Editing Namib (section)

== Plants and animals ==
{{Further|Lichens of Namibia}}

===Flora===
[[File:Welwitschia mirabilis(2).jpg|thumb|The ''[[Welwitschia]]'' plant is considered a [[living fossil]], and is found only in the Namib desert]]
[[File:Quiver trees, Namib Desert.jpg|thumb|[[Quiver tree]]s found within Namib desert]]
Several unusual [[species]] of plants and animals are found in this desert, many of which are [[endemism|endemic]] and highly adapted to the specific climate of the area.

One of the most well-known endemic plants of the Namib is the bizarre ''[[Welwitschia mirabilis]]''; a shrub-like plant, it grows two long strap-shaped leaves continuously throughout its lifetime. These leaves may be several meters long, gnarled, and twisted from the desert winds. The [[taproot]] of the plant develops into a flat, concave disc in age.  ''Welwitschia'' is notable for its survival in the extremely arid Namib conditions, made possible by its ability to capture moisture from coastal sea fogs. Areas where ''Welwitschias'' are a common sight include the eponymous Welwitschia Plains, which are adjacent to the [[Husab Mine|Husab uranium mine]], one of the largest of its kind in the world.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Henschel |first1=Joh R. |last2=Wassenaar |first2=Theo D. |last3=Kanandjembo |first3=Angie |last4=Louw |first4=Michele Kilbourn |last5=Neef |first5=Götz |last6=Shuuya |first6=Titus |last7=Soderberg |first7=Keir |title=Roots point to water sources of Welwitschia mirabilis in a hyperarid desert |journal=Ecohydrology |date=January 2019 |volume=12 |issue=1 |doi=10.1002/eco.2039 |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/eco.2039 |access-date=8 June 2024}}</ref>

"[[Fairy circle (arid grass formation)|Fairy circles]]", which are circular patches of land barren of plants, varying between 2{{Convert|2|and|12|m|ft|0}} in diameter and often encircled by a ring of stimulated growth of grass, are found in the Namib,<ref>{{cite web | title=Enigma of Namibia's 'fairy circles' | website=BBC NEWS | date=31 March 2004 | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/3587431.stm | access-date=4 April 2023}}</ref> such as those near the Wolwedans desert camp.<ref>{{cite web | last=Pinkstone | first=Joe | title='Fairy circles' of Africa baffle scientists | website=The Telegraph | date=30 July 2020 | url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/namibia/1461430/Fairy-circles-of-Africa-baffle-scientists.html | access-date=4 April 2023}}</ref>

===Fauna===
[[File:Oryx Gazella Namib Desert.jpg|thumb|[[Gemsbok]]s (''[[Oryx]] gazella'') are the biggest [[antelope]]s found in the Namib desert]]

The Namib fauna mostly comprises [[arthropod]]s and other small animals that can live on little water, but a few species of bigger animals are also found, including [[antelope]]s (such as [[gemsbok]]s and [[springbok]]s), [[common ostrich]]es, and in some areas even [[desert elephant]]s or [[lion]]s. All these species have developed techniques to survive in the Namib environment. Several endemic [[darkling beetle]]s [[species]] have different methods of collecting water droplets from morning fog; they are collectively known as "fog beetles". For example, one beetle, ''[[Onymacris unguicularis]],'' has smooth [[elytron]]s that cause humidity from the morning fogs to condense into droplets, which roll down the beetle's back to its mouth. Another beetle, the ''Lepidochora discoidalis'', builds "water-capturing" webs.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Seely |first1=Mary |last2=Henschel |first2=Joh R. |last3=Hamilton III |first3=William J. |date=2005 |title=Long-term data show behavioural fog collection adaptions determine Namib Desert beetle abundance: research letter |url=https://journals.co.za/doi/abs/10.10520/EJC96313 |journal=[[South African Journal of Science]] |volume=101 |issue=11 |pages=570–572 |issn=0038-2353 |eissn=1996-7489 |via=Sabinet African Journals}}</ref> [[Black-backed jackal]]s lick humidity from stones. Gemsboks (also known as the South African oryx) can raise the temperature of their bodies to 40&nbsp;°C in the hottest hours of the day. The desert is also home to [[meerkat]]s and several species of lizards.