The Living Deserts of Southern Africa

For generations the deserts of southern Africa have fascinated scientists and travelers alike. They teem with life – from ants to elephants, stone plants and colorful daisies to the curious welwitschia, dainty dik-diks to towering gemsbok, and cart-wheeling spiders to fog-basking beetles, all survive against the odds in the fragile desert ecosystem. How do they cope with scarce resources, unpredictable rainfall and extreme temperatures, and how do they protect themselves against predators while also ensuring species survival?

In this fully revised and updated edition, Barry Lovegrove unravels many of the mysteries associated with life in the region’s four desert biomes: Desert, Arid Savanna, Succulent Karoo and Nama-Karoo. He explains how and why such a great diversity of plants and insects, mammals, reptiles and birds successfully exist in these regions, illustrating many of his examples with spectacular photographs, supported by diagrams and maps.

Drawing on the latest scientific research, the text is designed and presented in a highly readable style, and accessible to both the serious student and academic as well as the interested nature lover. The book is as much a plea for sensible management of these sensitive areas as it is a fount of fascinating information.

Table of Contents

Chapter One – The deserts of southern Africa
Chapter Two – Water: the currency of life
Chapter Three – In the heat of the day
Chapter Four – The struggle for food
Chapter Five – The armoury of desert conflicts
Chapter Six – Social contracts
Chapter Seven – Time out
Chapter Eight – Go forth and multiply
Chapter Nine – The Ancient Karoo: A Palaeontological Wonderland
Chapter Ten – The future of the deserts