BIOMES: SAVANNAS

INTRO

• You will be learning of the African Savanna.
• It is located in 3 continents below the equator.
• It is made of many plants and animals.
• The human influences are negative though.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Location/Characteristics
• Plants
• Animals
• Weather/Habitat
• Human Influences

ELEPHANT GRASS

• Grows in dense clumps up to 10 feet tall
• Yellowish or purple in color, 2 to 3 foot leaves
• Invasive, cloags waterways
• Most important fodder crop for the dairy farmers in East Africa

BAOBAB TREE

• The trees reach heights of 5 to 30 meters and trunk diameters of 7 to 11 meters
• Its trunk can hold up to 120,000 leters of water
• For most of the year, the tree is leafless, and looks very much like it has its roots sticking up in the air.
• It can provide shelter, clothing, food, and water for the animal and human inhabitants

MANKETTI TREE

• It can grow 15-20 meters
• Wide trunk and crooked branches
• White oval-shaped flowers
• Likes hot climates and little rain

JARRAH TREE

• Can grow 40-50 meters high
• Diameter of trunk is 3 meters
• White cone shaped flowers, with good smell
• Round friuts can grow 16mm

GIRAFFE

• Males can be 4.5 - 5.5m
• Yellow-golden fur, brown spots
• Have a blue tongue
• Giraffes are carnivores and enjoy leaves

RHINO

• 1.5cm of thick skin
• Live to be 60
• Poor eyesight, but can hear and smell good
• Weigh about a ton and are herbivores

ZEBRAS

• Black, white vertical and horizontal stripes
• Erect manes that look like brooms
• Very good eyesight, may see in colour
• Herbivores, enjoy twigs and wood

MONKEY

• Similiar to humans, which come from apes
• Extremely long tails in which they hang on
• Diet includes; fruit, eggs, flowers, and insects
• Monkey's can see in colour like humans

SAVANNAS: LOCATION

• Consists of many animals, plants
• Located in southern hemisphere
• Many types including; forest, low tree cover
• Not many trees, wide region of grass

WEATHER/HABITAT

• Fairly warm temps, 68-86F
• Rolling grassland, scattered shrubs
• Many placed ponds, where animals keep cool
• Tons of prey and predators fight here

HUMAN INFLUENCES

• For example, elephants were shot for their tusks, lions were killed for their fur
• Also humans being in the grasslands increase the chance of fires
• There are very few, if any, positive human impacts of the Savanna
• The reason is humans can do nothing more, then leave the biome alone