On the western coast of South Africa lies a harsh
and unforgiving world.
Minimal rainfall
makes this land a challenging place for creatures to inhabit.
For ten months of the year, it's a desert.
But each year for a short spurt of time,
the rains give birth to a plethora of plant species.
And the land bursts open
to reveal a bounty of life.
Transforming from desert
to floral oasis.
This is Namaqualand.
♪♪
Lying in the corner of the Karoo,
Namaqualand is one of southern Africa's botanical treasures.
At just under 170,000 square miles,
it's even bigger than the state of California.
Every year, Namaqualand leads two lives.
For the majority of the year,
the semi-desert offers very little sustenance.
Everything that lives here
is forced to match its needs to the meager nature
of its environment.
Adopting fascinating methods of survival
in order to live in this hostile land.
It is a harsh and barren realm.
Life is a struggle for every species.
But this is only one side of Namaqualand.
The winter rains awaken an entirely new version
of this land.
A land of abundance.
For two months, the region bursts with life.
And the species that struggled through the dry summer
are rewarded.
It becomes a haven,
providing generously for all creatures.
But just as quickly as it transforms to an oasis,
it reverts back to a desert.
And the struggle to survive continues
for another ten months.
This is the double-sided life of Namaqualand.
♪
It's summer
and Namaqualand is bone dry.
Temperatures regularly creep over 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
The land is scorched,
And blisteringly hot winds stir up dust clouds,
making it difficult for anything to grow.
But one particular creature
relishes in the abundant sand Namaqualand has on offer.
King of the underground -
or in this case, queen.
Spending most of the time buried in the sand,
Mole snakes are well adapted to survive the dryness
of Namaqualand.
This particular female is a mother.
In comparison to most Mole snakes,
she has a relatively small family.
Females can have up to 95 offspring.
For these juveniles,
this arid time of year is their opportunity for growth.
From the moment they were born, they have been independent.
Slowly but surely, one by one,
they peel off and venture out on their own.
Their patterned markings will fade over time,
and soon they will be the same shade as their mother.
These youngsters will eat small lizards,
until they are large enough to start hunting mammals.
Their mother has no further duties.
She must now focus on fending for herself.
Mole snakes bury themselves in sand
to stay sheltered from the relentless heat.
Her angular snout and small head allow her to burrow deep.
But when she wants to move,
she needs the sun to heat up her cold-blooded body.
Before she begins her search for an unsuspecting Mole-rat,
she tests the chemical particles in the air
by flicking her forked tongue -
Helping her to decide which way she must go to find her prey,
but also to avoid potential danger.
The Mole snake is non-venomous
and doesn't have many defense strategies if danger approaches.
She must live cautiously.
She continues her search.
Emerging from his intricate network of underground burrows,
a Mole-rat starts his search for a new home.
He likes to lead a solitary life.
But others have started moving in to his neighborhood
so he's decided it's time to construct a new home elsewhere.
Everything about his body is designed to sustain
a subterranean existence.
His protruding teeth
allow him to carve his way deep into the earth.
His pliant skin allows him to squeeze through narrow burrows.
And his prominent claws
help him move the excavated earth out of his way.
His day to day diet consists of grass, roots and geophytes;
plants that survive the summer by lying in bulb form
beneath the soil.
But they are defenseless against these poor sighted bandits.
After much searching
the Mole-rat has found a suitable spot to set up camp
and he wastes no time getting to work.
He's an expert digger and well suited to this world of sand.
Considering their small sizes of 12 inches,
their underground homes are very large.
Some build burrows up to 1000 feet long.
His burrow complete,
the Mole-rat retreats back to safety underground.
Good thing too.
For over the dunes the Mole snake is still on the hunt,
But the burrowers are not the only rats on the menu.
Brant's whistling rat is found only in the south western region
of southern Africa
Where it has adapted its diet and routine
to suit the aridity of Namaqualand.
During the long summer months
resources are scarce,
so groups of rats have evolved to cooperate
to ensure their survival.
These rats work together
to build a complex system of burrows.
Each structure
can have up to twenty entrances,
allowing the members of the colony to make a quick escape
if danger is near.
Unlike most rodents, Brant's whistling rats are diurnal.
They need the security of sunlight
in order to avoid their nocturnal predators.
Their only warning system is a distinct whistle,
which they emit when feeling threatened.
As soon as other members of the colony hear this warning alert,
they dash into their nearby tunnels.
During the dry season,
these gregarious creatures reside mostly below ground
in order to avoid the stifling heat.
But they do need to forage above ground occasionally.
Exclusively herbivorous,
they eat mostly succulents and bulbs in summer
and whatever other plant material they can forage.
All the plants here
have also adapted to endure Namaqualand's harsh conditions.
Shrubs grow long roots in order to access underground moisture.
Succulents store water in their leaves and stems.
But despite their adaptations
they're defenseless against the rat's appetite.
It's May.
Winter is approaching.
The falling temperatures will allow the whistling rats
to spend more time above ground.
And in a few months,
floral treats will feature in their diet.
But before any animal can begin the springtime gorge,
the rains need to arrive.
The dry, barren lands wait patiently.
At last they come.
The majority of Namaqualand's annual rainfall
occurs during June and July.
Moisture surges through the landscape,
allowing the desert to breath once again.
Following the winter rains,
the land transforms dramatically.
In the North of Namaqualand,
this sudden influx of water is immediately visible.
The Nieuwoudtville waterfall
flows rapidly after the winter rains.
A black spitting cobra basks in the sun.
The flush of new life
will provide it with many more opportunities to feed.
The waterfall serves as a refuge for the animals of the region
for the next two months;
A welcome break from the ten months of drought.
The low winter temperatures
allow the plant life to soak up the available moisture.
After a ten month slumber,
Namaqualand restarts its annual routine of rapid growth.
Bringing the land to life.
The flowers burst into bloom across the desert,
blanketing the landscape in a kaleidoscope of colors.
The region turns into a utopia,
with weird and wonderful flowers
speckled across the desert floor.
These plants utilize this time of moisture
to germinate and spread their seeds.
Once the earth has soaked up all the rain,
some of this flora will die in a matter of weeks.
These seeds then lie dormant in the soil,
waiting for the ensuing winter rains.
And the cycle recommences.
Some even lie dormant for years,
waiting for the right amount of rain to coax them to life.
It takes resilience and patience to survive here.
The plants' coping strategies
are not the only intriguing aspect
of Namaqualand's floral life.
The sheer number of species in this expanse
proves how unique this land really is.
An astounding 3,800 species of plants
cover this area in spring.
Almost 30% of these
are found nowhere else on earth.
Namaqualand truly is
an incredible haven of biodiversity.
Although the winter rainfall triggers life in Namaqualand,
the flowers also depend on other helpers to secure their futures.
Whether it be the beaks of sunbirds
The tongues of flies
Or the body hairs of beetles
Every pollinator plays a crucial role
in the maintenance of Namaqualand's garden.
If the rain is the compost,
the pollinators are the gardeners.
There are far more species of flowers
than there are pollinators,
So every plant competes to attract the insects and birds,
adopting brilliant colors and flashy patterns.
It's a race against time for these flowers,
and only the attractive win.
Monkey beetles use visual cues as a pollination guide.
They use these flowers
not only as a food source,
but also as a mating site.
And some flowers have evolved to take full advantage of this.
Various black marks, otherwise known as "beetle marks",
can be seen on some species of flowers.
These markings are both ingenious,
and deceptive.
The beetles gravitate towards these distinctive plants,
tricked by the promise of a potential mate.
After rolling around in the pollen,
and discovering no such mate,
the beetles have fulfilled their function.
Their numerous wiry body hairs
distribute the pollen as they flutter from flower to flower.
In this way the flowers have evolved a cunning method
to ensure their future.
While monkey beetles are able to pollinate
any flower of their choosing,
other insects are more specific.
The Namaqualand tangle-veined fly
is only able to pollinate plants
that can host his larger than average tongue.
Although this non retractable
2 inch long appendage may seem like an inconvenience,
it benefits him substantially.
He is the sole pollinator of the long tubed, Meidestert flower.
The flower and the fly have coevolved,
forming a close mutualism.
The fly is guaranteed sweet, sugary nectar
at the base of the bloom,
which only he has access to
while the flower has an exclusive pollinator
and doesn't have to compete with others.
These flies and flowers are found only in South Africa.
Although they have private access to the Meidestert flower,
the craft of pollinating them may take some time to perfect.
Having a tongue bigger than one's body
can prove difficult to maneuver.
While Namaqualand's plants and pollinators
have evolved hand in hand
there is one relationship
that has a much greater effect on the landscape than any other.
The Gorteria diffusa is a species of flower,
commonly called the Beetle daisy.
This particular species
stands out from other Namaqualand flowers
for one specific reason.
Over time, it has morphed into 15 different versions
of the same orange flower.
But every single version attracts the same creature.
The Megapalpus fly.
When plants adapt into different variations,
it's usually in an attempt to attract various pollinators,
increasing their chance of being pollinated.
The Gorteria's extraordinary adaptation is therefore unique
because it's not caused by an attempt to attract
different pollinators.
Rather, the different versions get pollinated
by the same species of fly in different ways.
One particular version of the flower
mimics the body of a fly so accurately
that the male often ends up attempting to mate
with the raised spot on the petals.
He gets completely covered in pollen,
and helps to pollinate other beetle daisies.
Another version of the Gorteria
has adopted a very different strategy.
When the fly lands in this flower
the petals close, capturing the fly inside for the night.
But this is not an act of predation.
The flower does this
so that the fly will get thoroughly coated in pollen
throughout the night.
The petals even have dark colors on the outside,
so that the fly will be heated up fast when the first
morning light breaks.
Not only does the fly have a safe,
warm place to spend the night,
but it also gets a breakfast of pollen upon awakening.
These flowers make up the majority
of Namaqualand's orange hue.
The Megapalpus fly is their sole pollinator,
so if this fly were to disappear,
much of Namaqualand's orange glory would be lost.
September is a frantic time of spring feeding and pollinating
for the insects of Namaqualand
and others are quick to take advantage of the abundance.
Opportunistic cattle egrets follow herds of antelope,
eating the bugs
that are disturbed by the roaming animals.
Scorpions are also on the menu.
But their venom can be deadly.
Fortunately, there's a way for the egrets to judge the toxicity
of the arachnid.
The bigger the pincers, the less venomous it is.
So the egrets pick their meals wisely.
Although not lethal,
the snack can still pinch back.
As soon as the egret finds a comfortable way to hold it,
he swallows it whole.
His highly acidic stomach then digests it with ease.
Birds can't afford to hold excess weight when they eat,
otherwise they wouldn't be able to fly.
So they need to digest the meal as quickly as possible.
This way they gain maximum energy
with minimum consequences.
It's a time of abundance for all.
The bigger mammals take this opportunity
to raise their young.
And their dung helps to fertilize the flowers,
which will foster the new growth
that will continue through the rest of spring.
There are areas of Namaqualand that support life
all year round.
The Quiver tree grows in times of want and of plenty.
Surprisingly, the quiver tree is not in fact, a tree.
But rather the ultimate matriarch of aloes;
Plants that are characterized
by their succulent, rosette-shaped leaves.
In the past, bushmen used the plants
to make quivers for their hunting arrows,
hence the name.
Like all aloes,
the Quiver tree is well adapted to the harsh environment
of the semi-desert.
The fibrous stem
soaks up the erratic rainfall during the summer,
while a thin layer of whitish powder on the bark
reflects the suns powerful rays.
The succulent leaves store the soaked up moisture,
and their elevation prevents evaporation.
Because this plant is a flowering aloe,
it needs to be pollinated.
So it produces copious amounts of sweet nectar
that few birds or insects can refuse.
60 miles south west
of the fields of flowers and alien forests,
Namaqualand reveals yet another landscape.
Stretches of white pebbles strewn across the desert floor.
Only dwarf plants and succulents grow in the saline soils
of these quartz fields.
Miniature landscapes,
dotted with miniature plants,
which are all perfectly adapted to this habitat.
The Bababoudjie, or in English, "baby's bottom",
is a succulent found only in the quartz fields of Namaqualand.
It's developed a remarkable survival strategy,
which allows it to call this place home.
In order to hide from hungry herbivores, it disguises itself
as one of the grey-white rocks that surround it.
And hiding in plain sight isn't just for plants.
These stony plains host very specific and unusual creatures.
Which often go unnoticed.
Camouflaged perfectly in the white, semi-translucent fields,
the stone grasshopper is a master of disguise.
Everything about his body
keeps him concealed in the quartz fields.
Parts of him even look slightly chipped,
mimicking the flawed shapes of the stones.
The tiny hairs on his legs
smooth the contours of his shadow.
When feeling threatened, he can flatten his antennae
to enhance his rock-like appearance.
He is Namaqualand's ultimate impersonator.
Combing the stone fields for unsuspecting grasshoppers,
the Red-headed centipede uses speed and endurance
as a predation method.
Covering large areas in short periods,
he hopes to bump into a potential meal.
He's a vicious predator,
and will attack any insect or animal smaller
than his immense 8 inch body.
Upon finding the injured hopper,
he bites the victim
injecting him with venom and devours him immediately.
Unlike his camouflaged counterpart,
the Foam grasshopper has evolved to fight back.
He gets his defense
from eating certain plants the land has on offer.
Feeding mostly on poisonous milkweed,
the foam grasshopper ingests the toxins
and stores them in his joints.
When threatened,
he exudes this poison in the form of lethal foam.
This striking insect flaunts his colors boldly.
It's a commonly understood rule in nature,
that the more brightly colored an insect, the more venomous.
He forages through the flowers of Namaqualand
without the fear of being eaten.
And if he is,
the foolish predator will pay the ultimate price.
But not all defense adaptations require poison.
More like the stone grasshopper,
the Namaqua speckled padloper stays out of danger's way
by hiding.
Trudging across the Namaqua landscape
takes an incredibly long time for this pocket-sized resident.
Never growing bigger than 3.5 inches,
he is the smallest tortoise on earth.
His flattened, grey-brown shell enables him to hide perfectly,
camouflaged in rocky crevices.
In the hot summers, he preys on the hardy succulents.
In spring he is rewarded with hoards of floral delicacies.
He doesn't hold back.
These flowers won't be here for long.
The tortoise gorges himself on the treats
that only appear once a year.
Like many others in Namaqualand,
he lives nowhere else on the planet.
Along with his many other endemic counterparts,
the Namaqua speckled padloper
is adapted to thrive in this specific environment.
Species in Namaqualand have developed over generations
to ensure that their adaptations
allow them to live in this biome.
Spring here hosts one of the most magnificent
natural transformations the world has to offer.
From desert
to oasis for a short spurt of time each year.
The landscape's polarized existence
is a testament to nature's ability to transform
and adapt.
To this land
of famine,
and feast.
♪
♪♪