Savanna Biome

A Savanna Biome is a type of grassland biome that is often times called a tropical grassland.  These biomes have grasses and trees, have different rainfalls and are usually warm.

What is a Savanna Biome?

A Savanna Biome is filled with trees and grasses.  This type of biome is found in places all over the world such as Africa, South America, India, Australia and more.  Savanna Biomes cover a lot of the Earth’s surface and they happen because of how the climate changes and how animals change and how agriculture changes.

What is the Savanna Biome Weather Like?

The weather in a Savanna Biome is usually warm from 68 degrees Fahrenheit to almost 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

Most of the rain falls for around 6-8 months and then there is a period of dry from 4-6 months where there is hardly any rain, this is in the winter months.

The Savanna Biome gets around 10-30 inches of rain per year.

When the Savanna Biome is hot and dry, lightening can strike the areas and can cause there to be fires in the savanna.

What is a Savanna Like?

In a Savanna biome, there are many animals that graze around the grasses and treas.

The savanna usually is warm so that it is often times humid, especially when it is in the rainy season.

There are many grasses and trees that grow in the savanna.

What Animals are Found in the Savanna Biome?

There are many different kinds of animals that are found in the savanna such as giraffes, elephants, gazelles, buffalo, lions, cheetahs, leopards, wild dogs, zebras, wildebeests, ostriches, horses, birds, and many insects.

Most of the animals that are found in the savanna biome are herbivores.  An herbivore eats plants and grasses.

When the rain falls, there are many animals that are seen in the savannas but when the weather is dry, the animals sometimes migrate to other places because they do not have the water that they need to drink to survive.

The animals have learned to adapt to avoid predators such as being able to run fast or being strong enough to fight off the predators.

What Plants are Found in the Savanna Biome?

Since the savanna is a grassland, there are many grasses that are found in the savanna.  Some areas are barer, but most areas have some type of grasses.

There are not very many trees because there is not enough rain that will help big trees to grow, there are some smaller trees that are found close to ponds and streams.

One tree, the Acacia tree is not a tree but a plant that is found in the savanna.  This tree is shaped like an umbrella and it is a place where giraffes often eat and where animals like bobcats and other wild cats live in.  The Acacia stores water in its bark.

Some plants have roots that are deep in the ground so that they can soak up the water and grow.

Dangers of the Savanna Biome

One big danger that the Savanna Biome faces if fires.  When the season is dry, the grasses dry out and the old grasses can catch on fire.  When this happens, animals are usually able to outrun the fire and go to different areas.

The fires kill many insects and plants and grasses, but this allows the birds and other animals to eat after the fire.

Other dangers that the savanna biome face is overhunting and farming.  When this happens, most of the savannas do not grow back and they become deserts.

More Facts About Savanna Grasslands:

• One of the largest savanna’s is found in Africa.
• Half of Africa is covered by savannas.
• Some scavengers eat what other animals kill.
• A vulture is a scavenger.
• In Africa, some of the largest animals live in the African Savanna.
• The African Savanna has the tallest animals such as the giraffe.
• A baobab tree, which is found in a savanna, can live for more than a thousand years.
• Many of the animals that live in the savanna have adapted long legs so that they can migrate to far places when they need to.
• When the season is dry in the savanna, many animals migrate to other areas so they can get water.

What Did You Learn?

• What is a Savanna Biome?  A Savanna biome is a grassland or a place that has many grasses and small trees.  The Savanna biome is sometimes called the tropical grassland.
• What kind of weather does the Savanna Biome have?  The weather of the Savanna Biome is usually warmer with long periods of rain and long periods of dry.
• What do the animals do when it is dry season?  Many of the animals leave the area or migrate when the dry season comes so that they can get water.
• Do plants live in the Savanna Biome?  Many different species of plants and grasses grow in the Savanna Biome.
• Are there animals in the Savanna Biome?  In Africa, which has the largest savanna biome, there are some of the biggest and tallest animals in the world.

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