 Tenebrionid/Long Legged Beetle
Uniquely adapted to the use of fog, the
long legged beetle climbs to the crest of a dune
and collects water by facing the wind and raising
its body to intercept the fog. This behavior is
called "head standing" or
"fog-basking." Once the fog condenses
into droplets of dew, it trickles down the
beetle's back toward the mouth. In just one
morning, the amount of water a beetle consumes in
this way is equivalent to 40 percent of its original
body weight. The Long Legged Beetle lives only in
the fog zone, on the western part of the Namib
dunes. During the day, the beetle forages on the
sandy surface and stays cool by running --
creating its own wind or burrowing in the sand
away from the hot surface. Alternately, when the
sun sets in the evening and the temperature
drops, the beetle will burrow into the sand to
escape the cold.
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 Sidewinder
Also known as Peringuey's adder, the sidewinder
snake reduces contact with the hot sand by its
peculiar side-to-side form of locomotion. Early
in the morning, the sidewinder coils up in the fog
and licks water droplets off its body. As the day
progresses, the heat of the sun loosens the sand
and makes it harder for the sidewinder to move, but
easier for it to conceal itself in the sand to
ambush its prey. Only the snakes' eyes, which stick
out from the top of its head, remain above the
sand. The rest of the body is completely
concealed.
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 Namaqua Chameleon
A cold blooded creature, the chameleon uses the
sun to warm its body. Changing color in response
to variations in light or temperature, the
chameleon's body darkens to absorb more heat from
the sun's rays and lightens to cool off. The
color is controlled by the chameleon's hormones,
which affect pigments in the skin. On windy days,
it regulates its temperature by digging a groove
in the sand to reduce heat loss by convection.Late
in the afternoon, when the sun begins to set and
the temperature drops, the chameleon will dig a
deeper groove in order to get every last bit of
warmth. Once evening arrives, it will burrow to
avoid the cold temperatures, wind, fog and
predators.
Depending on the speed and stealth required to evade
predators, the namaqua chameleon can attain speeds
up to three miles per hour.
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 Dune Ant
At dawn, dune ants can be found sipping dew
that has condensed on blades of grass from the
fog. In order to limit water loss, they breath in
short rapid bursts. Dune ants navigate by the
angle of the sun and build their colonies in the
soft sand under the grasses. Colonies with
several thousand ants are common, and all nest
areas are fiercely defended.
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 Desert Cricket
Desert crickets, like dune ants, also drink the
moisture that condenses on blades of grass early
in the morning. Feathery feet make it easier for
the cricket to walk on loose sand, and their long
legs raise their bodies off the sand, where even
a lift of one-third of an inch could be 30 degrees
cooler. During the hottest part of the day, when
the sun is unbearable, the cricket seeks shelter
at the tops of desert grasses, where the wind blows more strongly.
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