The daily movements of the desert-dwelling elephants, Loxodonta africana, residing in the extremely arid northern Namib Desert region of Namibia are discussed. The mean distance moved in a 12-h period during 1981 and 1982 was 12,9 km (range of 4 to 38 km). Distances moved in the wet season were shortest and gradually increased during the cold dry season to reach a maximum during the hot dry season. The daily distances moved were apparently affected by the quality of the available vegetation (food) and the proximity of water-holes to such vegetation which in turn were determined by the amount of rainfall and the occurrence of riverfloods. The overall mean distance of 27,5 km travelled in 24 h is further than that of other elephants studied thus far. The ability of the desert-dwelling elephants to travel such long distances regularly is regarded as one of the important elements in their survival. During the 1981 drought the desert-dwelling elephants' ability to range over long distances between available food and water resources resulted in a better survival during the drought than that of most other large mammals in the desert.