Median edge with an abundance of large animals. So you can characterize the savannah. This biotope is located between moist jungles and desiccated deserts. The transition of one into another gave the world grassy steppes with single trees or their groups.
Typical umbrella crowns. For a life in savannas seasonality is characteristic. There is a period of rains and a time of drought. The latter causes some animals to hibernate or burrow under the ground.
This is the time when the savannah seems to subside. In the rainy season, under the influence of the tropics, the steppes, on the contrary, are full of life, flourish. It is during the wet period that the time of reproduction of representatives of the fauna occurs.
Animals of the African savannah
Savannah is on three continents. The biotopes unite their location, the openness of the spaces, seasonality of the climate, precipitation. Different savannas in different parts of the globe are animals and plants.
In the steppes of Africa, many palm trees, mimosas, acacias and baobabs. Interspersed with tall herbs, they occupy almost half of the mainland area. Such a space determines the richest animal world of African savannahs.
African buffalo
The largest of the registered individuals weighed 2 kilograms less than a ton. The standard ungulate weight is 800 kilograms. In length, the African buffalo reaches 2 meters. Unlike the Indian brother, the animal was never home.
Therefore, African individuals are ferocious. According to statistics, buffaloes killed more hunters than other animals on the continent’s steppes. Like elephants, African ungulates remember abusers. Buffaloes attack them even after years, remembering that once people attempted them.
The buffalo’s strength is 4 times that of a bull. The fact is established when checking the draft of animals. It becomes clear how easily a buffalo can get rid of a man. In 2012, for example, the African ungulates killed Owain Lewis. He owned a safari in the Zambezia. For three days a man was hunted down by a wounded animal. Having outwitted a man, a buffalo attacked him in ambush.
In the herd of buffaloes, males rule, which protect young and females
Big Kudu
This is a 2 meter-long antelope and 300 kilogram weight. The height of the animal is 150 centimeters. Among antelope it is one of the largest. Outwardly it is distinguished by spiral horns. Brown wool with transverse white stripes on the sides and light marks that extend from the center of the muzzle to the eyes.
Despite their size, kudu jumps perfectly, waving through 3-meter hedges. However, the African antelope can not always escape from hunters and predators. Rushing at a speed of several hundred meters, kudu always stops to look around. This delay is enough for a fatal shot or a bite.
Elephant
Among the land, these are the largest animals. African elephants are also the most aggressive. There is also an Indian subspecies. He, like the eastern buffalo, is domesticated. African elephants are not in the service of a man, larger than others, weigh 10 or even 12 tons.
In Africa there are 2 subspecies of elephants. One is forest. The second is called savannah, in the place of residence. Steppe individuals are larger and have triangular ears. In forest elephants it is round.
The trunk of elephants replaces them and the nose and hand to put food in the mouth
Giraffe
Once upon a time Africans made shields from the skin of giraffes, so the animal cover is strong and dense. Veterinarians in zoos are not able to put the sick individuals into injections.
Therefore, they created a special apparatus that literally shoots syringes. Only this way it is possible to pierce the skin of giraffes, and it is not everywhere. They aim at the chest. Here the cover is the thinnest and most delicate.
The standard height of the giraffe is 4.5 meters. Slightly shorter is the step of the animal. It weighs about 800 kilograms. In this case, the savannah animals of Africa develop a speed of up to 50 kilometers per hour.
Gazel of Grant
The height itself is 75-90 centimeters. The horns of the animal are extended by 80 centimeters. The larval growths have a ring structure. Grant’s gazelle learned to do without water for weeks. Ungulates are satisfied with crumbs of moisture from plants.
Therefore, during times of drought, gazelles do not rush after zebras, wildebeests, buffaloes. Grant’s individuals remain on deserted, deserted lands. This protects gazelles, because predators also rush for the bulk of ungulates to watering places.
Rhinoceros
These animals, living in the savannah, are the second-largest terrestrial creatures, yielding to the palm of superiority to the elephants. The height of rhinoceroses is equal to 2-mm meters, and the length of 5-ти. Weight of animals at the same time is 4 tons.
The African rhinoceros has 2 outgrowths on the nose. The back is underdeveloped, more like a lump. The front horn is full. Outgrowths in battles for females are used. The rest of the time, rhinoceroses are peaceful. Only animals feed on grass.
African ostrich
The largest among non-flying birds, weighs about 150 kilograms. One egg of the ostrich in size is equal to 25 chicken first category. Ostriches in Africa are moved by 3-meter steps. Fly birds can not only not because of weight. The animals are shortened with wings, and the feathers resemble fluff, friable. This can not resist air currents.
Zebra
For insects, striped zebras resemble bees or some poisonous hornet. Therefore, near African horses you will not see bloodsucking. Gnus is afraid to approach the zebra. If a predator overtakes, the horse runs off along a zigzag path. It looks like the movements of a hare. Zebra does not confuse traces, as complicates the capture of himself. Rushing to prey, the predator flops to the ground.
The zebra is on the sidelines. The predator loses time, rebuilding. The life of animals in the savanna is herd. A leader is always a male. He moves ahead of the herd, bending his head to the ground.
Orix
Otherwise it is called the pomegranate. A large antelope is gaining mass to 260 kilograms. The height of the animal at the withers is 130-150 centimeters. Growth adds horns. They are longer than the rest of the antelope, stretching for a meter or more.
Most oryx subspecies of horns are straight and smooth.On the neck of the oryx there is a likeness of a mane. From the middle of the tail, long hair grows. This makes the antelope look like horses.
Blue Wildebeest
Also an antelope. Among others, I managed to keep a large number of African savannahs. There, animals weighing 250-270 kilos, about 140 centimeters in height, feed on grass. Certain types of plants are included in the diet.
Having eaten them on the same pastures, the wildebeest rush to others. At this time, the necessary herbs are restored to the first. Therefore, wildebeest lead a nomadic life. The blue hoof is named because of the color of the wool. In fact, the color is gray. However, he casts blue. Calves in the wild are rather beige, painted in warm tones.
Gnu is capable of jerking at a speed of 60 km / h
Leopard
These animals of the African savannah are similar to cheetahs, but larger than them and are not capable of record speeds. It is especially difficult for sick and old leopards. They become cannibals. A man for a wild beast is an easy prey. Catch a friend just is not possible.
Young and healthy leopards are not only able to kill a fast-moving and cautious animal. Wild cats produce carcasses, twice their weight. This mass of leopards manages to drag on trees. There, the meat is in the reach of jackals and other people wanting to profit from another’s prey.
Warthog
Being a pig, the warthog is killed without grass. It is the basis of the ration of the animal. Therefore, the first individuals brought into zoos died. Pets were fed the same food as ordinary boars and domestic pigs.
When the ration of warthogs was revised, making at least 50% of the plants, the animals began to feel good and live an average of 8 years longer than in the wild. From the mouth of the warthog, sharp fangs protrude.
Their standard length is 30 centimeters. Sometimes the fangs are twice as large. With such weapons, warthogs protect them from predators, but do not use them in fights with relatives. This indicates the organization of the herds and careful treatment of other pigs.
lion
Among the cat’s lion is the tallest and most massive. The weight of some individuals reaches 400-kilograms. Part of the weight is the mane. The length of the hair in it reaches 45 centimeters. In this case, the mane is dark and light.
Owners of the latter, genetically less well-off in the male sense, are more difficult to leave offspring. However, dark-bred individuals do not tolerate heat. Therefore, natural selection «bent» towards the middle peasants.
Some lions lead a solitary life. However, most cats combine in pride. There are always a few females in them. The male in the pride is usually alone. Sometimes there are families with several males.
The sight of lions is many times more acute than in humans
Horned crows
Refers to udobodobnym rhinoceros. Above the beak there is an outgrowth. He, like the plumage, is black. However, the skin around the eyes and neck of the African crow is bare. It is wrinkled, red, develops like a goiter.
Unlike many rhino birds, African crows are predators. The bird hunts snakes, mice, lizards, throwing them into the air and killing with a blow of a powerful, long beak. Together with him the length of the body of a crow is about a meter. The feather weighs about 5 kilograms.
Crocodile
Among the crocodiles, the African is the largest. About animals savannahs say that they reach 9 meters in length, weighing about 2 tons. However, officially recorded a record of only 640 centimeters and 1500 kilograms. So much can weigh only males. Females look about a third smaller.
The skin of the African crocodile is provided with receptors that determine the composition of water, pressure, temperature changes. Poachers are interested in the quality of the reptilian cover. The skin of African individuals is famous for its density, relief, and weariness.
Guinea fowl
The guinea fowl has taken root on many continents, but comes from Africa. Externally, the bird is similar to a turkey. It is believed that the latter came from guinea fowl. Hence the conclusion: the African bird also has dietary and tasty meat.
Like the turkey, guinea fowl belongs to the large chicken. Weigh a feather from Africa 1,5-2 kg. In the savanna of Africa there are chubby guinea fowls. In general, there are 7 species.
Hyena
Hyenas live in packs. Alone animals are cowardly, but along with their relatives go even to the lions, taking away their prey. In the battle of hyenas leads the leader. He holds the tail above other relatives. The most disenfranchised hyenas almost drag their tails on the ground.
The leader in a flock of hyenas is usually a female. The inhabitants of savannah matriarchy. The females are rightly respected, as among the predators are recognized as the best mothers. Milk of their young hyenas are fed almost 2 years. To the prey of the female, the first let the children in, and only then they allow the males to approach.
Animals of the American Savannah
American savannahs are mostly grassy. Still there are many cacti. This is understandable, because the steppe spaces are typical only for the southern continent. Savannah is commonly called pampas. In them, kwerbach grows. This tree is famous for the density and strength of wood.
Jaguar
In America, he is the largest cat. The length of the animal reaches 190 centimeters. The average jaguar weighs about 100 kilograms. Among the cats, the jaguar is the only one that can not grow a roar. This applies to all 9 species of predator. Some of them live in North America. Others are savanna animals of South America.
Horny wolf
More like a long-legged fox. An animal is red, with a sharp muzzle. Genetically the same species is transitional. Accordingly, the «link» between wolves and foxes is a relic that has survived for millions of years. Meet the maned wolf is possible only in the pampas.
The height of the maned wolf at the withers is 90 centimeters. The predator weighs about 20 kilograms. Transient features are seen literally in the eyes. At a seemingly fox face, they are wolves. The red cheats have pupils vertical, and wolves are ordinary.
Puma
Can «argue» with the jaguar, which animals in the savannah of America are the fastest. Puma speeds up to 70 kilometers per hour. Representatives of the species are spotted, like jaguars. However, growing up, cougars «lose» marks.
Hunting, pumas in 82% of cases overtake victims. Therefore, when faced with a monophonic cat, herbivores are shaking like an aspen leaf, although in the savannas of America there are no aspens.
Battleship
It has a scaly armor, which stands out among other mammals. In their environment, the battleship is considered inferior. Accordingly, the animal roamed the planet millions of years ago. Scientists believe that not only the armor helped to survive the armadilloes, but also the lack of eagerness in food.
Savannah inhabitants feed on worms, ants, termites, snakes, plants. Hunting for snakes, armadilloes press them to the ground, cutting the sharp edges of the plates of their shell. By the way, it forms a ball. So the armadilloes flee from the abusers.
Whiskach
This is a large South American rodent. The length of the animal reaches 60 centimeters. It weighs 6-7 kilograms. The animal looks like a large mouse and rat hybrid. The color of the temple is gray with a white belly.
Bright marks are also on the cheeks of the rodent. The South American rodents live by families of 2-3 dozen individuals. From predators they hide in burrows. The moves are distinguished by wide «doors» of about a meter.
Ocelot
This is a small spotted cat. In length the animal is not more than a meter, weighs 10-18 kilograms. Most ocelots live in the tropics of South America. However, some individuals settle in the pampas, finding sites with trees. Like other cats of South American savannah, ocelots lead a single way of life. With relatives, cats are found only for mating.
Nando
He is called an American ostrich. However, the overseas feathered belongs to a group of nandos. All the birds entering it scream «nang-doo» during mating. Hence the name of the animal.
The animal world of savanna nandu is decorated with groups of about 30 individuals. The males in the families are assigned the construction of the nest and care for the chicks. To build «houses» nandu diverge at different «corners» of the savannah.
The females pass from the nest to the nest, mating with each other in turn. The ladies also lay eggs in different «houses». In one nest can accumulate up to 8 dozens of capsules from different females.
Tuco-Tuco
«Tukko-tuko», is the sound produced by the beast. His small eyes are «tucked» almost on the forehead, and small ears of the rodent are buried in the fur. In the rest, the tuko-tuko is similar to a shrubby rat. Touko-tuko is somewhat more massive than a shrubby rat and has a shorter neck. In length, the animals do not exceed 11 centimeters, and weigh up to 700-gram.
Animals of the Australian Savannah
For the Australian savannah is typically a forest of eucalyptus. Even in the steppes of the continent, casuaries, acacias and bottle trees grow. The latter have dilated, like blood vessels, trunks. In them, plants store moisture.
Dozens of relic animals roam among the greenery. They make up 90% of the fauna of Australia. The mainland disconnected from the single continent of antiquity Gondwana first, by isolating bizarre animals.
Ostrich Emu
Like the South American nandoo, it does not apply to ostriches, although it looks like Africans outwardly. In addition, the flightless birds of Africa are aggressive and fearful. Emu is also curious, friendly, easy to tame.
Therefore, ostrich farms prefer to breed Australian birds. So buy an egg of this ostrich is difficult. Being a little less than an African ostrich, emu makes 270-centimeter steps. The speed developed by the Australians is 55 kilometers per hour.
Komodo Island Dragon
A large reptile was discovered in the 20th century. Learning about a new kind of pangolin, Komodo rushed to the Chinese, possessed by the cult of the dragon. They perceived new animals for fire-breathers, beginning to kill for the sake of making magic potions from bones, blood, dragons lived.
Varanas from the island of Komodo were also destroyed by the farmers who occupied the land. Large reptiles attacked domestic goats, pigs. However, in the 21st century, dragons under protection, are listed in the International Red Book.
Wombat
Looks like a little bear, and in fact is marsupial. The length of the wombat is one meter, it can weigh up to 45 kilos. With such a mass and compactness, the bear cub looks short-legged, however, it is able to develop a speed of 40 kilometers per hour. Quickly the wombat not only runs, but also digs holes in which it lives. Underground passages and halls are spacious, easily accommodate an adult.
Ant-eater
Long and narrow muzzle. Even longer language. Lack of teeth. So the anteater has adapted to extract termites. Still the animal has a long and tenacious tail. With its help the anteater climbs trees.
The tail serves as a rudder and grabs the branches when jumping. For the bark the anteater is held by long, powerful claws. They are even afraid of jaguars. When the 2-meter ants stands on their hind legs, spreading the clawed front, predators prefer to retreat.
The Australian anteater is called a nambat. There are subspecies living in Central America. Regardless of the continent where the anteaters live, the temperature of their bodies is 32 degrees. Among mammals, this is the lowest rate.
Echidna
It looks like a cross between a hedgehog and a porcupine. However, teeth do not have echidna and the mouth of the animal is quite small. But, tropical savanna animals stand out with a long tongue, competing with an anteater for livelihood, that is termites.
The lower mammal is single-pass, that is, the genital tract and intestine are connected. This is the arrangement of some of their first mammals on Earth. Echidnas have been around for 180 million years.
Lizard Moloch
Appearance of the reptile is Martian. The lizard is painted in yellow-brick tones, all in pointed outgrowths. The eyes of a reptile are like stone. Meanwhile, it’s not guests from Mars, but savanna animals.
Indigenous Australians nicknamed Moloch horned devils. In the old days, people were sacrificed to a strange creature. In modern times, the lizard itself can become a victim. It is listed in the Red Book.
The length of the lizard Moloch reaches 25 centimeters. At times of danger, the lizard seems bigger, because it can swell. If someone tries to attack Moloch, to turn the reptile, its thorns cling to the ground surrounding the plants.
Dog dingo
Not a native of Australia, although associated with it. The animal is considered a descendant of wild dogs brought into the continent by immigrants from Southeast Asia. In Australia, they arrived about 45 thousand years ago. Running away from Asians, dogs preferred not to seek more shelter from a man. On the expanses of the continent, there was not a single large placental predator.
The alien dogs occupied this niche. Growth dingo usually about 60 cm, weigh up to 19 kg. The constitution of a wild dog resembles a hound. In this case, males are larger and denser than females.
Opossum
On her tail there is a brush made of wool, like a jerboa. The hairs of the pompon are black, like the rest of the mantle cover. Born to them, it is better to be a female. Males die after the first mating. Female do not kill partners, like mantis, it’s just the life cycle of the males.
Animals of the savannah of Australia are climbing trees standing in the steppes. Help cling claws. On the dais, the rat catches birds, lizards, insects. Sometimes marsupial encroachments on small mammals, good, sizes allow.
The marsupial mole
Deprived of eyes and ears. Cutters stick out of the jaws. On the paws are long, claw-like claws. Such is the marsupial mole at first sight. In fact, the animal’s eyes are, but tiny, hidden in the wool.
The marsupial moles are miniature, not more than 20 centimeters long. However, the dense body of underground savannah inhabitants can weigh about one and a half kilograms.
Kangaroo
The choice of the partner in the population is somewhat similar to the people’s interests. Female kangaroos choose males more punctually. Therefore, male individuals take poses similar to those shown in the bodybuilders’ speeches. Playing with the muscles, the kangaroos assert themselves and look for the chosen ones.
Although the kangaroo is a symbol of Australia, some individuals get on the tables to its inhabitants. As a rule, the meat of marsupials feeds on the indigenous population of the continent. The colonialists disdain kenguryatin. But the tourists show interest in it. How so, to visit Australia, and not try an exotic dish?
Australia’s savannahs are the greenest. The most desiccated are the steppes of Africa. The median version is the American savannah. Because of anthropogenic factors, their areas are reduced, depriving many animals of places for life. In Africa, for example, many animals live within national parks and are almost exterminated for their «fences».
