Mysterious 'fairy Circles' Of The Namib Desert!

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[color=#000000][font=verdana, sans-serif][size=4][color=green][i][b]Mysterious 'Fairy Circles' of the Namib Desert[/b][/i][/color][/size][/font][/color]

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Mysterious Rings Fairy circles are circular patches of perennial grasses with a barren center that emerge in the deserts along the southwest coast of Africa. Dotting the Namibian deserts, these rings can persist for decades and occur in regular patterns. Now, research detailed in the March 29, 2013, issue of the journal Science suggests a species of sand termite (Psammotermes) may be the artists behind the grassy artwork.

Here, numerous tracks of Oryx antelopes crossing fairy circles in an interdune pan, shown in this aerial view of Namibrand, Namibia.

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Baby Rings A shot out of the open door of a plane showing fully developed "adult" fairy circles, with a few newly established "babies" developing in the interspace between the old ones. (Aerial view of Namibrand, Namibia.)

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Filling in the Gaps Fairy circles in the Marienfluss Valley, Kaokoveld, Namibia, where desert grassland transitions to Mopane savanna. Fairy circles seem to be gaps in the grassland.

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Mature Circle A fully developed fairy circle with a green perennial belt (living grass plants) and a yellowish matrix (dead short-lived plants), both formed by the same species of grass (Stipagrostis ciliate). Image of Farm Dieprivier / Namib Desert Lodge, Namibia.

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Grassy Food In a normal dry year only the perennial belt of the fully developed fairy circles provides biomass for herbivores at Giribesvlakte, Namibia.

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On the Edge The Marienfluss Valley, Kaokoveld, Namibia in a dry year: Plant biomass for herbivores is mainly found at the margin of the fairy circles.

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Fairy Circle Evolution The smallest are about 6.5 feet (2 meters) in diameter, while the largest can be almost 40 feet (12 m) across. Eventually, plants move back in, re-colonizing the circles and leaving only slightly indented "ghost circles" behind.[/b][/color][/size][/font][/color]