A Welwitschia looks very odd. It has only two leaves, but over many centuries those leaves grow and split and curl until the plant looks like a tangled pile of leathery ribbons. Some Welwitschia plants alive today started growing more than 1,500 years ago - when people in Europe were still living in the Middle Ages.
The Namib Desert along Angola's southern coast is cool compared to most deserts because the cold Benguela ocean current flows just offshore. Thick fog rolls in from the sea most mornings, and many animals and plants - including the Welwitschia - collect this fog as their main source of water. The plant's leaves have tiny pores that gather moisture right out of the air.
The Namib is also home to strange beetles that do 'fog-basking' - they stand on their heads so water droplets roll down their bodies and into their mouths. Sidewinder snakes, oryx antelopes and even spotted hyenas have all learned to survive in this foggy desert world.