An immense, dry land dominates
south-western Africa.
Here, sand covers the land
in rippling dunes
and underlies dry savannas.
Rain drains away
as quickly as it falls.
But there are places
within this sandy expanse
where rock towers high . . .
And water quenches
even the mightiest of thirsts.
These different environments
combine
in a kaleidoscope
of landscapes and life.
Creating the many faces
of the Kalahari.
Kalahari.
A word meaning
'place of great thirst',
it's the appropriate name
of one of southern Africa's
greatest wildernesses.
The Kalahari
stretches over an area
25 percent bigger than Texas
on a high, flat plateau
in south west Africa.
Sixty million years of erosion
have covered the bedrock across
this expanse in sandy soils
up to 200 feet deep.
These sands shape
and define this arid land.
Unpredictable rains quickly
drain through them,
leaving the surface
devoid of water.
This is a place of extremes
with scorching summer days,
and freezing winter nights.
It's a place known for its
hardy plants and animals.
These have adapted to make
the most of scant resources,
surviving
despite the harsh conditions.
But within this expanse
there are exceptions;
Habitats that provide
for a huge array of life.
Rocky outcrops rise from the
middle of this sandy expanse -
the landscape's only vertical
feature for hundreds of miles.
Their caves offer moist, shady
refuge in a sun-baked land.
And where a great river flows
out over the Kalahari sands,
Africa's greatest oasis
provides plenty for creatures
big and small.
In its massive expanse,
the Kalahari is truly
one of the wildest
and most
diverse lands in Africa.
As dawn breaks over the southern
reaches of the Kalahari,
a group of its most iconic
creatures begins its day.
Meerkats.
After spending the night huddled
together in their burrow,
they emerge
to scan their surroundings,
always alert to the possibility
of predators.
And today
they must be extra vigilant.
Their newest members
are leaving the safety of
the burrow for the first time,
and they're
extremely vulnerable.
The pups are just
three weeks old.
If they're to succeed in life,
they must learn
an essential skill
for thriving
in this inhospitable land.
Digging.
Meerkats' sharp claws make them
experts in this field,
helping them thrive
in their sandy habitat.
They feed mainly on insects
fetched from below the surface.
The pups'
older siblings and cousins
will dig up prey for them
for the coming weeks,
supplementing
their mother's milk.
Within the next six weeks
they'll be weaned
and then their begging whines
will fall on deaf ears.
They must learn to find
their own food
before then if
they're to survive.
But the ability to dig is
crucial for more than just food.
As the midday sun
beats down on the Kalahari,
summer days
average 100 degrees Fahrenheit,
and can soar above 105.
Now, in the middle of winter,
nights can plummet
to 10 degrees.
So Meerkats live underground.
The Meerkats' burrow
is insulated by as much
as 7 feet of sand,
keeping temperatures comfortable
despite the extremes outside.
Meerkats can carve out
lives for themselves
in the Kalahari's sands.
They find both food and shelter
beneath the surface.
But not all share the advantage
of being able to take shelter
from the Kalahari's extremes.
On a cold winter morning
this ostrich lies in the sand,
trapping its body heat
in its dense feathers.
But keeping warm
is only part of the battle.
As the sun rises
so does the temperature,
and even winter days can top
86 degrees Fahrenheit.
Long, bare legs help the ostrich
keep cool during the day.
And spreading her wings
allows for maximum airflow.
Her male companion's legs
serve another important purpose.
His scarlet shins indicate
high testosterone levels.
It's late winter;
the beginning
of breeding season.
He ushers another male
away from his territory
and his harem of three females.
In an unusual system
of communal breeding,
all the females will lay their
eggs in the same nest,
but only the first to lay
will share incubation duties
with the male.
The other females need only
look out for themselves.
At 6.5 feet tall, ostriches
have a good vantage point
to scan
for their biggest threat.
The Kalahari's Lions.
This big male
has recently formed a coalition
with a younger accomplice.
Together
they control a territory
of around 1,000 square miles,
and the right to mate with the
pride of females living in it.
Now in the height
of the dry season,
they know that prey congregates
in dry riverbeds.
Here plants take advantage of
relatively nutrient rich soils,
which attracts these herds.
Even here,
few big herbivores can survive,
so Kalahari Lions
rely far more on small prey
than their counterparts
elsewhere.
A Springbok ram would make
a decent meal for the males.
But Lions use
the element of surprise to hunt,
and in the open riverbed there
will be no surprising the ram.
Springbok can run
at almost 55 miles per hour -
a good deal faster
than the apex predator.
The ram's plucky show
draws a line in the sand,
reminding the Lion
that with the ram's head start,
a chase would be futile.
And the Lion knows it.
By avoiding the chase,
the Springbok has conserved
crucial energy.
The Lions will wait
for the cover of darkness,
when they're
less likely to be spotted.
Satisfied of their safety,
the Springbok slowly move off.
They use these dry riverbeds as
highways through the sandy land,
finding food here
in the toughest times.
Between the riverbeds,
great dune fields
stretch for hundreds of miles.
Forming iconic landscapes in a
wilderness dominated by sand.
But some 500 miles to the north,
an entirely different form
rises from the Kalahari floor.
The Tsodilo Hills
in northern Botswana
are rocky islands
in a sea of sandy soils.
They stretch for 9.5 miles,
and rise to around
1,300 feet high.
It's more than
150 miles in any direction
to their nearest equivalent
in elevation.
More rain falls in these
northern reaches of the Kalahari
and green plant life
takes advantage of it
in the rocky slopes.
Formed under high temperatures
and pressures deep underground,
these hard quartzite rocks have
withstood the effects of erosion
over millennia.
Ancient rock paintings
are evidence that humans have
been attracted to this landmark
for over
a hundred thousand years.
These hills offer more
than a glimpse into the past.
They are a shady refuge
to a variety of life.
Including a species that lives
nowhere else on earth.
The Tsodilo gecko.
Mainly nocturnal, its eyes are
adapted to low light conditions,
with pupils that contract
to a thin slit
during occasional
daytime forays.
To grip the rocks, the gecko's
toes have adhesive pads
covered in microscopic
hair-like structures.
It scales the cave's walls
to hunt insects
in the many crevices.
Mottled skin helps it
blend in with its rocky home
and escape the attention
of predatory birds
and small mammals.
Ear holes lead to sensitive
tympanic membranes
that make hearing
one of its most acute senses;
And even when the quietest
attacker catches it off guard,
it has an emergency
defense mechanism.
Like all geckos it can
shed its tail in times of peril,
growing a new one
after each close call.
This species has evolved
to live in the rocks
of these isolated outcrops,
and Tsodilo Geckos
rarely venture
onto the sandy savanna beyond.
In the dry south
of the Kalahari,
bigger species rely on their
ability to cover open ground
to survive.
Here, herds of hartebeest
roam over home ranges
of up to 380 square miles.
Their reflective coats
allow them to spend long hours
under the baking sun
in their preferred habitat
of open grasslands.
But these large antelope
struggle to find enough food
during the driest part
of the year.
They cover ground day after day,
searching for nutritious grass
until rain brings new growth.
As the sun sets,
they'll stop and huddle together
to avoid attracting
the attention of Lions.
Luckily for the hartebeest
not all who prowl
the Kalahari night are a threat.
These Bat-eared foxes
have spent the day in their den,
avoiding the heat.
Thick coats make them better
suited to searching for food
in the cold night.
And they're excellently equipped
for finding prey in the dark.
Their enormous ears can hear
the slightest of movements.
Even below ground.
When the rains arrive,
the foxes will feed mainly on a
fresh abundance of termites.
But during the dry winter,
they turn to hunting rodents.
A mouse makes a good meal
for a small fox.
Their adaptable diet
will carry the foxes through
to the easy pickings
of the rainy season.
An Ant-eating chat subsists
entirely on insects.
In the dry winter,
it turns to a staple.
It's found a colony
of Harvester ants
with their
huge underground nest.
It offers insulation and
protection from most predators.
But the ants must eat.
An army of workers
heads out to gather food
in the form of grass seeds.
On this small scale a grass seed
represents relative plenty,
and the colony can thrive.
It's a toilsome task.
But they go about it
with busy determination,
returning their spoils
to the hordes below ground.
While those below
receive the banquet,
the foragers risk becoming food.
Though each ant
is a mere morsel,
in large numbers they can
satisfy the chat's hunger.
It's a constantly replenishing
food source for the chat.
These very small creatures
can find all they need
in the driest parts
of the Kalahari.
But the mosaic of landscapes
in this wilderness
provides for animals
of all sizes.
465 miles to the north
there's another exception to the
Kalahari's general severity;
A place where even giants can
find all they need to thrive.
What starts as a trickle
some thousand miles away
in the Angolan highlands,
steadily grows to become
the mighty Okavango river.
By the height
of the Kalahari dry season,
the floodwaters which have
gathered over months
reach northern Botswana.
Here they unleash
4 million Olympic-sized swimming
pools worth of water.
This great flood covers more
than 2,000 square miles
in a system of streams,
swamps and lagoons.
This is the Okavango delta.
Here more than 480 species
of birds make their homes.
The Okavango's water
provides for bird life that
couldn't survive without it.
As well as large herds of
Africa's mega-herbivores.
Buffalo must drink
at least once a day,
so most of the Kalahari
is uninhabitable
to these large grazers.
They gather here
in herds of hundreds,
finding all the water they need
even after
the annual floods recede.
But they dare not wade too deep;
danger lurks in these waters.
Nile crocodiles can grow
to more than 16 feet long,
and weigh up to a ton.
These powerful carnivores
ambush drinking prey
from beneath the surface.
But powerful jaws
can be menacing
to more than just their prey.
A youngster has strayed
onto an adult male's turf,
and provoked an attack.
The battle-hardened veteran
has only half of his upper jaw
but it's enough to hold fast
on his opponent.
He takes a few deep breaths
to prepare himself
for an explosion of energy.
His powerful shakes would tear
the flesh from a mammal carcass.
But the young crocodile's
armor of scales resists.
And the stalemate continues.
The old male
is strongest in the water.
He prepares himself again.
This time
the youngster bites back.
In the frenzy he escapes.
The scarred old male blows
bubbles of aggression.
Eventually he emerges
to warm himself on the bank
and regain his energy.
He has asserted his dominance
among the crocodiles,
but even he isn't boss
in the Okavango's swamps.
This title belongs
to the Hippopotamus.
Bulls can weigh
more than 3 tons,
and they have
mighty jaws of their own.
Hippos spend the night
grazing on land,
eating up to 90 pounds of grass.
During the day they stay
submerged, escaping the hot sun.
And water lilies make a great
snack to get them to dinnertime.
Mostly aquatic, Hippos rely
on the delta's surface water
as a suitable habitat.
And flat sandy soils
allow them to walk along the
bottom of swamps
at relatively constant depths.
But it's a plant
rather than an animal
that takes advantage of the
Delta better than any other.
Papyrus.
This is one of the fastest
growing plants in the world
and it dominates the waterways.
The steady flow of water leeches
nutrients from the sandy floor.
But papyrus is able to recycle
the nutrients it absorbs,
taking nourishment
from dying shoots,
and redirecting it
toward new growth.
Allowing it
to grow tall and dense.
It's a banquet for the world's
biggest land mammal.
The African elephant.
A mature elephant bull eats
around 660 pounds of food a day.
He feeds on a huge variety
of plant matter.
And even the fibrous papyrus
stems are on the menu.
Thanks to the Okavango's
abundant greenery
in this wet corner
of the great Kalahari,
elephants thrive
in high concentrations.
As this giant moves,
his disturbance provides a feast
for a smaller companion.
A Cattle egret can snap up
insects flushed from the grass,
taking advantage of feast
on a smaller scale.
Insects are an important
source of food
for many of the Delta's birds.
Including hornbills
of the Red billed;
And Yellow billed varieties.
But there is
another hornbill here
that needs more than insects
to get by.
The Southern ground hornbill
is as big as a Turkey.
They spend their days
patrolling territories
of up to
38 square miles on foot,
looking for food.
This group's territory
includes part
of one of the
delta's large islands.
The floodwater
doesn't reach here,
but despite the dryness
there is food to be found.
Hornbills will eat anything
from insects to reptiles,
and even small mammals.
This Leopard tortoise
is in danger.
The hornbills have cornered him.
But they can't remove him
from his shell.
The tortoise survives the ordeal
and the birds move off
to hunt elsewhere.
With enough territory
on the delta's dry islands,
the hornbills can find
all they need.
For another
of the area's iconic predators,
the daytime strategy
is very different.
This young leopard
has recently gained
independence from her mother.
The delta's tall trees
provide her
with excellent lookout points.
From here she can
keep an eye out for prey.
And another
group of youngsters nearby
would do well to be wary.
A family of baboons is moving
through the undergrowth.
Theirs is a relatively
easy life,
surrounded by
the delta's lush abundance.
Leopards are the biggest threat
to the troop.
But she does most of her hunting
under the cover of darkness.
With the troop's
big males on guard,
she won't risk an attack
in broad daylight.
Instead she will
take the time to rest.
And the young baboons
can play without concern.
In this wet wonderland
all manner of creatures thrive
but only Africa's most hardy
can survive
beyond the limits of the oasis.
In the height of the dry season,
the south of the Kalahari
has very little
in the way of greenery
and even less surface water.
Living hundreds of miles
from the delta's oasis,
another family of baboons
must be resourceful to get by.
But even here they can find
enough to sustain themselves.
These omnivorous primates
have incredibly varied diets,
eating everything
from grass and bark
to insects and small mammals.
Dexterous hands allow them to
pick exactly what they're after
from the foot of an acacia tree.
Baboons are one of the few
mainly terrestrial species
of monkey.
But they're no slouches
when it comes to climbing.
The acacia tree is a jungle gym
for the youngsters' games.
Despite the desolate appearance
of their habitat,
the troop is healthy enough to
expend excess energy playing.
The tree has a deep tap root
that reaches water
far below the ground.
This allows it to grow new
shoots; food for the baboons
in even the toughest of times.
Trees like this are crucial to a
variety of life in the Kalahari.
Including its avian predators.
The talons
of a Verreaux's eagle owl
are strong enough
to lift its own weight in prey.
It hunts by night and sleeps the
hot day away in the treetops.
While the eagle owl rests,
other raptors are on the prowl.
A Southern pale chanting goshawk
swoops down on prey
from high branches.
While it eats its latest kill,
someone else
pays close attention.
A Crimson-breasted shrike
is eager for a cheap meal
in the challenging dry times.
The goshawk isn't fazed
by the smaller bird
and it's unlikely
there'll be leftovers.
As the wind starts to blow
through the Kalahari's grasses
once again,
relief for the
parched land is on its way.
Finally rain brings some
moisture to the land.
The Kalahari's plants
will grow rapidly
and feed the animals
that need them most.
As the clouds break
and the morning sun returns,
the Kalahari
bathes in new light.
For all life here,
the brief downfall has spurred
a timely boost in food supplies.
And they all cash in,
taking advantage
of sudden plenty in a dry land.
For the Meerkat family this
is a gift at a crucial time.
Every day brings the pups nearer
to fending for themselves.
The rain has brought with it
a flush of insect activity.
Feeding the pups as they gain
confidence and experience.
Some will eventually leave
to join new families.
But the pack will remain strong,
working together to raise
one generation after the next.
In its immense expanse,
the Kalahari is far more
than a barren desert.
Life of all forms thrives here.
In a land underscored by sand,
rocks provide crucial refuge.
And a mighty river
floods far and wide.
This provides
abundance for some.
While elsewhere the hardy must
make use of what's on offer.
This is a land of variety,
filled with many faces;
A collage of life and landscapes
that make up
the colorful kaleidoscope,
which is the great Kalahari.
