Kalahari Desert Ecosystem

Show the amazing animals and plants of Africa's Kalahari Desert with our paper model!

The southern Kalahari is a large sandy desert in southern Africa. It contains many thousands of salt pans and miles of red sand dunes. The word Kalahari means great thirst. It does not rain for months at a time. Animals and plants that live there must be adapted to the arid and hot conditions found there.

Our model shows some of the biodiversity in the Kalahari desert, their adaptations, their interactions and how they depend upon one another for survival.

Buy once, print forever!

First, your students make their model using the colourful parts. Then, they use it to look at how organisms are adapted to survive in the Kalahari Desert. Next, they learn about ecosystems, habitats, consumers and producers, food chains, food webs and energy pyramids for this ecosystem.

Plants & animals modelled include: meerkat, caracal, black-backed jackal, African wild dog, gemsbok, common eland, springbok, lions, cheetah, brown hyena, blue wildebeest (gnu), aardvark, African crested porcupine, puff adder, leopard tortoise, giant African millipede, ground pangolin, honey badger, common ostrich, Kori bustard, camel thorn tree, bushman raisin tree, Kalahari melon, Kalahari dune grass and more!

Includes colourful classroom Powerpoint presentation!

Takes 15-20 minutes for a group of 4 students to make the model.

Dimensions: 53cm x 33cm x 18cm / 21in x 13in x 7in

Download includes: Colour and black-and-white templates, plus a classroom PowerPoint with background science and assembly instructions.

All you need: Paper, scissors and tape.