In the hyper;.uid Namib desert. anim::d:::: face welter- and food-:-;burtage::; coupled with heat. Some ecophysiological and phy::;wlogic::d bctor:-; tho.r enable anim::ds to exist in the Namib have been exammed by the Desert Reseo.rch Foundation of Namibia (DRFNJ and its affiliates during the po.st 40 years. The main findings are reviewed here. They include the physiological tolerance of desiccation and osmotic stress. non conventional methods of acquiring free water from fog o.nd from humid air. soil moisture and metabolic water. F urther investigations concerned the reduction of water loss through cuticulae respiratory and excretory processes. the selection of tolerable microclimatic conditions.