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Zebras thrive among the “fairy circles” of grass on the edge of the Namib Desert. The cause of these grassy circles is still debated, but recent research suggests that the seemingly orderly arrays are actually the result of territorial tensions between adjacent colonies of termites and complicated relationships between grass species. The grasses benefit to some extent from shade thrown by neighboring plants but, in dry conditions, also compete for scant water. Comparable patterns are found in parched landscapes in Australia, Brazil, Kenya, Mozambique, and the US state of Arizona. NamibRand Nature Reserve, Namibia.

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©2004 George Steinmetz
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The Human Planet
Zebras thrive among the “fairy circles” of grass on the edge of the Namib Desert. The cause of these grassy circles is still debated, but recent research suggests that the seemingly orderly arrays are actually the result of territorial tensions between adjacent colonies of termites and complicated relationships between grass species. The grasses benefit to some extent from shade thrown by neighboring plants but, in dry conditions, also compete for scant water. Comparable patterns are found in parched landscapes in Australia, Brazil, Kenya, Mozambique, and the US state of Arizona. NamibRand Nature Reserve, Namibia.

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