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.

African Antelope

The antelope family is one of the largest in the animal kingdom. Though antelopes do not exude the sexy aura of the big five lion, elephant, buffalo, leopard and rhino; they are very successful and are fully paid up members of the African wildeness.

Such species are very prolific such as the impala that found on 10.000 species.

The Great Migration of Zebras

The great annual migrations of milllions of zebras, wildbeest and other antelope in East Africa tops alamost every list of safari experiences. When you place your trip, the best time to whitness this wildlife spectacle, where to stay, and when to see it in Kenya and Tanzania. 

Each year around 1.5 milion wilbeest and other 300.000 zebras gether up their young and start their long trek from Tanzania's plains to Kenya's National Reserve.

The Rhebok

Another southern Africa antelope is the rhebok. This medium-sized animal has a long neck, bulbouse nouse and long narrow years which are found only in males.

The rhebok inhabits grasslands and scrub savanna and in a mixed feeder that stays on the higher slopes during the rains.

The dense, wolly coat of rhebok is gray with whitish and lacks any distinguishing markings.

Rhebok are active through the day and night, spending  about 60% thieir time foraging and moving.

The rhebok give births in western Sout Africa and are usually in August.

The Hyenas

The hyena is the Africa's most common large carnivore. Over the years hyenas and humans have into close contact in Africa and, in earlier times, in Asia and in Europe, often leading to mutual predation.

Different from most other animals, female spotted hyenas are dominant over the males. It is difficult to distinguish male and female hyenas by a simple obsevation in the field. 

Spotted hyenas are found in grasslands, woodlands, savannas and forest. The spotted hyenas is a skilfull hunter but also a scavenger. Truly an oportunistic feeder, it selects the easier and most atractive food it may ignore.

Tropical grassland

Tropical grassland include the savanna usually asiocated with Africa and savanna-type grasslands found in India, Australia, Nepal snd the Americand.

They are characterised by drought resistant shrubs and grasses, dotted with trees such as acacias or boabas. 

Seasons here are wet and dry, rather than summer and winter. The plentyful food that springs into life in the wet season drawns and supports huge herds of grating animals, such as the familiar mega-herds of American antilope.

African gazelles

Gazelles are mellow animals with levy horns in the form of lira. Th eGazelles are found on Africa and Asia areas. There are invasive species of gazelles in Australia, too.

The elegant silhouette is found almost at all those species in spite of some size differences. Grant Gazelles si twice bigger than Thomson Gazelles, but both of them are representing the Gazelle species. Gazellas are herbivores animals.

The White Rhinoceros

The White rhinos lives in savanna in the Africa places. The White rhinos is the bigger rhino in the world and the most numerous ethnical from the 5 species of rhinocerus that have been survived till today.

White rhinos live in plain grasses from the Nort-East of Africa. Unlike black rhinos, that lives in darkness savanna, white rhinos is an herbivore animal.

White rhinos are found on savanna grasslands and in the savanna woodlands that have interspersed gressy clearing. Access to water is important because they prefer to drink it daily.

The Gnu Beest

The Gnu animals live in South-Est of Africa, especilly in Kenya and Tanzania from where they migrate in large herds depending on the reason on a long distance. The direction is determined by the smell or by the heathen of the rain.

The Gnu beest live in large herds up to 200 members. The eveness of the rands and the voulnerability of their offspring make from this animals the perfect target for many predators like hyenas, african dogs and even lions.

Varanus Exanthematicus

Varanus of savanna is one of the most intelligence reptiles in the world and it is a great expert from escaping. This type of animal is carnivore. Besides, varanus are considered one of the largest reptile in the world having a lay body covered with thickscale.

Varanus Exanthe maticus can be found on Africa in the tropical savannas but it has been widespreaded all over the world on the Europe country's. This reptile move wisely and quickly being the most intelligent creature on erath.

The Giraffe

This species of mammals is caracterised by long body and a tall neck.. The African giraffes live in the Center of the Africa including Sahara desert.

African giraffe likes to eat Acacia, a tree species that grows in African savanna. Generaly, the giraffe is a finicky animal when it comes to food. Unlike this, a giraffe has problems in eating different food. To drink water or eat grass, a giraffe has to lean very much and to remain in a vulnerable position. Beacuse of its height, a giraffe sees everything from the top.

The Leopard, an Impressive Cat

The leopard lives in Africa and part of Asia. It is able to adapt to different habitats but only if there is enough food. African leopard lives in plain areas or desert. The most appreciate habitat is the forest. Leopard use the trees to defebd itslf or to mark the area. African leopard is the most impressive cat, it has speed and elenance and force together. 

It si pretty fast buut it doesnțt reach more then 65 km/h. Its arm is speed to hunt the food. The african leopard has spotted fur to camuflate on the grass.

Lions

The lion is the powerful predator from the savanna. Lions live in the savanna of Soth Africa  and a small area in Asia. Lions are the only cats tat live in grups called prides. Each pride is like a community of 4 to 40 individuals. They help each other to tunh in order to keep every member healthly and every cub fed.

The pride is made up of one dominant male and maybe a few another males. The mail preotect the pride and the females during they are hunting.

Nile Crocodile

The Nile Crocodile can grow to 5 meters in long. They have long snouts that can grab fish and turtles. They are dark olive in color. 

Nile Crocodiles are the most intelligent reptiles on the erath. They live in freshwater swamps, rivers, lakes and other watery places. They dig dens to hide in from hot weather or deangers. They are only found in Africa and Madagascar.

Chacma Baboon

Baboons live mostly in the African woodlans savanna and highland grasslans. They never wonder far from trees or a source of water.

Baboons are the savanna's version of the monkey and are the largest member of the monkay family. Unlike monkey, baboons do not like in trees. They spand most their time on the ground. The only time they go into trees is to escape from predators, get food or spend the night.

Baboons live in groups knowns asa troops. Each troop consist of a dominant male and female and other adult male and females and the offspring, too.

Grant's Zebra

The zebra is considerated the horse of the savanna. Grant's Zebra is the most abundant of the 3 species of zebra. The zebra look like a horse but smaller. When a zebra is attacked by a predator, it has several ways to defend itself. If they see a predator, the herd will brunch together and it won't be able to tell one zebra from another. Or a herd may run away. The zebra's mai predators re hyenas and lions. It is easy to seea zebra in the middle of the gressland because of its black and white stripes, but the stripes actuallly confuse a predator.

African Wild Dog

The African Wild Dog lives in grasslands, savannas snd open woodlands of Eastern and Southern Africa. They are found in the African plains; they do not live in jungle area. They also live in parts of Namibia, Bostwana, Mozambique and in the Soth of Africa.

Their fur is colored with red, brown, blak, yellow and areas. The African wild dog has short fur. The African wild dog si not in competition with hyenas and jackals for food because they are not scavengers. They prey on medium sized gazelles and antelopes and are not in competition with lions for larger pray. Their only predators are humans.

Black Mamba

The Black Mamba is the most deadly snake in the world. They grow 14 feet in lengt. The Black Mumba is not actaly bleack. They have a brownish-grey body with a light balley and brownish-scales along its back. The black term comes from his thumb. 

The Black Mumba lives in South Africa. They like open, low habitats such as savannas, rocky places or open woodland. They are mostly active during the day. They often sleep in hollow trees or empty termite mounds and will come back to the same place every night.

African Elephant

African elephants, also known as the savanna elephants, are the largest land animal in the world. African elephants live on the savannas of Africa. There are two species of the eephants in Africa : the savanna elephant and the forest elephant.

The African elephant's size makes them gard for predators to eat such leopards, lions or jaguar. At night, the adults from circle around the caves to protect them from danger.