What is a Mud Lion?
Also called yardangs, mud lions form in deserts where conditions are hot and dry. When winds full of sands blow forcefully in one direction against rock, the rock is abraded over a period of time, sometimes hundreds of years, into fantastic shapes. Yardang is Turkic for 'steep bank'.
Soft rock such as limestone and sandstone lend themselves better to scouring by sand, but rock made of harder materials can also form mud lions.
Mud lions are also seen in clusters or in a long ridge. Though the name suggests animal shape, a yardang can resemble a human figure or a building-like structure.
In Africa, especially in the Egyptian desert, there are numerous yardangs. In fact, historians think that the Sphinx of Giza might have begun as a mud lion which inspired sculptors to carve it further into its present form!
Elsewhere in the world, these weird structures can be seen in North American national parks located in desert areas. Some of the mud lions are so battered by wind that they have tunnels bored into them!
