Geckos and Scorpions

The desert is always a great place to look at small thing, especially small reptiles and so on. However, as we approach winter the smaller wildlife component becomes a little harder to find. This is largely because most of them are cold blooded animals and so they are less active on the cooler nights.

Tonight on our night drive back to the lodge we were luck to see both a pair of fighting Giant Ground Geckos and a scorpion. The reason they were out is because of east winds. East wind is generated in the Namib after the air in the interior starts to become cooler than the air over the coast. This cold air starts to descend and warms as it increases the pressure over the desert. So it can mean strong winds, but usually also mean some warmer afternoons and the benefit of seeing wildlife usually confined to summer nights.

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