28 Kalahari Desert Animals

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Kalahari Desert Animals by Liz Dilley Table of Contents Chapter 1 Where Is the Kalahari Desert? page 2 Chapter 2 Kalahari Mammals page 4 Chapter 3 Kalahari Insects page 8 Chapter 4 Kalahari Reptiles page 10 Chapter 5 Kalahari Birds page 12 Glossary/ Index page 15 Comprehension Check page 16

Chapter 1 Where Is the Kalahari Desert? The Kalahari (ka-luh-HAH-ri) Desert is in Africa. It is a hot and very dry area. The desert lies between the Orange and Zambezi rivers. It spreads over parts of the African countries Botswana, Nambia, and South Africa. yellow Kalahari Desert blue rivers AFRICA Nambia Botswana Zambezi River Orange River South Africa INDIAN OCEAN Madagascar Thornbushes (above) and succulents (right) grow in the Kalahari Desert. The Kalahari Desert is very hot during the day. At night there are no clouds to keep the heat close to the ground. It gets very cold. Sometimes there are thunderstorms in summer. The rains fill shallow lakes and water holes. When rain comes, grass grows for a short time. Red sand covers parts of the desert. Thornbushes, trees, and small plants called succulents (SUK-yew-lints) grow in the desert. Succulents store water in their leaves and roots, just like cacti.

Chapter 2 Kalahari Mammals Many mammals live in the Kalahari Desert. They have very little water to drink. Some mammals eat only thornbushes and dry grass. Others eat small rodents, bugs, and lizards. Meerkats live in the Kalahari's grasslands. They are good hunters that attack without warning. The meerkats eat lizards, small rodents, and bugs. They even eat poisonous scorpions. They bite off the scorpion's stinger, and then eat the rest. Meerkats come out of their burrow each day to get sun. Male gemsboks use their horns to defend against lions and to greet friends. Gemsboks are huge antelopes. They can live for days without water Gemsboks cool themselves down by taking short quick breaths. This helps them keep their heads cool, even when their bodies feel hot. Gemsboks live in parts of the desert that have grass and trees. They eat grass and will dig for plant roots to eat.

Many desert animals move slowly. That makes hunting easy for lions and cheetahs. Lions live in groups of twelve or fewer lions. These groups are called prides. Sometimes they have to travel to distant parts of the desert to hunt. They also spend time resting and sleeping. Cheetahs can build speed quickly and run very fast. They hunt and kill smaller animals. They often look for weak animals, which are easier to catch. Lions like to rest when they are not hunting. Bat-eared foxes' large ears help them hunt underground, Sometimes lions and cheetahs leave food behind. Other desert animals eat this food. These animals are called scavengers. Some large birds are scavengers. Other mammals have smart ways to find food. Bat-eared foxes use their huge ears. They put an ear to the ground. Then they listen for mice and insects, such as termites, moving underground. If they hear something, these foxes quickly dig to find their prey.

Chapter 3 Kalahari Insects The Kalahari Desert is home to many insects. Tiny termites live in huge groups called colonies. They build nests called mounds. The mounds are made from clay, sand, termite saliva, and salt. Amazing Eggs Only the queen termite can lay eggs. For many years a queen termite lays up to 30 eggs a minute. That's 13 million eggs a year! Termite mounds can be 20 feet (6 meters) high. That's about five times as tall as you are. Dung beetles are common in the Kalahari Desert. They are interesting to watch. Male beetles roll fresh animal dung into balls. Then they roll the balls along the ground. The beetles eat the dung, and females lay their eggs in it. Dung beetles are strong fliers. They can travel over lengthy areas in search of smelly dung. They must unfold their wings to fly. Their wings are normally hidden by hard covers that act like a shell. This dung beetle is rolling a ball of elephant dung.