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MS Science-Biomes and Ecosystems: Savanna

Introduction

These tree-studded grasslands receive enough seasonal rainfall so that trees can grow in open groups or singly throughout. The animals living here have long legs for escaping predators and usually are seen in herds. A combination of fire and grazing animals are important for maintaining the savannah.

The Diverse Savanna

Savannas are home to a wide diversity of animals. The largest land mammal can be found there. So can the most deadly snake (the black mamba). The savanna is most popular to herbivores, which can dine on the diverse grasses found there during the wet season. There are more than 40 species of hoofed mammals living in the savannas.

How do they do this without reducing the plant supply? Well, each different mammal has its own preference for grass, allowing up to 16 different species of grazers to live together at one time.

Just like you prefer different foods than your friends, grazers, like antelopes, zebras and buffalo, eat different grasses and trees. This can be caused by the height of the plant (what other animal can reach the tops of the trees like a giraffe?), but it can also be caused by the plants themselves. Some plants produce chemicals that make them taste bad to some animals but not others. This allows the animals to live in harmony without depleting their food supply.

Leo panthera serengeti

 Because there are so many plant eaters, there are also lots of predators. Lions, cheetahs and leopards can all be found co-existing in African savannas.

You can also find jackals, hyenas and predatory birds. While they do compete for food, some of them survive the same way the grazers do – preying on different types of food. For example, the type of grazers a pride of lions can bring down is very different than what a lone cheetah might try to hunt.

https://askabiologist.asu.edu/animals-savanna

Savanna Grassland Biome Facts

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Savannahs

Animals in the Savannas | University of California-Santa Barbara

dANIMALS: There are many different types of animals that live in the savanna. The species found in savannas vary by the geographic location of the biome. Animals native to African savannas include African elephants, zebras, horses, and giraffes. Many animals in the savanna are herbivores, which means they eat plants, and there is plenty of grass in the savanna. During the rainy months animals thrive in the savanna, but the rainy season is only half the year. During the dry season, surface water from the rain is quickly absorbed into the ground by thirsty soils. The competition for water during the dry season is so intense that most birds and many of the large mammals migrate elsewhere in search of water. Depending on the severity of the drought, the migration may be to a place nearby, or far away. The dry season is often associated with fires. Many insects with short life spans die in these fires, but the birds and larger animals are usually able to fly or run to safety. Although small burrowing animals probably can’t outrun the flames, they often survive the fire by digging deep into the ground and remaining there until the flames are gone. Some birds, such as the Fork-tailed Drongos, don’t flee the fires; they actually fly to the fires. For these birds fire means dinner. They eat the fleeing or flame-roasted insects.

http://kids.nceas.ucsb.edu/biomes/savanna.html

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