There is much talk about Africa’s ‘Big 5’ but what about Namibia’s ‘Little 5’?  A Namibia Safari will also highlight the Namib Dune Gecko, Namaqua Chameleon, Sidewinder Snake, Shovel-Snouted Lizard and Cartwheeling Spider are all little locals who have come up with some amazing, and truly unique, ways to survive the blistering desert landscape.

Namib Dune Gecko

This brightly colored gecko can be found scurrying throughout the dunes of the Namib Desert on webbed feet, perfectly designed to handle the shifting sands.  The gecko’s colorful appearance is due, in part, from its nearly transparent skin making its blood vessels visible on the outside. The little gecko is nocturnal, preferring to stay out of the scorching heat during the daylight hours, and collects water from their diet consisting of crickets, beetles and termites.   Lacking eyelids to protect their large, bulging eyeballs the Dune Gecko keeps their eyes clean by licking with their tongue.

Namaqua Chameleon

Found in western parts of Namibia, the Namaqua is one of the fastest types of Chameleons, using their speed in the morning hours to hunt.  Commonly black, the Namaqua Chameleon will lighten in color as the sun rises and the heat increases to help stay cool; however if threatened or nervous they will quickly turn black again!  The Namaqua’s relentless hunt for insects is also helped by their incredible line of vision; each eye can see 180 degrees independently.

Sidewinder Snake

This petit endemic snake is only an average of 30 centimeters (almost 12 inches) and takes its name from the way it moves.  Sidewinding is created when the body follows the head jumping forward lifting the body from one position, to the same slightly forward.  This type of movement allows the snake to move along the slippery desert surface, although constantly at an angle, and keep most of its body off the sands to avoid overheating.

Shovel-Snouted Lizard

This endemic lizard roams the Namib Desert during the day, taking refuge in the sand if the sun becomes too overwhelming.  The Shovel-Snouted Lizard dances across the Desert keeping the front two feet in the air and skipping along the sands with the bottom two feet; this peculiar looking move keeps the lizard from receiving too much heat from the desert sands.

Cartwheeling Spider

Endemic to the Namib dune belt this spider is also known as the Dancing White Lady Spider.  Keeping mostly to the dunes this spider is nocturnal and hunts for insects.  Its main predator is the gecko and when threatened the Cartwheeling Spider will curl into a ball and roll down the slope of the dune (at up to 44 rolls per second!) landing at the bottom with four legs up in the air ready to attack any foolish predators.

My personal favorite is the Namib Dune Gecko, what is yours?

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