Features of the Desert: Although it is known a a desert, the Kalahari is more accurately described as semi desert, or thirst land, since its average rainfall is higher than in tree desert. The Kalahari is a vast plateau, 1,650 - 5,000 feet above sea level, with a relatively flat surface that has an occasional hill and some rocky outcrops.  In some areas, erosion resistant termite nests have formed islands. Salt pans occur particularly in the drier southern Kalahari region. A beautifully marked gemsbok, one of the species of gazelle found in the Kalahari desert.

Climate: Unlike the Sahara, Africa' vast desert to the north of the equator, the Kalahari has a wet summer season which sustains a rich variety of wildlife. Only during the wet season is food abundant.

Vegetation: The Kalahari vegetation varies from tall savannah woodland to scrub areas and grassland. In the northern region, sycamore, fig, African ebony, and baobab trees are numerous. As the land becomes drier to the south, the trees become more widely spaced and smaller than the trees found in the north. Grass grows in occasional patches.

Most of the Kalahari, however, is covered with scrubby vegetation. In the hottest regions, only plants with deep or tuberous roots are able to survive. Wildlife flowers grow throughout the desert in the rainy season.

Migrating Wildlife: The Kalahari's rainy season is a time of marked change in the desert, and singles the great influx of migrating wildlife. Water cascading down from the highlands of Angola floods the Okavango River in the north which in turn overflows to form an expansive, marshy delta. The watercourses are rich in fish during the rainy season, and attract birds which feed on the fish. Although many of the lakes and lagoons dry up during the winter drought, those that remain are home to crocodiles and hippopotamuses. The change in desert conditions brings huge seasonal migrations of buffalo, elephant, springbok, wildebeest, and zebra in search of fresh grazing pastures. A herd of springbok shares the desert with wildebeest. The rains produce a variety of vegetation, flowers, fruit, and plants, in the otherwise almost barren ground.

Did you know? 
One definition of a desert is an area that receives less than 10 inches of annual rainfall.
WHen the Boers crossed the Kalahari from the Transversal province in the northeast in 1878, 250 people and 9,000 cattle died due to the extreme climatic conditions.
The Kalahari's mouth brooder fish holds its eggs in its mouth until they hatch. Even after hatching, the young still seek the safety of their parents mouth to escape predators.

Key to Species: 
1. Elephants                                         6. Mayfly                                                11. Gerbils
2. Lion                                                 7. White headed vultures
3. Green pigeons                                  8. Migrating herds of animals
4. Herd of Wildebeest                          9. Sand lizard
5. Egg eating snake                             10. Egyptian geese

The Kalahari's Wildlife: 
Mammals: Elephant, zebra, hippopotamus, wildebeest, lion, springbok, gemsbok, buffalo, baboon, cape fox, African hunting dog, meerkat, spring hare, pygmy mouse, fruit bat, gerbil.
Birds: Avocet, barn owl, Egyptian geese, reed cormorant, fish eagle, egret, flamingo, heron, pygmy goose, king fisher, ostrich, oxpecker, green pigeon, crowned cranes, stilt, white headed vulture, sandpiper.
Reptiles: Crocodile, Long's reed frog, sand lizard, python, egg eating snake, striped snake.
Insects: Ants, ground beetle, mayfly, scorpion, brine shrimp.
Fish: Catfish, mouth brooder, African pike, tiger fish.

How Salt Pans are Formed: Salt pans are dry lakes that occur where water evaporation exceeds the rainfall. They are found in various parts of the kalahari and are then flattest of all land forms. Salt pans are ever present features of arid and semiarid environment. They are formed over a period of many years and subsequent evaporation of the water. The minerals and salts contained in the water become more concentrated the longer the water remains stagnant. However, once the water evaporates, only the minerals and salts remain, forming a hard, cracked surface. The Kwang salt pan National Park covers a vast area.

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