Namib Desert darkling beetles (Onymacris unguicularis) capture water droplets from fog using a highly specialized behavior called “fog basking”. This has applications in biomimetics (the study of biology‐inspired technology, which can be utilized to solve complex human problems). In short, synthetic surfaces that mimic the external texture of fog‐dependent organisms can be used to extract water from the atmosphere, thereby helping to address the critical and growing human demand for water in arid regions.

In April 2019, my colleagues and I visited a site within the Namib Sand Sea approximately 18.7 km due east of the Atlantic seaboard, near Walvis Bay. At the time, heavy fog was being carried over the dunes by a westerly breeze. Near the base of a large sand dune, we encountered several clumps of dune grass (Stipagrostis sabulicola) and observed many Namib Desert weevils (Leptostethus marginatus) clinging head‐down about halfway up the grass stems. All of the weevils had drops of water collecting within the pits on their wing cases and thoraxes from the fog.

The surface architecture of the weevils, characterized by concave impressions of pits and grooves, is nearly opposite from that of the darkling beetles, distinguished by bumpy convex features. This observation could stimulate biomimetic research and further advances in developing artificial surfaces that can capture water from atmospheric sources.

纳米布沙漠黑甲虫（Onymacris unguicularis）使用一种高度专业化的行为称为“雾bas”，从雾中捕获水滴。这在仿生学中有应用（对生物学启发技术的研究，可用于解决复杂的人类问题）。简而言之，模仿雾依赖生物的外部质地的合成表面可用于从大气中提取水，从而有助于解决干旱地区人类日益增长的关键性水需求。

2019年4月，我和我的同事们参观了纳米比沙海内一个地点，该地点位于沃尔维斯湾附近大西洋海岸以东约18.7公里处。当时，一阵微风吹着大雾笼罩着沙丘。在一个大沙丘的底部附近，我们遇到了几团沙丘草（Stipagrostis sabulicola），并观察到许多纳米布沙漠象鼻虫（Leptostethus marginatus）在草茎的中部向下垂着。所有的象鼻虫的机翼外壳上的凹坑内都积有水滴，而雾气则造成了胸腔积水。

象鼻虫的表面结构以凹坑和凹槽的凹痕为特征，与黑甲虫的表面结构几乎相反，以凹凸不平的凸出特征为特征。这一观察结果可能会刺激仿生研究，并在开发可以捕获大气中水的人工表面方面取得进一步进展。