Surviving on the Savanna

Animals in savannas have different adptations for survivals. Some migrate to the places of plenty food and water. There are herbivores that graze ( feed on growing grass) such as zebras and those that feed on leaves from shribs and trees, such as giraffes. These animals have little protective covering in the open grasslands, but some are protected by the camouflage such as mice whose brown color blends in with the yellowish brown dried grass and shadows of its environment.

The Plants adapted to the climate, too

Plants of the savanna are highly specialised to grow in this environment of long periods of drought. They have long top roots that can reach the deep water table, thick bork to resist annual fires, trucks taht can store water and leaves that drop of during the winter to conserve water.

The grasses leave adaptations that discourage anumals from grazing on them. Some grasses are too sharp or biter to taste for some animals but not others to eat.

The side benefit of this is that every species of animal has something to eat. Different species will also eat different part of the grass. Many grasses grow from the bottom up, so that the grouth tissue doesn't damaged by grasses.

Baobab, the tree of life

Baobabs are not actually a normal tree but a knot of trees tall like churches. Baobabs grow in Africa and their hight reach between 5 and 30 meters tall and with a trunk in diameter that riches between 7 and 11 meters. 

In South Africa exists a single baobab species, the biggest from all that  riches 40 meters in diameter.

It is believed that baobabs live thousand years, a difficult things to prove because the baobabs don't have grouth rings like other trees.

Animals Lived in Savanna

A savanna is a hot, seasonally dry grassland with scattered trees. This environment is intermediate between grassland and  a forest. Savannas are located in the dry tropics and the subtropics, often bordering a rain forest. Saanna have an extended dry season and a rainy season.

The animals thet live in here adopted to a great deal of variability in the food supply during a year.

There are time of plenty and time of almost no fod or water during the dry season. Many savanna animals migrate to deal with this problem. Savannas are located in Africa, Madagascar and Australia zone.

The Nyala

The Nyala is another antilope species whose distribution is confined to southern Africa. It belongs to the antelope tribe called tragelophines which includes the bulshbuck, kudu and dand. They have spiral horns with vertical stripes and the males are markedly different from females in body form and structure.

The Nyala's preffered habitats is riverside thickets, dense brush and friges of forest.

The kudu

The kudu is especially noted for its spectacular spiral horn which give the animal a rahter solid appearance. In the greater kudu, horns are used as musical instruments and symbolic ritual objects. If you see the kudu's horns, you'll understand why some cultures take them as a symbol of male patency.

Predators of the greater kudu generally consist of lions, leopards and hunting dogs. Altough cheetahs also pray on grater kudus, they are unable to bring down a mature male, so usully go for the more vulnerable females and offpring.

The Hartebeest

The hartebeest is another species widely found in southern Africa. Among antelopes, it is one of the fastest and most resisten runners. This gift comes in very handy, but it is very sedentary and therefore easy to hunt. The heartebeest si relatively large and full grown adult reaches 160 kg. They live in open plains and small groups of between 5 and 12 members, most mature males are solitary.