5 Amazing Ways That Nature Equips Plants and Animals to Survive in the Namib Desert
A recent post described the Desert Rhubarb, which uses large leaves, that lie flat on the ground to funnel whatever rain falls to its roots effectively increasing the rainfall. There are many other adaptions in deserts - this post looks at five, found in the Namib desert.
Flying Water to the Nest
The Namaqua Sandgrouse (Pterocles namaqua) needs to spend much of its life in a highly organised quest for water and food. This can involve a daily round trip of more than 80 kilometres (50 miles). The daily activity starts just after sunrise when small flocks of Namaqua Sandgrouse from different areas congregate at favoured waterholes.
The Sandgrouse lays two to three eggs in a nest that is a mere scrape in the ground between tufts of grass. To get water to their newly hatched young, the male dips his breast feathers under the surface of the waterhole and allows them to absorb water like a sponge, absorbing up to 8 times their weight in water. With his cargo complete, he flies back to the chicks, and they drink the water directly from his breast feathers.
