:10:07
A cozy little community
where you can raise a contented family.
:10:25
But sometimes tragedy strikes.
:10:27
Once in a long while, a dewdrop
will hang in just the right spot...
:10:31
...at the right time, to focus the sun's rays
on the dry, combustible thatch.
:10:50
In a few minutes, the flames destroy
a hundred years' work...
:10:54
...and bring grief to many families.
:11:07
The vast White Namib
is only a narrow band...
:11:10
...on the map of the immense
African continent...
:11:12
...but it's gradually encroaching
deeper and deeper inland...
:11:15
...creating a region of scrubby growth
and very little grass:
:11:19
The Pre-Namib, where
the dainty springbok roam.
:11:24
This used to be lush grassland,
but for the past 10,000 years...
:11:28
...the Pre-Namib has been slowly drying out,
and the animals and plants that live here...
:11:33
...have to adapt to a climate
where the rainfall...
:11:36
...gets less and less
as the years pass.
:11:42
Some plants have adapted magnificently
to the challenge of the changing climate.
:11:46
Stapelia flowers, for instance...
:11:48
...had to evolve a way
of getting pollinated...
:11:51
...in a region where there are no bees.
:11:53
So instead of emitting
a pretty smell to entice bees...
:11:56
...they put out a powerful stench
like a rotting carcass...
:11:59
...and this attracts the blue fly,
who likes smelly meat.