The Namib, a desert miracle: fauna (3)

In the Namib Desert there are also small numbers of game animals and their predators.
During times of good rain orix penetrate deep into the dune system to feed on the grasses whose seeds may have lain dormant for several years.

Springbok also take advantage of this short-lived bounty, moving in small herds along the inter-dune plains, or streets, nibbling the new growth.

As the hot winds blow the land dries out and the orix and springbok leave the dune fields to disperse over the gravel plains in the direction of the Khomas Hochland where higher rainfall ensures the availability of grasses for a longer period.

It is here that the Hartmann's mountain zebra has its stronghold.
This once common species has been hunted so ruthlessly that only a few thousand survive along the Namib fringes.





Questa foto di Swakopmund è offerta da TripAdvisor.