptiles, and two endemic birds: the Ash's lark and the Obbia lark. The silver dikdik, one of its endemic mammals, is not extremely well adapted to the arid environment, so it is dependent on the year-round green growth found under windblown coastal thickets. In addition, the region is home to tall, slender antelopes called dibatags, which feed in the thickets and grasslands. It also harbors populations of Speke's gazelles--small gazelles with an unusual inflatable nasal region just behind the nostrils that helps to amplify their alarm snorts.

Cause for Concern

Historically, this region has been sparsely populated by people. It is currently difficult to know what is going on in the region because of the long-standing political instability in Somalia. One protected area, Bush Bush National Park, is probably no longer functional. And migration to this coastal area may have increased as people have moved away from urban centers. Those people who do live in the region graze their animals and gather fuelwood, which can degrade vegetation.

For more information on this ecoregion, go to the World Wildlife Fund Scientific Report.