T HE S AVANNA By Dania and Farah 6A ("")

T HE SAVANNA ARE LOCATED IN A FRICA, S OUTH A MERICA, A USTRALIA AND A LITTLE IN I NDIA ("")

A NIMALS IN THE S AVANNA AND THEIR ADAPTATIONS Egyptian Mongooses claws are adapted to dig in earth for bugs and insects to eat. As a physical adaptation chacma baboons have cheek pockets to store food and they also have razor sharp teeth to defend themselves against predators. As a behavioral adaption they never wander to far from water. (S.) (P.)

Grant's Zebras have strong teeth and sharp hooves to protect themselves from predators. When predators are sighted the zebras gather so the predator cannot tell one zebra from the other. Nigriceps Ants live in the whistling thorn acacia because it has special glands called "nectaries" at the tips of their leaves that produce a sweet secretion just to feed the ants, while the earth cracks up during dry seasons and gets waterlogged and spongy during the rainy season making is difficult for ants to build nests. (S.)("Savanna Animal")(Waterlow)

P LANTS OF S AVANNAS AND THEIR ADAPTATIONS Umbrella thorn acacia has a deep taproot so that it could get water during the dry season. The acacia's umbrella- shaped tops enable the tree to capture large amounts of sunlight with the smallest possible leaves. In wet months baobab stores water in its thick and corky trunk so that it has water in the dry ones. (N.)(H.)("")

The jarrah tree has long roots. This makes it possible to pull up underground water during a drought. It's lignotuber(a large swelling underground) can store carbohydrates, and can make it possible for a young jarrah to grow back after a fire. The red and green kangaroo paw's adaptations are tiny wooly hairs on its flowers. The little hairs help by making it taste weird to predators, so they won't eat it. The little hairs also help by holding on to water because it grows in a dry climate. (B.)("")

B AD H UMAN A CTIVITIES IN THE S AVANNA 1. Humans has started fires in the savanna that have spread through the grasses and damaged soils. The fires have killed plants and the animals that live in them. 2. Some areas of the savannas have been cleared for growing crops and rearing cattle, to provide food for humans while the animals have to move deeper in the savanna. 3. A large number of animals are hunted by poachers for valuable body parts. For example, elephants are shot for their tusks (ivory), lions are killed for their fur and bison are hunted for their meats. ("Grassland")

A BIOTIC F ACTORS OF THE SAVANNA The abiotic factors that affect the tropical savanna and its organisms living in it, are unseasonably warm temperatures, seasonal rainfall which can be too high or low and can cause floods or droughts, and fires that can be set by lightning can be harmful to the animals and plants. ("Tropical Savanna DDT")

BIBLIOGRAPHY S., Chase. "Chacma Baboon." Savanna Animal. blue planet biomes, Web. 17 Mar P., Alex. "Egyptian Mongoose." Savanna Animal. blue planet biomes, Web. 17 Mar < S., Chase. "Grant's Zebra." Savanna Animal. blue planet biomes, Web. 17 Mar "Nigriceps Ant." Savanna Animal. blue planet biomes, Web. 17 Mar N., Patricia. "Umbrella Thorn Acacia." Savanna Plant. blue planet biomes, Web. 17 Mar H., Nirvana. "Baobab." Savanna Plant. blue planet biomes, Web. 17 Mar B., Celeste. "Jarrah." Savanna Plant. blue planet biomes, Web. 17 Mar B., Celeste. "Kangaroo Paws." Savanna Plant. blue planet biomes, Web. 17 Mar Savanna. Web. 17 Mar Web. 17 Mar Web. 17 Mar Waterlow, Julia. Grasslands. England: Wayland, , Print Human Impacts on Grassland." Grassland. ThinkQuest team, Web. 17 Mar "About the Tropical Savanna." Tropical Savanna DDT. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Mar