Living in a desert is not a walk in the park. It takes some special designs to cope with high temperatures and hot sand—for example, furry paws in the case of small mammals. Another problem is getting sufficient nourishment and water. Different animals use different strategies—e.g., camels—but one insect in particular has a very special method of collecting water. It’s Stenocara gracilipes, the Namib desert beetle, which ably catches water from thin air! Standing on a ridge of sand, facing the wind, it performs what looks like an attempted handstand. It tilts the bottom part of its body upwards so that its back also faces the wind.
