Biome Project: Savannah

Izzy Kirkendoll and Kaitlyn Seabrook

Where are they located?

Savannas are located mainly in Africa, but there are manyOthers in various spots on the Earth. There are no SavannasIn the North, all are located in the south.

Description of our Biome

A rolling grassland scattered with shrubs and isolated trees. Not enough rain falls to support a forest.

Rainfall in Savannas?In Savannas, there are 2 seasons. A very long, dry season (winter), and a Very wet season (summer)

During the winter, there is little to no rainfall at all. The lowest temperature it Reaches is about 70 degrees Fahrenheit. During this dry season, only about (on average)4 inches of rain falls.

During the summer in Savannas, there is a lot of rain. Starting usually in May, about 15 to 25Inches of rain falls during this season. In the afternoon during summer in the Savanna, the rainCan fall for hours upon hours. All the while, it’s very humid and hot.

Winter

Summer

latitude that our biome is found.

• The latitude where a savanna biome could most likely be found is 15 degrees North 30 degrees South.

Five herbivores that live in Savannas.

Some of the herbivores that are commonly found in savannas are; zebras, elephants, giraffes, ostriches, gazelle.

One of the reasons why these different type of animals have adapted to living in the savanna is because they have learned to eat different plants.

Giraffes have adapted to eating the plants that are higher in the tree, where as the gazelle sticks to the plants that are ground level.

Plants located in Savannas1. Candelabra Tree. The Candelabra Tree is

found close to the equator and in theEast Indies and Africa. It can grow up to 40 feet tall. The tree is beautiful butPoisonous. If the white sap from the inner tree comes in contact with your skin,A blister will form. It will blind you if it touches your eye and it burns if you breatheIn the fumes. It has adapted by having spikes on the outside of it to prevent animalsFrom getting to the nectar inside.

2. Elephant Grass. Elephant Grass is a veryThick and tall grass that grows in dense groupsAnd grow to about 10 feet tall. They live nearRivers and often clog up waterways. The stumpsAre thick and the leaves are sharp, making it almostImpenetrable. Birds typically make their homes In this grass.

Elephant Grass

Candelabra Tree

Plants located in Savannas (continued)3. Whistling Thorn. Commonly seen in East Africa, the Whistling Thorn can grow up to 18 feet tall, but can often be stunted in it’s growth. It protects itself with long thorns up to 3 inches long. Because of the heat, the treeMust find ways to conserve moisture.Their leaves have evolved into many tiny leaflets which can turn to absorb sunlight, or avoid it and prevent transpiration. During the rainy season, it will drop its leaves to conserve water.

Whistling Thorn

4. Kangaroo Paw. The Kangaroo Paw is a flower that has a unique color and a unique stem. The stem can be up to 10 centimeters tall, and have a darkish red color. The flower has adapted by having tiny hairs on its flowers which make it taste weird so predators won’t eat it, the tiny hairs collect water during rainy season, as well.

Kangaroo Paw

Plants in Savannas (continued continued)

5. Manketti Tree. Unlike most trees, the Manketti Tree prefers to be in dry lands withLittle water. Many people do not know of this tree , because it doesn’t look that interestingTo most. It has adapted by not having to survive with much water, which is very helpful inThe long dry season

Savanna Food Web

Carnivores in Savannas1. Lion- Lions live in the savanna of Africa ,south

of the Sahara and a small area in Asia.Lions eat gazelles, buffalo, zebras and many other small to medium sized mammals. Their fur is the same shade as most of the terrain in the savanna, at a light sandy brown color, the lions can blend in to sneak up on its prey. The lion has pads on the bottom of it’s paw to protect its feet from the rough terrain.

Lion

2. Nile Crocodile- The Nile Crocodile is only found in Africa and the Madagascar. Their bodies blend in with the water, making them almost impossible to see when they are sneaking up on their drinking prey. Food comes easily, the Nile Crocodile is rarely found struggling for food.

Nile Crocodile

Carnivores in Savannas (continued)3. The African Wild dog- With a small, slender body, the African Wild Dog is built to survive. It has a multi colored pelt for blending into its surroundings, as well as large ears for radiating heat away from its body.

4. Egyptian Mongoose- The Egyptian Mongoose is a small, rodent looking creature. It prefers dense areas, because it’s fur is dark, and it hunts at night, blending into the shadows from the shrubs and trees. They mostly eat snakes.

5. Caracal- The Caracal is much like the lion, but different. It has small, triangle shaped ears and is the fastest animal of its size. Like the lion, the Caracal has light sandy-brown fur to camouflage, and it usually hunts at night.

African Wild Dog

Egyptian Mongoose

Caracal

Predator/Prey, Parasites, Competitions, and Mutualism

Some predator/prey relationships are; lion vs. zebra, cheetah vs. gazelle. An example of a parasite in the savanna is a tick on a hyena. Some competitions are hippos and crocodiles.They fight over living space. A mutualism is the Acacia tree, they have developed long, sharp, thorns. The thorns house stinging ants, the ants feed on the trees nectar.

Lion

Nile Crocodile

Caracal

African Wild Dog

Egyptian Mongoose

Kangaroo PawWhistling Thorn

Candelabra Tree

Elephant Grass

Manketti Tree

Elephant

Zebra

Giraffe

OstrichGazelle

What's the biggest threat to our biome? What can we do to preserve it?

Some threats are wild fires caused by people, humans practicing farming, and climate change are the greatest threats to the savanna biome.

We can help it by starting fires somewhere else and controlling them, and practicing farming somewhere else.

Benefits of Savannas

Savannas benefit a lot more than they actually get credit for. Savannas provide habitat and protect migratory birds. Over 100 species of birds seek habitat in the Savannas, and that is a very wonderful thing to have. The Savanna not only protects migrating birds, but threatened and endangered species as well. This world has already lost so many species, and it is important to keep the species that are still here alive and well. The Savanna supports so many different types of plants and animals, getting rid of them would surely get rid of a few species, some of which we may not want to get rid of. Savannas have many uses, let’s keep them alive and well.