Animals of the African Savanna

We explain what the animals of the African savannah are and give you detailed examples. Also, characteristics of this biome.

What are the animals of the African savannah?

The savannah is a biome characterized by a large expanse of grasslands, which is a transition zone between the jungle and the semi-desert. The dominant vegetation is made up of grasses, shrubs and small trees. The largest savannah is in Africa and, on a smaller scale, it is deployed in regions of Asia, Australia and South America.

The African savannah presents variations due to its great extension (it crosses the center of the continent, across the width, and much of South Africa). It has tropical and subtropical zones.

Over there, the climatic conditions differ in two very contrasting seasons: the dry one, which predominates most of the time, and the humid one, which lasts a few months a year and presents abundant rains.

In the African savanna numerous species of animals from mammals (such as elephant, lion, cheetah, giraffe and meerkat), reptiles (such as leopard tortoise, eastern tiger snake and striped mabuya) to insects (such as ants and termites).

Characteristics of the African savannato

The savannah is classified according to geographical location and climate (which generate variations in soil, flora and fauna), and can be:

• Intertropical savanna It is located at the height of the equator and is characterized by having two seasons: a dry one (which lasts most of the year and the soil remains very arid) and another, humid and rainy (which is shorter and swamps can form). An example of an intertropical savanna and one of the largest in the world is the Etosha National Park in Namibia, Africa.
• Temperate savanna Also called prairie, it is characterized by having the two seasons of the year, even more contrasting (with very intense summers and cold winters) which causes the soil to be infertile. An example of a temperate savannah is La Pampa, in Argentina.
• Mediterranean savanna It is located in the middle latitudes of the continents and is characterized by having areas with little water and vegetation. However, it can be inhabited by a wide variety of animal species, such as elephants, giraffes, deer and leopards. An example of a Mediterranean savannah is the Central Plateau in the Iberian Peninsula, Spain.
• Mountainous savanna It is found in elevated and mountainous areas, which have more exacerbated climatic conditions, dominant shrub vegetation and a diversity of animals adapted to arid conditions (such as zebras and the last black rhinos). An example of a mountain savannah is the Kenyan bush savanna in Africa.

The regions of the African savanna that are located on the equator have days and nights that last the same number of hours. The rainy season occurs during the summer period (or humid) while, the dry season (which lasts most of the year) establishes difficult conditions for the survival of flora and fauna.

The vegetation of the African savannah has adapted to withstand the climate so there are many species of grass-type trees (such as acacia, baobab and palm) and varieties of grasses that reach heights between 80 and 350 centimeters (such as Rhodes grass and red oat grass).

Animals of the African savanna

Some examples of animals from the African savanna are:

• The cheetah It is the fastest land mammal in the world, with the ability to accelerate from zero to ninety-six kilometers per hour in just three seconds. Its excellent eyesight allows it to detect its prey (such as antelopes or hares) among the grasslands.
• The lion It is one of the largest cats (after the tiger), which usually lives and hunts in packs. He is a skilled hunter who uses strategies to corner his prey. However, it is not very active since it usually rests about twenty hours a day (it rests more than any other feline).
• The leopard It is the smallest feline in its category. It is often confused with the cheetah, but it has shorter legs and can reach a speed of fifty-seven kilometers. It is very skilled at hunting and climbing trees (it can climb them, while carrying prey twice its body weight).
• The wildebeest It is from the antelope family, it can reach two and a half meters in height and weigh two hundred and seventy-five kilograms. It feeds on grasses and, during the dry season that destroys the vegetation, it usually migrates in search of greener pastures. When it migrates, it does so in large herds that reach half a million wildebeest, and they are accompanied by other animals (such as zebras and gazelles).
• The ostrich It is a bird native to Africa and one of the largest species. It has wings, but it doesn't fly. However, it is very skilled at running and can reach sixty kilometers per hour (thanks to its long, strong legs). To change direction while running, it uses its wings to help it.
• The zebra It is from the horse family, but much wilder. It has a very particular coat, with black and white stripes. Its diet is herbivorous and, depending on availability in the area, it can ingest herbs, leaves, stems, branches and tree bark. It is always on alert to avoid its predators: hyenas and lions.
• The elephant It is one of the largest mammals, exclusively herbivorous, requiring three hundred kilograms of food and one hundred and sixty liters of water per day. It is characterized by its long trunk, its huge ears and its great intelligence. Their life expectancy is seventy years and the gestation period of their offspring is two years. They usually sleep three hours a day.
• The black mamba It is the longest venomous snake in Africa (it can reach four and a half meters) and is one of the fastest species in the world (it can glide at twenty kilometers per hour). Its name is not due to the color of its skin (which is green or gray), but to the bluish-black color of the inside of its mouth, which it opens when it feels threatened.
• The sulcata tortoise It is a large turtle, capable of reaching eighty-five centimeters in length. For several months, when the weather is very hot and dry, it usually lives underground to protect itself from dehydration (its burrow provides it with sufficient humidity to live).
• The dung beetle It is an African insect capable of orienting itself with the moon and stars. It has an atypical behavior, from which its name derives. It makes balls (or balls) with its own manure, which it then transports to a hole that was previously dug. The female lays her eggs in those dung balls. Once these become larvae, they can eat and develop.

• jungle animals
• desert animals
• Forest animals
• sea ​​animals
• Mountain animals

References

• “Animals in the savanna grassland” on Sciencing.com.
• “Savanna” on Britannica.com.
• “African savanna” at Nationalgeographic.org.
• “The important Grasslands of Mesopotamia ecoregion” in Parquesnacionalesdelparaguay.blogspot.com.
• “Savanna biome” at Conserve-energy-future.com.
• «Cheetah» in Nationalgeographic.es.
• “Ostrich” on Nationalgeographic.com.
• “Dung beetles orient themselves with the Milky Way” in Muyinteresante.es.