The Kalahari basin is teeming with invertebrates, in years when it rains sufficiently, during the rainy season, swarms of locusts spill over the prairies; moreover it is possible to witness the mass migrations of the butterflies.

The countless termites demolish and take away the dead vegetation on the ground; these tiny insects are essential for the ecosystem of the Makgadikgadi Pan, not only because they fertilize the soil and clean it, but also because they are the prey of many animals, from the aardvarks to the steppe eagles, from the skinks to the spiders, living in this territory that, without the termites, would not be able to survive.

In the Makgadikgadi Pans, in Botswana, there are 14 species of termites, each of them has a different way to nourish and nest: the harvester termites nest in the underground tunnels; while the odontoterme termites build huge mounds of land, that can be seen at a distance, these anthills are a true work of engineering.

Among the many insects present in this area there is the wingless tenebrionid beetle, that usually runs fast on the surface of the ground, using its long legs, it also secretes a harmful fluid to defend itself from those who attack it.

Easier to spot, thanks to its size, is the dung beetle, often you can see it swarm over the fresh dung of the animals, or while creating balls of dung and then be able to carry them, making them roll with its powerful hind legs; the dung beetle uses dung to lay its eggs and grow its larvae.

In the hot summer days from the bushes you can hear the shrill calls of the cicadas; adults have only two weeks of their lives to mate and to lay their eggs after spending more than 17 years in the larva state.

Termites and other insects are an important food source for predatory invertebrates, such as spiders and scorpions.

The Ammoxenidae or sand divers are small and move very fast, they manage to paralyze the termites with their poison; if they are disturbed they hide in the sand.

The Nephila or golden orbweb spider is a large spider, that weaves a very resistant canvas among the branches of the bushes to capture flying insects.

The sun-spider or solifuge, unlike all other spiders, is not poisonous and usually catches its prey by running at high speed on the ground and then grabbing it with its huge jaws; sometimes it is possible to sight it at night near the fire.

The scorpions are able to identify their prey through their vibrations that they can perceive thanks to the hairs they have on their body.
Scorpions that have large forceps and a thinner tail, even if they seem more threatening, are less poisonous; while those that have finer pincers and a more massive tail are much more poisonous.