Tropical Thorn Forests and Scrubs

• Rainfall: These forests are found in regions that receive extremely low rainfall—less than 70 cm per year.
• Location in India: They cover the arid and semi-arid areas of north-western India. This includes Rajasthan, Gujarat, parts of Punjab and Haryana, and the dry rain-shadow areas of the Deccan Plateau (Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, and Maharashtra).

The plants in a thorn forest are masters of survival. They have heavily adapted to conserve water:

1. Deep Roots: The trees have incredibly long, penetrating roots that go deep into the soil to search for underground water.
2. Thorns: Instead of broad leaves, they have sharp thorns to protect themselves from grazing animals.
3. Small Leaves: The leaves are very small, thick, and waxy to minimize water loss through transpiration.
4. Scattered Growth: The trees do not form a dense canopy. They are widely scattered with large patches of dry grass and scrub between them.

• Trees (Flora): Babool (Acacia), Khair, Keekar, Date Palms (Khajoor), and various Cacti.
• Animals (Fauna): Because of the harsh environment, you will find tough animals like Camels, Wild Asses (in the Rann of Kutch), Desert Foxes, Chinkara (deer), mice, and snakes.