The saline conditions of the pans themselves have a strong local influence on their surrounding vegetation. Broadly speaking this becomes richer and more diverse the further you travel from the pan edges, creating a loose concentric series of 'succession' zones, each of which supports a distinctive fauna. These zones effectively chart the gradual demise of the ancient super-lake.

Flora

There is no plant life on the surface of the pans, since nothing can tolerate the excessively high concentration of mineral salts, and wind erosion scours the exposed dusty surface, quickly denuding it of any vegetation that tries to take hold. The immediate fringes are carpeted with more-or-less uninterrupted grassland, consisting primarily of Digitarias species, which can survive despite the irregular herd movements. Between the pans can also be found patches of prickly salt grass (Odyssea paucinervis), a yellowish, spiky species that tolerates high salinity (salt crystals can sometimes be seen on the leaves).

Summer rains bring lush growth to the grasses, which flower in a wind-rippled sea of green. Then you'll also see a scattering of short-lived wild flowers bloom among the grasses, including crimson lilies, acanthus and wild hibiscus (Hibiscus calyphyllus). In areas of thicker sand ridges, the runners of the tsama melon (Citrullus lanatus) sprawls across the sand, its swollen fruit providing life-sustaining moisture for a myriad of animals, from gerbils to gemsbok. In winter, cropped and shrivelled, the grasses are reduced to a sparse golden mantle over the dusty plains, scattering their seeds to the wind.

Here and there, small hollows in the rolling grassland trap windblown detritus, creating pockets of richer soil that support scattered trees and shrubs. The commonest trees are various acacia species, such as the umbrella thorn (Acacica tortillas) which, with their fine leaves for minimizing water loss and wicked thorns to deter browsers, are ideally suited to survive this arid environment. The hardy camelthorn (Acacia erioloba) thrives in areas of deeper sand, often in an almost lifeless state of disintegration, by tapping deep reserves of ground water with its long roots.

The shepherd's tree (Boscia albitrunca) with its distinct white trunk and dense, invaluable shade, is another versatile pioneer of sandy Kalahari soils. The grasslands are studded with stands of fan palms (Hyphaenea petersiana), with their hard, cricket-ball sized fruit known as vegetable ivory. Thick groves of this elegant tree occur beyond the northwest shores of Ntwetwe Pan and along the Maun-Nata road.

In the far northeast of Sua Pan, the seasonal Nata River spreads out into a small delta formation which is quite different to the rest of the region. Here there's a band of tall dry riverine forest along the banks of the Nata, and a thickening of the ground cover lining the braided channels. Phragmites reeds thrive in the brackish conditions here, and when this delta is in flood the area can seem quite lush.

Further from the pans, the grassland gives way to a denser bush. To the east, a mixed sand and clay soil supports a greater variety of woodland trees, including tamboti (Spirostachys Africana), marula (Scleoroclarya birrea) and monkey thorn (Acacia galpinii), while a belt of mopane woodland (Colophospermum mopane) also grows in the more heavily clayey soil around Nata and along the eastern boundary of Sua Pan.

The mighty baobabs (Adansonia digitata) are perhaps the region's best known and most easily identified trees. These grotesque, drought-resistant giants occur scattered around the pans and on isolated rock outcrops such as Kubu Island, where they have stood as landmarks for millennia. The swollen trunks of many are engraved with the signatures of generations of thirsty travellers. Among the baobabs on Kubu some other more unusual species take advantage of this rocky, island niche, including the African star-chestnut (Sterculia Africana) and common corkwood (Commiphora pyracanthoides).

Mammals

Large mammals are scarce around the pans. This is partly because of the hostile nature of the terrain, partly because this is cattle ranching country, where wild animals have been marginalised by the activities of people. and partly because of the destructive effect that veterinary control fences have had on animal migration patterns.

There is no doubt that cattle fences to the south have had a significant impact on the populations of herbivores, and especially the blue wildebeest. Now blue wildebeest are seldom seen around Sua Pan and certainly not in the vast herds that built up during the 1950s, when populations were estimated to peak at about 250,000.

Today a permanent scattering of springbok inhabit the surrounding grasslands. These hardy and versatile antelope manage without water for long periods, and withstand the harshest daytime temperatures by orientating their white rumps towards the sun to deflect the worst of its ultraviolet rays.

Other large mammals are thin on the ground, being more abundant towards the west of Ntwetwe and the adjacent grazing grounds of Makgadikgadi Pans National Park. However, a scrutiny of the pan surface can reveals the tracks of a surprising range of visitors, including rare (perhaps lost?) wandering elephants or giraffe. Zebra and gemsbok are sometimes seen trekking wearily through the heat haze as they cross the pans between grazing areas, while red hartebeest are frequent visitors to the grasslands, where they can subsist on poorer grasses than many species.

The encrusted tracks of lion or cheetah sometimes appear on the pan surface, particularly towards the west, but the comparative lack of large herbivores means that larger predators are scarce, and a wandering lion is apt to be shot by cattle ranchers. More common are the smaller nocturnal carnivores that can survive the harsh conditions and thrive on smaller pickings.

Brown hyena inhabit the area, and a habituated clan of these elusive predators may be observed at close quarters from Jack's Camp, on the western shores of Ntwetwe, where they have been studied by zoologists. Their catholic diet includes tsama melons and ostrich eggs, as well as spring hares, young springbok, smaller mammals and carrion.

Black-backed jackal, bat-eared fox and African wildcat are widespread, while yellow mongoose is common in sandy areas, where it is an accomplished killer of scorpions. At night, a legion of smaller mammals moves out across the grasslands. Spring hares thrive on damaged grassland and are common around villages, where up to 60 may occur per hectare. Their eyes shine brightly in torchlight, and casting a beam around your campsite will usually reveal at least one foraging nearby.

Aardvarks are found (though seldom seen) in open areas with plenty of termites, scrub hares hide up in acacia thickets, and porcupines occur anywhere. Acacias provide shelter for lesser bushbabies, which feed on their gum during winter when insects are less abundant. This diminutive, nocturnal primate performs astonishing leaps from tree to tree and seldom comes to the ground, progressing on its hind legs in huge hops when it does. Common rodents include typical Kalahari species such as ground squirrel, Damara mole rat, hairy-footed gerbil and black-tailed tree rat.

Spring hares
The spring hare is actually a true rodent, and not a hare at all. Weighing about 3kg, this bizarre animal looks like a cross between a rabbit and a kangaroo, with its long ears and thick black-tipped tail. It progresses in ambling hops on long hind legs, with forelegs clasped in front and tail balanced behind.

Spring hares live in burrows by day, in which they doze off upright, having plugged the hole with dirt. By night they graze on grass and crops, and dig for roots, corms and tubers. This animal is a prized delicacy for many nocturnal predators, including owls, honey badgers and caracals. It also figures prominently on the local human menu. It has been estimated that over 2.5 million spring hares are hunted annually in Botswana – hooked out of their holes during the day – providing the protein equivalent of 20,000 cows.