Page 73 - Discover Botswana 2022 ONLINE

KGALAGADI
Previous pages: Shadow, light and dust set the scene in the dry Kgalagadi. Oryx are dry adapted and actually thrive in the region. Their striking horns and markings make them a remarkable species to be seen and photographed here.
Above: A curious Spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta) sub-adult male amongst blooming Vlei lilies in a metamorphically transformed lush Kgalagadi in the summer green season.
Top right: The endearing Bat-Eared Foxes (Otocyon megalotis) are able to detect their subterranean insect prey (including harvester termites and beetle grubs) with their large ears. These canids are more commonly encountered during the day in winter whereas in summer they prefer to forage more after sunset.
Right: Female Burchell’s Sandgrouse (Pterocles burchelli) on the red Kgalagadi Sands. These cute, highly cryptically camouflaged birds cannot perch on branches and spend their lives on the ground and in the air. Quite amazingly the adults have specially adapted feathers that can absorb water like a sponge, which allows them to bring water from afar to their nests, which are a mere scrape in the desert sand.
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