KALAHARI DESERT

The Quiver Tree Forest (Kokerboom Woud in Afrikaans) is a forest and a well-known tourist attraction of southern Namibia. It comprises about 250 specimens of Aloe dichotoma, a species of aloe that is also locally known as "quiver tree" (Afrikaans: kokerboom) because bushmen use its branches to make quivers. The forest is spontaneous; the tallest quiver trees are two to three centuries old.

Aloe dichotoma, also known as quiver tree or kokerboom, is a species of aloe indigenous to Southern Africa, specifically in the Northern Cape region of South Africa, and parts of Southern Namibia. Known as Choje to the indigenous San people, the quiver tree gets its name from their practice of hollowing out the tubular branches of Aloe dichotoma to form quivers for their arrows

Meerkats (also called suricates) work together in numbers. A few will typically serve as lookouts, watching the skies for birds of prey, such as hawks and eagles, that can snatch them from the ground. A sharp, shrill call is the signal for all to take cover.

A group of meerkats is called a "mob", "gang" or "clan". A meerkat clan often contains about 20 meerkats, but some super-families have 50 or more members. In captivity, meerkats have an average life span of 12–14 years, and about half this in the wild.

The name Cape ground squirrel is somewhat misleading as it actually has a much wider area of habitation. This common name may have been arrived as to distinguish it from a tree squirrel (the Eastern Grey Squirrel) found around Cape Town

The ground squirrels are members of the squirrel family of rodents (Sciuridae) which generally live on or in the ground, rather than trees. The term is most often used for the medium-sized ground squirrels, as the larger ones are more commonly known as marmots (genus Marmota) or prairie dogs, while the smaller and less bushy-tailed ground squirrels tend to be known as chipmunks. Together, they make up the "marmot tribe" of squirrels.

When a mother lioness has to leave her cubs to go hunting, another lioness in the pride will babysit them while she’s away. It’s called a crèche; just like the one you may have gone to when you were little.

Your first encounter with the legendary black-maned lions of the Kalahari will be unforgettable. You’ll find them in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, the Kalahari Desert conservation area that links South Africa, Botswana and Namibia. Did you know? The Kalahari Desert is where the popular TV series 'Meerkat Manor' was filmed You'll need to visit the Kalahari to see the legendary black-maned lions and the best place to find these awesome beasts is in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, in South Africa's southwest corner.

Red hartebeest (Alcelaphus buselaphus caama) getting ready to take a dust bath at sunset

Most of the Kalahari is covered by sand dunes and it is here that the majority of cheetahs are to be found. Springbok are all but absent from the dunes, but the diminutive (10-12kg) and cryptic steenbok are widespread and the keystone prey species for female cheetahs.

Wildebeest: - Can live to be 40 years old - Migrate close to 1000 miles each year - Can run up to 40 miles per hour

Lions in the Kgalagadi have incredibly large home ranges. The average home range size is between 1462 ± 388 km². The largest home range size of a lion pride in the Kgalagadi is 4532 km². They have large home ranges because of the relatively low prey densities of this typical Kalahari ecosystem.