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Stenocara gracilipes is a species of beetle that is native to the Namib Desert in southern Africa. This is one of the most arid areas of the world, receiving only 1.4 centimetres (0.55 in) of rain per year. The beetle is able to survive by collecting water on its bumpy back surface from early morning fogs.
Due to the large variety of darkling beetle species in the Namib Desert, different beetles from the region have been confused with each other. Such is the case with Onymacris unguicularis and Stenocara gracilipes, which in non-scientific literature have both been called the “fog-basking beetle.”
The Toktokkie beetles have specific behaviors that allow them to survive in arid environments like the Namib Desert. Most of the beetles perform “headstands” to obtain moisture from the fog that rolls in from the Atlantic Ocean. Toktokkies time their movements around the fog, which usually rolls in during the late evening and early morning.
Physosterna cribripes, the desert toktokkie or woestyntoktokkie, is a flightless species of desert-dwelling darkling beetle or Tenebrionid found along the West coast of Namibia and Angola. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] This species has a body length of some 18.4 mm (0.72 in) and a mass of 402 mg (6.20 gr).
Darkling beetle is the common name for members ... Some species live in intensely dry deserts such as the Namib, ... are well known as "pinacate beetles" or "desert ...
Gemsbok Plains zebra Kirk's dik-dik Springbok antelope Wildebeest African buffalo Ground pangolin Namib Desert beetle High dunes in the Namib Desert. The wildlife of Namibia is composed of its flora and fauna. Namibia's endangered species include the wild dog, black rhino, oribi and puku.
Individuals in the wild are usually found gorged to the limit; an adult has an average of 12 meals a day, each meal usually consisting of about 19-23 large darkling beetles. This is a reflection of food in the Namib Desert being highly abundant and constantly available; a condition that is difficult to replicate in captivity.
The Namib (/ ˈ n ɑː m ɪ b / NAH-mib; [1] Portuguese: Namibe) is a coastal desert in Southern Africa.According to the broadest definition, the Namib stretches for more than 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) along the Atlantic coasts of Angola, Namibia, and northwest South Africa, extending southward from the Carunjamba River in Angola, through Namibia and to the Olifants River in Western Cape ...