Sahara, the limit of life

Quèquicom travels to the Sahara Desert in Mauritania, to see how survive the humans, animals and plants. The reporter Pere Renom captures some animals from this area like differents especies of gerbil, and spiny-tailed lizard. He also detects traces of dorcas gazelle and watches the desert hare and Fennec, and explains some of their physiological and behavioral adaptations to extreme climate. Renom discovers evidence of prehistory of the Sahara in different sites with abundant lithic industry and petroglyphs, and sees what was the method to obtain water in the past and nowadays. Plants of the Sahara also have certain characteristics to suit the desert. Accompanied by a camel shepherd, Renom learns which are these plants and how are traditionally used. The presenter Toni Mestres explains in the studio the photosynthesis of desert plants (CAM, crassulacean acid metabolism), and the existance of abundant groundwater accumulated in the Sahara thousands of years ago when environmental conditions were more humid.