Plants
The plants that do best in the Kalahari's harsh conditions tend to be smaller plants such as grasses or the flowering Devil's Claw, which have tubers or corms that remain underground and enable the plant to flourish when water is available. In some areas, larger plants such as the camel thorn and the black thorn -- both species of acacia -- have adapted to the climate. Cacti thrive in the heat due to their ability to store moisture.
Animals
The Kalahari desert is home to many large animals including Kalahari lions, a subspecies of the African lion, cheetahs, leopards, hyenas, giraffes, wild dogs, zebras, impalas, baboons, elephants, desert black rhinos and buffalo. In the south there are large herds of wildebeest, hartebeest, springbok and gemsbok.
The kalahari desert homes many large animals, but there are also many smaller animals that are home to the Kalahari desert. Large colonies of meerkats are found throughout the Kalahari, where they dig underground burrows for protection from both predators and extreme heat. Other small mammals commonly found in the Kalahari Desert include honey badgers, porcupines, aardvarks, warthogs, anteaters, hares, silver and bat-eared foxes and jackals.
The kalahari desert homes many large animals, but there are also many smaller animals that are home to the Kalahari desert. Large colonies of meerkats are found throughout the Kalahari, where they dig underground burrows for protection from both predators and extreme heat. Other small mammals commonly found in the Kalahari Desert include honey badgers, porcupines, aardvarks, warthogs, anteaters, hares, silver and bat-eared foxes and jackals.
There are many reptiles that roam the kalahari desert .Snakes like the venomous puff adder, as well as tiger snakes and Kalahari purple-glossed snakes can be found in the Kalahari, in addition to between 12 and 18 lizard species, including several species of geckos. Amphibians, too, live in this dry environment despite their need for water to reproduce. Frogs make use of the rare rains by reproducing whenever water is available, regardless of the time of year. Some, like the African bullfrog, will completely bury themselves below the sand during dry times of the year cand sustain themselves using moisture from their digestive tracts.