Hobbies And Interests
Temperature Resistance
High temperatures in Kalahari summers can reach well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Without significant refuge from the blistering sun, certain animals have developed their own ways to beat the heat. Though massively larger than most Kalahari animals, elephants are not at a loss for a heat-reducing method. These creatures carry their body heat in their giant ears, which then escapes into the air by way of enlarged blood vessels. Meerkats, meanwhile, have a trait that allows them to prepare for the drastically low temperatures of desert winters, sometimes dipping as low as 14 degrees Fahrenheit. During these chilly nights, meerkats absorb heat through a smooth, hairless stomach patch.
Maximizing Scarce Resources
The Kalahari is far from barren -- despite its appearance -- but the availability of certain necessities pales in comparison to other ecosystems where water, food and shelter are abundant. Meerkats survive primarily on a diet of insects; however, their immunity to venom enables them to eat scorpions and poisonous snakes, when available, without suffering repercussions. Making the most of the Kalahari's scarcely placed trees, birds called social weavers build nests in groups; these massive nests can hold hundreds of birds at a time. Plants must maximize obtainable water to survive the Kalahari's arid conditions; the Devil's Claw herb extends a taproot as much as 6 feet into the ground where water is more prevalent.
Water Through Food
Because of the scarcity of precipitation, many Kalahari animals obtain water largely through the food they consume. Brant's whistling rat, through a diet of twigs and leaves, indirectly consumes enough water to eliminate its need to drink. Even the black=footed cat, a carnivore, finds sufficient water by consuming creatures includes hares and arachnids. The gemsbok, a type of antelope, relies almost exclusively on water-storing plants like the tschamma melon to fulfill its water needs and can endure for several weeks without drinking water.
Resource Conservation
In extreme conditions, animals and plants often develop adaptations to preserve crucial resources. The Hoodia plant, endemic to the Kalahari region, retains obtained water for future use. In fact, the Kalahari's many edible plants frequently store great amounts of water in their tissues, including the wild cucumber and the tschamma melon. Certain animals conserve fat rather than water. The eland, for example, can survive in the event of a food shortage from the fat stored in its hump and dewlap, the slack section of skin that hangs from its neck.