The Simpson Desert spans about 176,500 square kilometers across the Northern Territory, Queensland and South Australia, the fourth largest desert in Australia. Its defining feature is a field of long, parallel sand dunes running north to south, ranging from about 3 meters high in the west to roughly 30 meters in the east, among the longest parallel dunes on Earth. Rainfall averages only about 150 millimeters a year and summer temperatures regularly exceed 50 degrees Celsius, yet the desert sits above the Great Artesian Basin, whose springs and bores have long supplied water to the region. The Wangkangurru Yarluyandi people, who call the desert Munga-Thirri, have lived in the area for thousands of years.
Facts
Classification
Biogeographic Realm Area (sq km) Connections
Demonstrates
The long parallel dune fields of the Simpson Desert are a frequent source of dust storms that sweep across central Australia.
Source Encyclopaedia Britannica
Source Encyclopaedia Britannica
Hosts
Source Wikidata: Dingo
Additional Source Simpson Desert (Wikipedia)Article text
Dingo, Species Source Wikidata: Dingo
Additional Source Simpson Desert (Wikipedia)Article text
Source Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology: Animal Diversity Web: Pseudantechinus macdonnellensis
Source Wikidata: Dingo
Additional Source Simpson Desert (Wikipedia)Article text
Source Wikidata: Dingo
Additional Source Simpson Desert (Wikipedia)Article text
Source Wikipedia: Redback spider
In Biome
In the Other Atlases
Found In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Simpson Desert
WikipediaIntroductionQuote, Introduction
The Simpson Desert is a large area of dry, red sandy plain and dunes in the Northern Territory, South Australia and Queensland in central Australia.
2. Simpson Desert (Wikipedia)
WikipediaLead section, rank among Australian deserts and area figure
It is the fourth-largest Australian desert, with an area of 176,500 km2 (68,100 sq mi).
Hosts: Dingo, Article text
Endemic mammals of the desert include the red kangaroo, dingo, echidna and kowari (Dasycercus byrnei), while birds include the grey grasswren (Amytornis barbatus) and Eyrean grasswren (Amytornis goyderi).
Hosts: Red Kangaroo, Article text
Endemic mammals of the desert include the red kangaroo, dingo, echidna and kowari (Dasycercus byrnei), while birds include the grey grasswren (Amytornis barbatus) and Eyrean grasswren (Amytornis goyderi).
Hosts: Great Egret, Article text
The birds that use these wetlands include the freckled duck (Stictonetta naevosa), musk duck (Biziura lobata), silver gull (Larus novaehollandiae), Australian pelican (Pelecanus conspicillatus), great egret (Ardea alba), glossy ibis (Plegadis falcinellus), and banded stilt (Cladorhynchus leucocephalus).
Hosts: Australian pelican, Article text
The birds that use these wetlands include the freckled duck (Stictonetta naevosa), musk duck (Biziura lobata), silver gull (Larus novaehollandiae), Australian pelican (Pelecanus conspicillatus), great egret (Ardea alba), glossy ibis (Plegadis falcinellus), and banded stilt (Cladorhynchus leucocephalus).
View the Source World Wildlife Fund
Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.- Demonstrates: Wildfire
- Demonstrates: Dust Storm
View the Source Wikipedia: Redback spider
Hosts: Redback Spider, Distribution and habitatQuote, Hosts: Redback Spider, Distribution and habitat
Outside urban areas, the redback is more often found in drier habitats ranging from sclerophyll forest to desert, even as harsh as the Simpson Desert.
Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology: Animal Diversity Web: Pseudantechinus macdonnellensis
Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of ZoologyHosts: Fat-tailed false antechinus, Geographic RangeQuote, Hosts: Fat-tailed false antechinus, Geographic Range
Their eastern range extends to the western edge of the Simpson Desert in South Australia, and westward they occupy much of the Gibson Desert, the northern fringes of the Great Victoria Desert, and the southern and eastern outskirts of the Gibson Desert in Western Australia.
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