Sahara Desert: You might be surprised to know that the world's largest hot desert, the Sahara, was once a lush plain. As per cave paintings, there were rivers with crocodiles. Elephants, lions and ...

Think of the desert and adrenaline-powered images of safaris, off-road driving, sand skiing, sand boarding and dune buggies flood the mind. Mental slides depicting desert ecology are rarely 'on view'.