The climatic region, located in the subequatorial zone, with characteristic grass vegetation and small interspersed with trees and shrubs, is called the savannah.
African savannas occupy more than 40% of the continent. They are distinguished by diverse fauna and flora. Moreover, according to scientists, this is one of the most environmentally friendly regions of the planet.
Climate
The savannahs of Africa have a warm tropical climate. Dry winter period is pronounced. The average temperature of the hottest month is +30 ° С and higher, in the coldest month the temperature does not fall below +18 ° С. Precipitation is not more than 2500 mm per year.
African savannah soil
In this region, the conditions for the development of plants are difficult - the soil practically does not contain nutrients (or in very small quantities). During a drought, it dries so much that deep cracks appear on the surface and often fires occur. During the wet season, the soil becomes swampy.
African savannah vegetation
For survival, savannah trees have acquired certain specific properties that protect them from drought and heat. The most striking representative of the savannah flora is baobab. The diameter of its trunk often reaches 8 meters. In height, this giant grows to 25 meters.
A thick baobab trunk and bark can accumulate moisture like a sponge. Long and powerful roots absorb moisture from the depths of the soil. Africans learned to use the shoots and leaves of baobab for food, and to make various tools from the bark.
Despite not the most favorable conditions, the flora of the savannah (Africa and other continents) is quite diverse. Here there are plants that are better than others adapted to a drought that lasts more than one month.
Herbs
In the savannah is very thick and juicy grass. For example, elephant, which has huge leaves up to 50 cm long and a stem of about two meters. In addition, aloe and wild asparagus, as well as many cereal plants, feel quite comfortable here.
Sausage tree
Very unusual (for a European) is the sausage tree growing in these places. It got its name thanks to unusual fruits that grow to a length of 50 cm. According to local residents, they are used in the treatment of rheumatism and syphilis. In addition, it is a mandatory attribute in the rituals to expel evil spirits.
Looking at the photo of the savannah of Africa, you can see that in these areas there are many different palm trees. And indeed it is. There are several types of trees like this.
In addition, the plant world is rich in prickly shrubs, mimosa - a favorite treat of giraffes.
It should be noted that during the period of drought in the savannah, all the vegetation seems to freeze: often during this period the trees completely drop their leaves, the grass sometimes completely burns out under the hot sun. There are frequent fires from which vegetation suffers.
But when the rainy season comes, the nature of Africa comes to life again. Fresh juicy grass appears, various plants bloom.
Animals of Africa (savannah)
On the vast expanses of the savannah there are many representatives of the fauna that have come to these parts due to migration phenomena, which are primarily associated with changes in climatic conditions on Earth.
Millions of years ago, Africa was covered in rainforests, but gradually the climate became drier, and therefore huge tracts of forest irretrievably disappeared. Light forests and fields overgrown with grassy vegetation took their place. In turn, this contributed to the emergence of new animals that were looking for favorable living conditions. According to scientists, the first of the jungle came here giraffes, followed by followers of elephants, antelopes of various species, monkeys and other herbivores. It is only natural that, after them, predators also went to the savannah — servals, cheetahs, lions, jackals, and others.
Antelopes and zebras
The appearance of the wildebeest is so peculiar that it is difficult to confuse it with another animal - a dense and short body on disproportionately thin legs, a heavy head decorated with sharp horns and a mane, and a fluffy tail. Next to them are necessarily small herds of cute African horses - zebras.
Giraffes
Photos of the savannah of Africa, which we see in textbooks, brochures of travel companies, necessarily show us one of the typical representatives of the fauna of these places - giraffes. Once the livestock of these animals was very large, but they were the first to suffer from white colonists - they made coatings for wagons from their skins. Now giraffes are under protection, but their number is small.
Elephants
These are the largest land animals in Africa. Savannahs cannot be imagined without huge steppe elephants. They differ from their forest counterparts by powerful tusks and wider ears. By the beginning of the XXI century, the number of elephants was very reduced, but thanks to security measures and the creation of reserves, today there are more elephants than in the last century.
Rhino
The fate of the white and black rhinos that inhabit the African savannah causes serious concern of scientists. Their horns are four times more expensive than the tusks of an elephant. Therefore, they are the most desirable prey for poachers. Only the reserves created in Africa helped to protect these animals from complete extermination.
Lions
The savannahs of Africa are inhabited by many predators. The unconditional primacy among them are the lions. They live in groups (prides). They include adults and young animals. In prides, responsibilities are clearly defined - young and moving lionesses provide their families with food, and males protect the territory.
Leopards and cheetahs
These predators are a bit similar to each other in appearance, but differ in lifestyle. The main prey for the cheetah is gazelle. Leopard is a universal hunter, he successfully hunts warthogs (African wild pigs), baboons, small antelopes.
Hyenas
For a long time it was believed that this is a cowardly sedentary animal that does not hunt on its own and is content only with the remnants of a meal of lions. As modern scientists have found, this is far from the case. Hyenas hunt at night, they even quite easily kill large animals such as zebra or antelope. And, most surprisingly, these lions often “parasitize” on hyenas, and not vice versa. Hearing their voices, the "kings of nature" rush to this place and drive the hyenas away from prey. More recently, it has become known that hyenas attack people and can be very dangerous.
Birds
There are many insects and worms in the grass and soil, so the fauna of the savannah is distinguished by a large number of birds. They flock here from all over the world. The most common are storks, red-billed quilly, vultures, marabou, African ostriches, vultures, horned crows and others. The largest and perhaps one of the most beautiful birds in the world - ostriches - live in the savannahs.
The picture of the animal world of the African continent would be incomplete if we did not mention termites. These insects have dozens of species. Their buildings are a characteristic element of the savannah landscape.
It should be noted that animals are very revered in Africa. Indeed, it is not for nothing that their images can be seen on the arms of many African states: the lion — Congo and Kenya, the zebras — Botswana, the elephant — Cote d'Ivoire.
The fauna of the savannah of Africa over the centuries has developed as an independent whole. The degree of adaptability of animals to specific conditions is unusually high. It can be attributed to a strict separation according to the method of nutrition and the composition of the feed. Some use shoots of young shrubs, others use bark, and others use buds and buds of plants. In addition, different animals take the same shoots from different heights.
