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Michael Lorentz, who has been leading safaris in Africa since 1985, has seen all the grandeur the bush has to offer, from the great migration to dining with pachyderms. To him however, god dwells in the details as he pays tribute to the little and unexpected things that make Africa unforgettable.
FOR A MIND BLOWING SAFARI EXPERIENCE, THINK TINY
Fog-Basking Beetle
On their first safari, most people want to see fur and fangs. I quite understand that.
But over time, I find that some of the most rewarding safari experiences are in unusual places and with some unexpected species.
The beauty of Namibia is hard to put into words. It’s unlike anywhere else: arid, monochromatic landscapes. Hot, silent, deserts. There’s something epic and vast about it.
In the deserts along the coast, fog is often the only source of water. A morning mist rolls in from the sea and penetrates about 20 kilometers inland.
There’s a species of tenebrionid, the ‘fog-basking’ beetle which climbs to the top of the sand dune in the fog and does a headstand.
Fog condenses and runs down a special groove along the beetle’s body into its mouth. It can take on a third of its body-weight of water in this way.
This adaptation is quite extraordinary. The phenomenal drive that life has to exist never ceases to move and astound me.
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