What is a Savanna? 2

A savanna is a rolling grassland scattered with shrubs and isolated trees, which can be found between a tropical rainforest and desert biome. Not enough rain falls on a savanna to support forests. Savannas are also known as tropical grasslands. They are found in a wide band on either side of the equator on the edges of tropical rainforests.

http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/savanna_australia.htm

Why do you think savannas are called tropical grasslands when they barely get any rain?

Savannas

There are several different types of savannas around the world. The savannas we are most familiar with are the East African savannas covered with acacia trees. The Serengeti Plains of Tanzania are some of the most well known. Here animals like lions, zebras, elephants, and giraffes and many types of ungulates(animals with hooves) graze and hunt. Many large grass-eating mammals (herbivores) can survive here because they can move around and eat the plentiful grasses. There are also lots of carnivores (meat eaters) who eat them in turn.

The savanna has a large range of highly specialized plants and animals. They all depend on the each other to keep the environment in balance. There are over 40 different species of hoofed mammals that live on the savannas of Africa. Up to 16 different species of browsers (those who eat leaves of trees) and grazers can coexist in one area. They do this by having their own food preferences, browsing/grazing at different heights, time of day or year to use a given area, and different places to go during the dry season.

http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/savanna.htm

What are the different types of eaters that live in this savanna?

Video of Savannas

What is one thing that you learned  from this video?

Plant? Animals? What are they?

Different combinations of grass and trees in tropical grasslands produce four main types of habitat. Close to deserts there is grassland savanna with very few trees. Parkland savanna is where trees cover 10 percent of the area. Thick savanna has from 10 to 50 percent of area covered by trees. Savanna has from 10 to 50 percent of the area covered by trees. Savanna woodland is in the wetter areas, where trees cover 50 to 90 percent of the area.
Grasses are up to twelve feet tall in the wetter areas, and only three feet in the drier areas. Grasses in tropical grasslands are taller than temperate grasslands because the climate is warmer throughout the year.
Tropical grassland plants have adapted to seasonal drought, some trees, like acacias, have small, thorny leaves to reduce water loss. Eucalyptus tress that are located in Australia have leaves that feel leathery for the same reason.

Why do you think savannas have so much grass contained?

Elephant Grass

Elephant grass is a tall grass that originally came from Africa in 1913. It grows in dense clumps of up to 10 feet tall. In the savannas of Africa it grows along lake beds and rivers where the soil is rich. Local farmers cut the grass for their animals, carrying it home in huge piles on their backs or on carts. Yellowish or purple in color, the stems are tough and hairy, and about 1 inch thick near the base. The leaves are 2 to 3 feet long, pointed at the ends, and about 1 inch wide. The edges of the leaves are razor-sharp. This makes stands of elephant grass nearly unbreakable. Many bird species make their home in the stands.

Why do you think this type of grass is called the elephant grass?

Baobab Tree

The baobab is found in the savannas of African and India, mostly around the equator. It can grow up to 25 meters tall and can live for several thousand years. The baobab is leafless for nine months of the year. The baobab looks as if it was picked and replanted upside down, hence the nick-name "upside-down tree". Also the tree is up to 33 feet in diameter. Baobabs are fire resistant and people and animals often use them for water, which is why the baobab tree recieved another nick-name, “water bottle trees”.

http://l.yimg.com/l/tv/us/img/site/81/19/0000038119_20070301141530.jpg

What is the nick-name of this tree?

What is Unique about savannas?

There are many different habitats in tropical grasslands. So there is a wide variety of animal species too. The savannas of eastern Africa have more grassland animals than any other ecosystem. There are about 40 species of antelope, such as gazelle, impala, kudu, and springbok. Each species has adapted to feed in a special way so it does not compete with other antelope species. Some species eat short grass, while others eat long grass or tree leaves. There are also many different types of carnivores in African tropical grasslands. These predators have many adaptations to help them survive. Some carnivores, such as lions, hunting dogs, and hyenas, hunt in groups for better hunting success. Leopards, genets, and civets are well camouflaged for life in the trees.

http://www.exploringnature.org

Name about 3 animals or any living things in a savanna.