African savannas. Savannah animals who live What animals live in the African savannah

Among the grasses of the savannah. There are periods of drought in the savanna when there is a lack of food. Then numerous herds of animals go in search of more favorable conditions. These migrations can go on for weeks, and only the most enduring animals manage to reach their destination. The weaker are doomed to perish.

The climate of the savanna favors the growth of tall and lush grass. Trees, on the other hand, are rare here.

Baobab is not a very tall tree, but its trunk diameter can reach 8 meters.

The African buffalo, along with the hippo, is considered one of the most dangerous animals in Africa. Indeed, if the buffalo is injured or feels a danger to himself or his cubs, he does not hesitate to attack the aggressor and kill him with powerful horns. Even the lion tries to avoid meeting him, as he is not sure of the outcome of the battle. Therefore, only buffaloes that have strayed from the herd, or old and sick animals that are not able to defend themselves, are attacked by predators.

The skin of a zebra is original and easily recognizable. At first glance, all zebras seem the same, but in fact, each animal has its own stripe pattern, like human fingerprints. Countless attempts have been made to tame zebras (domesticate like a horse), but they have always ended in failure. Zebra does not tolerate riders or other cargo on the rump. She is very shy and difficult to approach even in nature reserves.

Zebras are deprived of horns and other means of protection, fleeing from predators. Once in the environment, they defend themselves with their teeth and blows of hooves.

How to spot predators? Zebras' eyesight is not very sharp, so they often graze next to other animals, such as giraffes or ostriches, which are able to notice the approach of predators earlier.

A pursued zebra can travel at 80 kilometers per hour, but not for long periods of time.

The stripes on the skin of a zebra can be poured into different types of zebras. Particularly significant in this sense are the stripes on the croup.

The lion prefers open spaces, where he finds coolness in the shade of rare trees. For hunting, it is better to have a wide view in order to notice herds of grazing herbivores from a distance and develop a strategy for how best to approach them unnoticed. Outwardly, this is a lazy beast, which, on duty, dozes and does nothing. Only when the lion is hungry and forced to pursue herds of herbivores, or when he must defend his territory, does he come out of his stupor.

Lions do not hunt alone, unlike cheetahs and tigers. As a result, all members of the lion family live together for a long time and grown lion cubs are not expelled from it, unless conditions in the hunting territory become critical.

Usually a group of females goes hunting, while males rarely join them. Hunters surround the victim, hiding in the tall grass. When the animal notices danger, it panics, and it tries to escape at a gallop, but most often falls into the clutches of other hidden lionesses, unnoticed by it.

A characteristic feature of the lion is the thick mane of males, which is not found in other representatives of the cat family.

A lioness usually gives birth to two lion cubs. To become adults, they need about two years - all this time they adopt the experience of their parents.

The claws of a lion can reach 7 cm.

In an effort to survive, all animals have evolved to provide their species with sufficient food. The giraffe can eat the leaves of trees that other herbivores cannot reach: due to its six-meter height, it is taller than all other animals. The giraffe can also take food from the ground, as well as drink water, but for this it must spread its front legs wide in order to bend over. In this position, he is very vulnerable to predators, because he cannot immediately rush to flight.

The giraffe has a very long, thin and soft tongue, adapted to pluck acacia leaves. The lips, especially the upper lips, also serve this purpose. The giraffe cuts off the leaves growing at a height of two to six meters.

The most favorite food of giraffes is the leaves of trees, especially acacia; its thorns do not seem to disturb the animal.

Giraffes live in herds, divided into two groups: in one female with cubs, in the other - males. To win the right to become the leaders of the herd, the males fight by hitting their heads with their necks.

On the run, the giraffe is not very fast and agile. Running away from the enemy, he can count on a speed of only 50 kilometers per hour.

The "secret weapon" of the cheetah is its flexible body with a strong spine, curved like the arch of a bridge, and powerful clawed paws that allow it to firmly rest on the ground. This is the fastest animal in the African savannah. No one can imagine an animal running faster than a cheetah. In short moments, he develops a speed of over 100 kilometers per hour, and if he did not get tired quickly, he would be the most terrible predator Africa.

The cheetah prefers to live in small groups of two to eight to nine individuals. Usually such a group consists of one family.

Unlike other members of the feline family, the cheetah's claws never retract, just like dogs. This feature allows the beast not to slip on the ground when running; does not touch the ground while only the claw of the thumb.

The cheetah climbs trees and surveys the savannah from a height to detect herds of grazing herbivores that could become its prey.

The skin of a cheetah is not always covered with spots, sometimes they merge, forming stripes, like a king cheetah.

The long tail serves as a rudder - they can quickly change the direction of the run, which is necessary during the pursuit of the victim.

The African elephant was threatened with extinction both because of the hunt, of which he became a victim at the beginning of the 20th century, since there was a great demand for ivory (tusk) products, and because of the important changes made by man in his habitat. Now elephants live mainly in giant national parks, where they are studied by zoologists and protected by guards. Unfortunately, this is not enough to prevent the destruction of elephants by poachers. It is different with Indian elephant, which has never been in danger since man has used it for centuries in various jobs.

The African elephant is different from the Indian. It is larger, its ears are larger, and its tusks are much longer. IN South-East Asia elephants are domesticated and used for various jobs. African elephants are not tameable due to their more independent nature.

Like the giraffe, the elephant prefers to feed on the leaves of trees, which it plucks from the branches with its trunk. It happens that he knocks down a whole tree to the ground in order to get food.

Tusks and trunks are two miraculous survival tools for elephants. Elephants use their tusks to protect themselves from predators and use them during dry periods to dig up the ground in search of water. With a very mobile trunk, he plucks leaves and collects water, which he then sends to his mouth. The elephant loves water very much and at the first opportunity climbs into the pond to freshen up. He swims great.

The elephant willingly hides in the shade, because its huge body is hardly cooled. For this purpose, huge ears serve, with which he fanned himself rhythmically to cool himself.

As children hold on to their mother's hand, so do elephants walk, holding on to the elephant's tail with their proboscis.

The natural environment in which the ostrich lives determined the final adaptability of this bird, the largest of all: the mass of an ostrich exceeds 130 kilograms. The long neck increases the growth of the ostrich up to two meters. A flexible neck and excellent eyesight allow him to notice danger from afar from this height. Long legs give the ostrich the ability to run at speeds up to 70 kilometers per hour, usually enough to escape predators.

The ostrich prefers open spaces where everything can be seen from afar and there are no obstacles for running.

Ostriches do not live alone, but in groups of various sizes. While the birds are looking for food, at least one stands guard and looks around the area to spot enemies in time, primarily cheetahs and lions.

The eyes of an ostrich are surrounded by long eyelashes, which protect them both from the African sun and from the dust raised by the wind.

Ostriches build their nest in a small hollow, digging it into the sandy soil and covering it with something soft. The female incubates her eggs during the day, because her gray color blends well with environment; the male with predominantly black feathers is engaged in incubation at night.

Females lay from three to eight eggs in a common nest, and each of them incubates the eggs in turn. One egg weighs more than one and a half kilograms and has a very strong shell. It sometimes takes a whole day for an ostrich to break the shell and hatch from the egg.

The beak of an ostrich is short, flat and very strong. It is not specialized for any particular food, but serves to pluck grass and other vegetation and catch insects, small mammals and snakes.

This huge thick-skinned animal lives both in Africa and in South and Southeast Asia. In Africa, there are two species of rhinoceros, different from those of Asia. African rhinos have two horns and are adapted to a habitat characterized by large expanses with very few trees. The Asian rhinoceros has only one horn and prefers to live in forest thickets. These animals are on the verge of extinction because they are ruthlessly hunted by poachers for their horns, which are in high demand in some countries.

Despite its mass, the African rhinoceros is very agile and can make sharp turns on the run.

The female rhinoceros brings, as a rule, one cub every two to four years. The kid stays with his mother for a long time, even when he grows up and becomes independent. In an hour, a newborn cub can follow its mother on its own legs, moreover, it usually walks either in front of it or on its side. He feeds on mother's milk for a year, and during this time his weight increases from 50 to 300 kilograms.

Male rhinos, like many other animals, are fighting for the right to become the leader. At the same time, they use the horn like a stick, that is, they hit sideways, and not with a point. It may happen that during martial arts the horn breaks, but then it grows back, albeit very slowly.

The rhinoceros has poor eyesight, he sees only up close, like a nearsighted person. But on the other hand, he has the finest sense of smell and hearing, he can smell food or an enemy from afar.

Rhinoceros horn can reach a length of 1.5 meters.

There are ten on Earth natural areas. One of them is the African savannah. Today we will introduce you to this region and its inhabitants.

Description of the savannah

There are two seasons in tropical savannas: winter and summer. They are not accompanied by sharp temperature changes and do not have seasonal differences associated with this. These are areas located in a warm or hot climate zone. average temperature air ranges from +18 to +32 degrees. It rises very slowly.

Winter

This is the so-called "dry season" in the tropical savannah. It lasts from November to April. During this period, the savannah zone receives very little rainfall. From December to February, rains can be completely absent. This is the coolest time of the year when the air temperature does not rise above +21 degrees. Thunderstorms start in October. They are accompanied by strong winds that dry the air. Fires are not uncommon in the savannas during the dry season.

Summer

IN rainy season savannahs have high humidity. Tropical showers begin in May or early June. From May to October, 10 to 30 mm of precipitation falls in this area. During the rainy season, the African savannah blooms: dense forests grow rapidly, picturesque meadows bloom. Savannah animals actively breed, and during this period, the mother's milk of females is saturated with useful substances due to the variety of herbs in the diet.

Animal world of the savannah

It can be said right away that unique world which is not found anywhere else on earth. First of all, because of the variety of large and very large animals. Before the advent of white colonialists, the animals of Africa felt free and at ease. Savannahs provided food for countless herds of herbivores that moved from place to place in search of water. They were accompanied by numerous predators, and carrion eaters (jackals and vultures) moved behind them.

Later, the situation changed radically. Plowing large areas lands, steppe fires, road construction, industrial livestock breeding have put wild animals in distress. The situation was saved by the creation of reserves in which hunting and any kind of economic activity. Thanks to the animals, the savannah has a characteristic, incomparable appearance. In this article, we will consider the most typical wild animals of the savannah. The list may not be complete, as the fauna of these areas is very diverse.

Giraffe

These are amazing animals of Africa. Savannah is unimaginable without these majestic beauties. Even children know their graceful gait and surprisingly long neck. Not everyone knows that the "name" of the giraffe is translated from Latin means "leopard camel". Perhaps those who first met this handsome man decided that he was a cross between these animals. In addition to the long neck, the giraffe also has a very long tongue (up to 45 cm).

These giants are herbivores. They feed on the leaves of trees. Due to their high growth, they can get young and juicy foliage. Drinking a giraffe is not very convenient: you have to bend your legs. The long neck of this giant, like all mammals, has 7 vertebrae.

elephants

Speaking about what animals live in the savannah, one cannot fail to mention the steppe, or African elephants. They have powerful tusks and wide ears, unlike their Indian counterparts. Plus, they are much larger. These giants live in groups, each led by a large female elephant.

Due to the value of the tusks, these huge animals were on the verge of extinction in the last century, and the threat remained until their destruction was prohibited. Reserves have played a huge role in protecting elephants.

lions

The main predator of the savannah, the well-known king of beasts to all of us, is a beautiful and formidable lion. It poses a danger to almost all the inhabitants of the places where it lives.

These predators prefer to live in prides (groups). They usually include adult females and males, as well as their offspring. In the pride, responsibilities are very clearly distributed: lionesses get food, and males protect the territory of the “family”.

Hyenas

Animal world savannas are arranged very interestingly. Take, for example, the relationship of lions with other predators, for example, with the spotted hyena. More recently, it was believed that the hyena is a cowardly animal that is not able to hunt, and therefore it eats leftovers after the meal of the “king of beasts”.

Cheetahs

The African savannah zone is a diverse world where a variety of animals live side by side. For example, the record holder for high-speed long-distance running is a graceful and at the same time incredibly powerful cheetah. This delightful "cat" is the fastest animal on Earth.

He is able to develop incredible speed in pursuit of prey (110 km / h). This is due to the special running technique: the animal rests on two paws. This predator is amazingly strong and fantastically fast. These qualities allow him to easily get his own food: antelopes or zebras.

Leopards

Savannah animals are very different. The leopard is another feline predator. This incredibly beautiful animal has a flexible, strong and at the same time very slender body. Thanks to powerful limbs, he quickly overtakes his prey. Its strong body is covered with thick, but not fluffy fur, which has a characteristic color: black spots on a light yellow background. This is an excellent disguise, making the leopard invisible among the grass and branches.

The leopard is naturally endowed with excellent eyesight, excellent hearing, and a keen sense of smell. He climbs with ease tall trees and even prefers to take a nap there during the day, sitting comfortably on the branches. More often, a leopard hunts at night: it sneaks up on its prey so silently that not a single leaf crunches under its powerful body. And then a swift throw follows - and the antelope, monkey or zebra has no chance to survive. The leopard drags the remnants of his meal up a tree and securely hides it among the branches so that jackals or hyenas do not get them.

The leopard, regardless of its gender, has its own hunting territory. It is better not for an uninvited guest to enter it: a serious punishment awaits him. Leopards are more comfortable living alone.

Zebras

Another animal that lives in the African savannah is the cute striped zebra horse. Many are interested in why she has such a bright color? Savannah animals have hairline of certain colors, not only in order to recognize each other from afar. It mainly helps to deceive the attacking enemy. Suppose a lion attacked a zebra. Alone, it is clearly visible to a predator. And if she rushes to her herd? At large cluster all the stripes of animals merge, ripples in the eyes of a predator ... Hunting is complicated.

Striped horses eat grass. However, the life of savannah animals is not easy, and in search of a watering place and pastures, they make long journeys across the hot savannah. Often, antelopes, giraffes, ostriches graze next to zebras. Such big company helps to escape from enemies. Despite its harmless appearance, the zebra knows how to stand up for itself. She seeks to hit the enemy with her forelimbs with hard hooves, a herd of these cute animals can even repel a lion attack. Usually zebras live in small herds, they gather in large herds only before a long transition. At the head of such a herd is an experienced and strong leader. Zebras are monogamous: they build their families once and for life.

The foal recognizes its mother by the pattern of stripes. Interestingly, it never repeats itself. And so that the baby remembers his mother, she does not let anyone near him for several days after birth. When the cub grows up a little, it is protected by all the zebras of the herd.

Rhinoceros

Savannah animals can be proud that they live next door to the largest (after the elephant) land animal. This is a rhinoceros. Its weight reaches 2.2 tons, length - 3.15 m, height - 160 cm. Its name is not accidental. A horn really grows on his nose, huge and very sharp. Moreover, some individuals have two of them: one is very large, the other is slightly smaller. They are formed from hard, compressed hair. However, it is a very dangerous weapon.

These giants love water, swamp, and even more pleasure for them is the mud, in which you can wallow in plenty during the rainy season. Thus, they are saved from the heat. The thick skin of a rhinoceros gathers into folds. He resembles an ancient knight dressed in armor. You can often see birds on his back. The giant is not opposed to these guests, as they are his assistants. Birds clean the skin of rhinos from various insects, ticks.

Rhinos see poorly, but hear very well. They have a better sense of smell. They find the familiar path to the lake by smell. Each rhino has its own path. These huge animals feed on leaves, grass, fruits that have fallen from trees. Having sated, the rhinoceros goes to bed. He falls asleep so soundly that at this time you can get quite close to him. But if he suddenly wakes up, it’s better not to catch his eye: he is quick-tempered and really doesn’t like it when they interfere with his rest.

Most often, rhinos live in complete solitude. The exception is the white African rhinos, which graze in small groups. Mother rhinoceros feeds her offspring (usually one cub) with milk for a year. Currently, the number of rhinos has significantly decreased. Fortunately, they can still be seen in zoos.

Buffalo

This is a very dangerous African animal. Sensing danger, he immediately attacks the opponent and kills him with his powerful horns. Even the lion tries to avoid meeting him, because he is not sure of the outcome of the battle. The herds of these animals are very large, sometimes they number more than a hundred heads.

Antelope

This animal is very different. unusual appearance. A large and heavy head with curved horns, and a shaggy thick mane around the neck. The tousled hair on the muzzle resembles a beard. With a massive body, the legs with sharp hooves are rather slender, resembling those of a horse. The coat color of the antelope is grayish-blue, only the mane and tail are dark. These animals make jerky sounds similar to grunting. The antelope lives only in Africa. In the vast expanses of the savannas, they graze in huge herds. The antelope feeds on certain varieties of grasses.

Antelopes travel great distances in search of water and food. They go to areas where it has already rained. When they reach the water, they rest for a long time.

Often antelopes become the prey of lions, leopards and hyenas. However, do not think that antelopes are so harmless. They can take care of themselves. Frightened by a predator, the animals start a fast gallop, buck with their hind legs, threateningly put forward their sharp horns.

With the advent of spring, tournaments are held between male antelopes. It usually happens on the knees. Males rest their heads and try to knock the enemy on their side. The strongest wins the fight.

When an antelope has a cub, adult antelopes of the herd decorously go to get acquainted with him. Their attention sometimes turns out to be excessive, so the mother is forced to drive away her fellow tribesmen.

Savannahs are called spaces similar to the steppes. The difference from the latter is the presence of areas overgrown with stunted trees and shrubs. In ordinary steppes, there are only single trunks and grasses near the ground.

In the savannas, there are many tall cereals, stretching about a meter. The biotope is typical for tropical countries with an elevated landscape and an arid climate. The following animals have adapted to these conditions:

kudu antelope

It is divided into 2 subspecies: small and large. The latter inhabits savannahs, occupying almost half of the continent, everywhere. Lesser kudu is limited to Somalia, Kenya and Tanzania. This is the difference from big view are running out.

The color of the small and large kudu is the same - chocolate blue. The transverse stripes on the body of antelopes are white. Horns savannah animals wear spiral. In a large species, they reach one and a half meters in length. Small kudu is content with 90 centimeters.

Kudu horns are a weapon for battles, protection. Therefore, during the mating season, males turn their heads away from females, becoming sideways to them. So males demonstrate a peaceful, romantic mood.

Elephant

Animal world of the savannah does not know a larger being. However, over time, elephants become smaller. In the last century, hunters exterminated individuals with large tusks. These were the most massive and tall elephants. In 1956, for example, a male weighing 11 tons was shot dead in Angola. The height of the animal was almost 4 meters. The average growth of African elephants is 3 meters.

Even a newborn elephant weighs 120 kilograms. Gestation lasts almost 2 years. This is a record among land animals. It is not surprising that the elephant's brain is impressive, weighing more than 5 kilos. Therefore, elephants are capable of altruism, compassion, know how to grieve, listen to music and play instruments, draw, taking brushes in their trunks.

Giraffe

Exceeds the elephant in height, reaching almost 7 meters, but not in mass. The length of the giraffe's tongue alone is 50 centimeters. This length allows the animal to grab succulent leaves from the tops of tree crowns.

The neck also helps. Its length is more than a third of the total height of a giraffe. To send blood to the "high-rise floors" the heart of the inhabitant of the savannas is increased to a mass of 12 kilograms.

Animals that live in the savannah, easily reach the crowns, but do not reach the ground. To drink, you have to bend your front legs.

Zebra

Spectacular coloring of the ungulate is a way to get rid of the attacks of tsetse flies and other savannah gnats. Black and white stripes reflect light differently. Between the lines there is a difference in heat fluxes. This, coupled with contrast, repels flies. In the world of insects, zebra-colored are poisonous, dangerous species.

In most animals with spectacular colors, cubs are born in one color. The pattern appears when the offspring grows up. Zebra cubs are immediately born striped. The pattern is unique, like a human fingerprint.

Pink flamingo

The animal's nose resembles a trunk or hose from a vacuum cleaner. The tail of an aardvark is similar to that of a rat. The body is somewhat reminiscent of a young boar. You can see believing in the savannas south of the Sahara.

If a trip to Africa is not planned, you can see the aardvark in Russian zoos. In 2013, by the way, a cub of an exotic animal was born in Yekaterinburg. Previously, it was not possible to obtain offspring of aardvarks in captivity.

Guinea fowl

The guinea fowl were domesticated. However, free populations remained in nature. They belong to chickens. The size of a guinea fowl is also the size of a chicken. However, the latter cannot fly. The guinea fowl rises into the sky, albeit with difficulty, - short and rounded wings interfere.

Guinea fowls have developed social organization. Feathered species keep in flocks. The mechanism was developed for the sake of survival in the conditions of the savannah.

Porcupine

Among the porcupines, the African is the largest. Among rodents, the animal also has no equal. Some spines on a porcupine are longer than itself. Africans do not know how to throw "spears" at enemies, although there is such a myth.

The animal only raises the needles vertically. The tail tubes are hollow. Taking advantage of this, the porcupine moves its tail quills, making rustling sounds. They frighten enemies by reminding them of hissing rattlesnake.

In battles, porcupine quills break off. If it is not possible to scare off the enemy, the animal runs around the offender, exhausting and stabbing. Broken needles grow back.

dikdik

Does not go far into the savannah, keeping to its perimeter. The reason is that the miniature antelope needs cover in the form of dense thickets of shrubs. It is easy for an ungulate about half a meter long and 30 centimeters high to hide in them. The weight of dikdik does not exceed 6 kilograms.

The females of the species lack horns. Coloring in heterosexual individuals is the same. The belly of antelopes is white, and the rest of the body is red-brown or yellow-gray.

weaver

African relative red-billed. In general, there are more than 100 types of weavers. 10 names live in the savannahs of Africa. The red-billed weaver is the most widespread.

There are 10 billion weavers in Africa. 200 million are destroyed every year. This does not jeopardize the size of the genus.

Somali wild ass

Found in Ethiopia. View on the verge of extinction. There are black horizontal lines on the legs of the animal. This Somali donkey resembles a zebra. There is a similarity in the structure of the body.

Purebred individuals remained in Africa. In zoos and national parks, the ungulate is often crossed with the Nubian donkey. The offspring are called Eurasian savannah animals. In Basel, Switzerland, for example, 35 hybrid donkeys have been born since the 1970s.

The purest Somali donkeys outside of Africa are found in zoos in Italy.

The steppe expanses and are often called savannahs. However, biologists separate biotopes. South American savannah animals more correctly called the inhabitants of the pampas. This is the exact name of the steppes of the continent. Savannah animals North America are actually beasts of the prairie. In these steppes, as in South American steppes, grasses are low, trees and shrubs are at a minimum.

Savannah - unusual world, which lives by its own unique rules and laws. Everything in it is amazing: in winter it is not called the cold season, but the dry period, when there is a sharp shortage of water, and in summer it can rain non-stop for whole weeks. Such abrupt weather changes affect nature, subordinating it to their own rules. The picture of landscapes is completely different during such periods, and even animals behave differently.

Sometimes here you can see landscapes of striking beauty, and at other times they become dull and cause despair. These contrasts have always attracted people and made them return to the unknown world of the savannah to see again amazing animals and plants that can only be found in this natural area.

amazing animals

In conditions of lack of moisture and food, animals need to show great endurance and be able to overcome vast territories in order to get their own food. Savannah is an ideal place for predators, because the low grass makes it possible to look around and see where the prey is hiding. However, there is also interesting representatives fauna that feed on plants.

The largest animal

It is in the savannah that the largest land animal on Earth lives - the African savannah elephant. Its average weight is 5 tons, but in 1956 the most major representative weighing 11 tons! On the muzzle there are huge curved tusks that form from the front teeth. Their weight averages 100 kg. Tusks have always been highly valued by man, so the population of elephants was mercilessly destroyed, and this process has not stopped even now.

Elephants are social animals. It is believed that their herds are the most united in the entire kingdom of fauna. They are very kind to sick or injured family members, help them eat and support if weak relatives find it difficult to stand.

There is an opinion that only elephants from the whole animal world have a burial rite. Realizing that their brother is dead, they cover him from above with branches and earth. It is surprising that they “bury” in this way not only representatives of their own family, but also unfamiliar elephants from other families, and even people. Similar and others, no less Interesting Facts about the life and death of these animals are described in detail in the book of the famous zoologist and writer-naturalist Bernard Grzimek "Among the Animals of Africa".

Another trait similar to humans is the love of having sex. These African inhabitants are having sex all year round, although they are only capable of fertilizing for a few days during the rainy season. Males show courtship so that the female is supportive of them. Elephant pregnancy is the longest on earth and lasts almost 2 years - 22 months. Elephants feel the approach of childbirth and can speed it up by eating a special kind of grass that causes contractions.

The cubs are born blind, so they amusingly hold on to their mother's tail so as not to get lost.

Creeping fear

The black mamba is colored brownish-gray, which makes one wonder at its name. In fact, the word "black" did not arise by chance: this color can be seen on inner surface graze when a snake rushes at a person to bite him. This amazing representative of reptiles reaches an impressive size, growing up to 4 meters, and it can move at a speed exceeding the running speed of many people - 20 km / h.

Serpents with such strong poison, there is not much in the world: after the bite black Mamba crawls away for some distance and waits for the poison to paralyze the victim. Previously, after the bite of this snake, people could not escape and died in agony, but now a special antidote has been developed that can prevent death. The only difficulty is that the serum must be injected within the first minutes after the bite, otherwise it will not save the bitten person.

The hunting skills of these snakes are manifested from birth: already half an hour after the babies hatched from the eggs, they are able to attack the victim and inject deadly poison into it.

Unlike other mamba species, this variety does not live in trees. However, she found a less exotic home for herself in the form of empty termite mounds.

savanna master

The first picture that comes to mind when thinking about the savannah is the graceful king of animals - a lion resting after a hunt. This predator is rather lazy: he will never make an extra move if he is not already hungry.

During mating season the female and the male leave the pride and indulge in love pleasures for a week. All this period they do not hunt and starve, greatly losing weight. At the same time, copulation occurs with a frequency of once every 15 to 20 minutes. Sometimes the number of mating reaches 100 times a day. After the love period ends, the lions regain their weight for a long time.

These felines sleep surprisingly much: 20 hours a day, like domestic cats. IN good mood they can purr and bask in the sun, but when a lion becomes enraged, he lets out a roar that spreads over 10 km in the area. Only with the help of a roar can he scare away animals that are dangerous for females or cubs.

Most often, lions hunt at night. This is caused by very sharp night vision, which is almost as good as daylight vision. Since most prey lack universal vision, the chances of success in a lion's night hunt are greatly increased.

Highest

Savannah has become home to many record holders. These include giraffes - the tallest animals on the planet. Their growth is from 4.6 to 6 meters, most of which falls on the neck.

Female giraffes often arrange kindergartens, in which several adults look after the babies, and the rest go at this time for food. After the first ones are full, they replace the hungry "nannies".

Giraffes sleep only 60 minutes a day, sometimes they can do it while standing. Despite such a short sleep duration, savanna spotted inhabitants never yawn: they are the only animals that do not know how to do this.

proud bird

The ostrich is not able to fly because of its impressive weight, but it runs so fast that it is slightly inferior to the flight of some birds. At a speed of 70 km / h, he shows amazing mobility: if desired, he can abruptly change the direction of the run, without slowing down at all and without slowing down.

It is this species that holds the record for the size of the egg: in a one and a half kilogram ostrich egg, 2.5 dozen chicken eggs would easily fit. The nest is built by the male, and all the females he has fertilized lay their eggs there. During the day, they sit on the nest, and at night, a caring dad takes over and warms the eggs with his body.

When the chicks are in danger, ostriches can be cunning and show amazing acting skills, portraying a wounded and weak creature, leading the predator away from the kids. Children at this time quickly run to one of the adults and hide their heads under a large wing. Then the ostrich leaves the amazed predator and returns to his herd.

Fancy set

Cape aardvark appearance is puzzling: it feels like the body parts of different animals have been assembled in it. His body resembles an anteater, long ears- a rabbit, a piglet borrowed from piglets, and a tail inherited from a kangaroo.

An amazing animal has such an original nose shape in order to eat termites, which it hunts at night. He has an excellent sense of smell, thanks to which the aardvark accurately finds termite mounds and devastates them. During the night, he can travel about 50 km in search of delicious insects. Termites are not afraid of the aardvark, as its skin is so thick that insects are not able to bite through it. They stick to the sticky tongue and go straight to the stomach.

The body dimensions of the aardvark are quite impressive: it can grow up to 2.3 m. If it is driven by a natural enemy, it shows great power, with which it can slash the enemy with its claws, beats with its hind legs and somersaults forward very quickly.

amazing plants

The main characteristic of the savannas is long dry months followed by periods of rain. It is this parameter that determines the life of plants in this band. Most of them are perfectly adapted to frequent fires and are able to recover in a short time.

Millennial Elders

One of the main symbols of the savannah are amazing trees- baobabs. It is difficult to determine the age of the oldest specimens, because these trees do not have annual rings, so it will not be possible to determine their age in the standard way. According to the general estimates of scientists, baobabs can live for about a thousand years, but radiocarbon analysis gives other figures - 4500 years. During their lives, they manage to build up a huge sprawling crown. For the winter, they shed their leaves, but not from the cold, but from the drought.

The flowering of the baobab is an amazing sight. The process continues for several months, but each flower lives only one night, so it will not be possible to see a blooming baobab during the day. Since most insects sleep at night, these flowers are not pollinated by them, but by the bats living here.

The baobab has another amazing property that is rarely found among trees: after cutting down the main trunk, the baobab is able to take on new roots and take root again. Often in this way, trees felled by a storm survive, which forever remain in a lying position.

Bleeding dragons

In the past, the natives considered dragon trees to be enchanted monsters. The reason for this was amazing property dracaena: when its bark was scratched or cut with a knife, a red resinous juice began to ooze, resembling blood. The very name "dracaena" is translated as "female dragon".

Previously, the tarry liquid was used for embalming, and now this juice is used in industrial scale for the preparation of the production of red pigments, paints and varnishes. Dracaena has also found application in medicine and cosmetology: it is used as a component for the treatment of gastric diseases and skin problems.

The dragon tree is characterized by very slow growth, but over the decades, some representatives reach enormous sizes. An amazing "umbrella" shape of the crown is formed only after flowering, and before that, the dracaena grows with a single trunk. The foliage is very densely located in the crown, therefore, at the foot of the dracaena, people and animals tired of the heat often find rest in continuous shade. plant from natural environment habitat has spread throughout the world as houseplant, because it is very undemanding to care for, but it looks attractive and exotic.

The savannah is filled mainly with pampas grasses. But there are absolutely amazing representatives among them. Elephant grass is one of these. This plant can reach a height of 3 meters, creating barriers for large animals, and for small animals, acting as a reliable shelter and home.

Elephant grass grows near shallow water bodies. When they dry up, it can massively lie down from a lack of moisture, while blocking the channels of streams or small rivers. She is also afraid of coolness, so the ground part dies off immediately with the first cold snap. root system This grass penetrates very far into the soil, taking root to a depth of 4.5 meters, where it draws water. After droughts, with the advent of the first rains, it quickly grows again and serves as food for many animals: zebras, antelopes, giraffes and other herbivores.

People do not ignore it either, using elephant grass for cooking some dishes, using it in construction and growing it as an ornamental plant.

The savannahs of the world keep many secrets. A traveler who decides to visit these lands will find many amazing discoveries that will allow them to understand the romance of a safari and appreciate this harsh but attractive world.

The spaces located in subequatorial belt, is covered with herbaceous vegetation, as well as sparsely scattered trees and shrubs. The sharp divisions of the year into rainy periods and dry seasons, typical of the subequatorial climate, are optimal conditions for the life of many animals. Many areas of the savannas are well suited for pastoralism, but wild fauna have completely disappeared. However, in the African savannah there are still large National parks with animals that have adapted to survive in arid conditions.

mammals

The fauna in the savannah is a unique phenomenon. Before the appearance of white colonialists in these territories, countless herds of large herbivores could be found here, which made transitions in search of watering holes. Such herds were followed by various predators, and then - typical carrion eaters. Today, more than forty species of the largest mammals live on the territory of the savannah.

Giraffe

Thanks to the natural grace and impressive long neck(Giraffidae) became a real decoration of the savannah, which the discoverers considered a cross between a leopard and a camel. The growth of sexually mature adults varies, as a rule, in the range of 5.5-6.1 m, a third of which falls on the neck. Except unusual neck giraffes have a tongue, the length of which reaches 44-45 cm. The diet of this savannah animal is represented mainly by juicy foliage of trees.

bush elephant

The largest in existence today land mammals pertaining to the genus African elephants and a squad of proboscis. (Loxodonta africana) are distinguished by a heavy and very massive body, thick limbs, a large head located on a rather short neck, huge ears, as well as muscular and long trunk, very unusual upper incisors, which evolved into strong tusks.

Caracal

Birds

The natural conditions of the savannah are the ideal habitat birds of prey including hawks and buzzards. It is in the savannah that today the largest of the modern feathered representatives of the fauna, the African ostrich, is found today.

African ostrich

A flightless ratite bird from the ostrich family and the ostrich order has only two fingers on the lower limbs, which is exceptional in the feathered class. has expressive and rather large eyes, framed by very long eyelashes, as well as a thoracic callus. Adult individuals with a dense physique differ in growth up to 250-270 cm, and are characterized by a very impressive mass, often reaching 150-160 kg.

weavers

Weavers (Ploceidae) are representatives of the family of birds from the order of passeriformes. Adult medium-sized birds are distinguished by a rounded and relatively large head. Some weavers have a characteristic crest in the crown area. The bird's beak is conical and short, rather sharp. There are three longitudinal ridges on the palate, connecting in the back. The wings are short, rounded, and males differ from females in size and sometimes in the color of plumage.

Guinea fowl

The only species in the genus Numida is domesticated by humans. Such feathered savannas are distinguished by the presence of a horn-shaped process in the region of the crown and a fleshy red beard. The bird is characterized by a slightly hooked and laterally compressed beak of moderate size, as well as the presence of rounded wings and a short tail covered with covering feathers. The plumage is monotonous, dark gray, with white rounded spots that have a dark border.

secretary bird

Reptiles and amphibians

The savannas and semi-desert areas are home to many reptiles and amphibians. The biotope is very characteristic of the tropics with elevated landscapes and arid climatic conditions. Reptiles, amphibians and reptiles serve as the main food for many savanna land and feathered predators. There are few amphibians in the nature of the savannah, there are no newts and salamanders, but toads and frogs, turtles and lizards live. The most numerous of the reptiles are snakes.

Komodo monitor lizard

Fish

Savannahs are located on three different continents, and water resources These territories are very rich and have a huge food base, so the world of the inhabitants of savannah reservoirs is very multifaceted. Aquatic inhabitants are common in South America, Australia and India, but the world of fish is most diverse in the rivers and lakes of the African savannah.

Tetraodon miurus

The inhabitant of the Congo River (Tetraodon miurus) belongs to a relatively large family of pufferfish, or four-toothed. Predatory and aggressive aquatic representatives prefer to stay in the lower or middle water layers. The head is large, occupying about a third of the total body length. On the body is a bizarre pattern in the form of spots of black or dark brown.

Fahaki

The African pufferfish (Tetraodon lineatus) belongs to the category of brackish-water, as well as freshwater ray-finned fish from the pufferfish family and the pufferfish order. Fahaki are distinguished by their ability to inflate into a large air bag, acquiring spherical shape. body length adult is 41-43 cm, with a mass within one kilogram.

Neolebias

African neolebias (Neolebias) in appearance resembles a small tench. The small mouth at the end of the snout has no teeth. The dorsal fin is rectangular in shape, and the caudal fin is strongly carved. The main color of the males is brownish-red, the back is olive-brown, and the bottom of the body is yellowish. Adult females are characterized by less pronounced and not too bright coloration.

parrot fish

Scaridae, or parrots (Scaridae) - representatives of the family of ray-finned fish, differing in different morphological features and having, as a rule, very bright and beautiful coloring. His unusual name such aquatic inhabitants owe a kind of "beak", represented by numerous teeth, densely located on the outer part of the jawbone. Some species are characterized by the presence of external fangs or incisors.

Handsome Chromis

A very bright and unusual cichlid (Hemichromis bimaculatus) has an elongated and high body with flat sides. Females are more brightly colored than males, and the main tone of the color is represented by grayish-brown tones. There are three rounded dark spots on the body, and longitudinal bluish rows of sparkling dots are noticeable on the gill covers.

elephant fish

The Nile elephant (Gnathonemus petersii) has an unusual body structure, elongated and noticeably compressed laterally. The pelvic fins are absent, and the pectoral fins are rather high raised. Symmetrical anal and dorsal located almost at the very base of the forked tail section. The area of ​​connection of the caudal fin to the body is quite thin. The proboscis-shaped lower lip gives the fish an outward resemblance to an ordinary elephant.

electric catfish

bottom freshwater fish(Malapterurus electricus) has an elongated body, and six antennae are located in the head area. Small eyes that glow in the dark. The coloration is quite variegated: dark brown back, yellow belly and brownish sides. Numerous dark spots are located on the body. Abdominal and pectoral fins the fish are pink, and the caudal fin is characterized by a dark base and the presence of a wide red rim.