Many things are known about Africa, but when talking about its animals, the image that is formed is that of the savannah animals. This is a fairly extensive region that is located in the south of this continent, in this post some of the species that can be found there will be mentioned.
the savannah of africa
In principle, the term savannah is used to refer to a biome that includes various ecosystems that can be mountainous (such as the mountains of Africa or the alpine areas found throughout the world), temperate (where they have a humid climate in the summer and a very cold and dry climate when it is winter, although they still have fertile soil).
It can also have an intertropical climate, like the savannahs of Africa that are in Tanzania, where its soil is not as fertile, it has a temperate climate and a marked seasonal difference that allows you to see rain in certain months and drought in others. Finally, Mediterranean savannahs can be seen, which are found on all continents, their environment is not completely arid and they have very little vegetation.
The savannahs also have their own classification based on their seasonality and their soil type, thus finding the hyperseasonal savannas that have clay soils, the seasonal savannas that have soils with greater drainage than the hyperseasonal ones and that are thicker, so they do not retain much water amount. Finally, there are the non-seasonal savannahs, which have sandy and very poor soils, they are mostly the pluvial areas.
In the African savannah specifically, the climate is varied in some areas, with some that have a tropical climate and others that have a subtropical one. Some of these areas are called "transition zones" where you go from a jungle to a semi-desert, a distinctive characteristic of other savannahs is first of all its extension and its groves, where the grass can have a height of 10 feet, also the trees of the Baobab species whose height can be up to 80 feet.
The environment of the African savannah areas is mainly dry, however, they go very well from a wet season to a dry one, which is why it falls under the classification of seasonal savannah. This savannah is located in the south of the African continent, specifically in its central strip, and has a very flat terrain, which favors the activity of some herbs and shrubs (which grow very tall) and that of some mammals in their hunting, since With their great speed they can easily catch up with their prey.
On the one hand, among the ecosystems that can be seen here, grassland areas and those that are similar to forests are the ones that predominate, although there are not many trees, in their place are the aforementioned herbs and tall bushes. On the other hand, the type of environment that can be seen is particularly warm and, as indicated above, there are two seasons: the wet season, where there is precipitation such that swamps can form, and the dry season, where there is no rain.
African savanna animals
A fact of all the savannahs is that the animals that live in them usually move out of them when the dry season comes, in addition to that many of the species that inhabit them are in danger of extinction due to the frequent hunting of their specimens, for example, one of the Animals that live in Africa and that is in danger of extinction is the Giraffe, the tallest land animal. Not only the tallest species is found in this savannah, but also the largest: the elephants.
Now, in terms of the fauna that includes the animals of the African savannah, three main groups can be seen where the species can be divided according to the food they have. First, there are the herbivores (favored by the savannah climate), then there are the carnivores (favored by the relief) and finally the scavengers (equally favored by the climate and relief).
The animals of the African savannah are mostly herbivores, this is due to the large amount of herbaceous stratum found in this savannah, also in the dry season they tend to migrate. A characteristic of these species in this area is that they develop more rapidly than other orders and are kept in herds as a method of security against the predatory family.
Because the terrain favors carnivores and they have found various ways to adapt and survive, gazelles and ostriches, for example, have great speed that allows them to flee from the lions, leopards and cheetahs that live there. Giraffes are also another example, their vision is so highly developed that they can see a predator from a great distance. Elephants being the largest land species still alive, they can defend themselves strongly.
In addition to lions, cheetahs, and leopards, there are other predatory species such as hyenas, wild dogs, and the black mamba, which is a fairly poisonous snake. At the same time that herbivores apply strategies that allow them to survive, predators have in their favor the speed that their extremities allow them, clearly resistance is important, so it is not natural to see a leopard run for hours to hunt a herbivore, for example.
The African savannah has the tallest land animal, the largest and also the fastest, cheetahs can take advantage of their speed in the pursuit of prey for longer than other species. A strategy that they use is to stalk until they find the perfect moment to attack their prey, the height of the bushes allows them to get between them and camouflage themselves.
Birds
It has been mentioned that there are several species of scavenger birds in this region, such as the white-backed vulture and some other species, the Egyptian vulture and the marabou, but there are also birds such as the starlings, the mousebirds, the white-headed buffalo weaver , the quelea common, the sagittarius and of course, the ostrich.
The ostrich in the African savannah can measure up to three meters tall and weigh 180 kilos, the female ostriches can be gray with brown tones and the males can be black or white, although this species was mentioned among the herbivorous species some of them have been seen eating insects.
Insects
Insects such as termite ants, grasshoppers, mosquitoes of various species and different levels of danger are found in almost the entire territory of the African savannah, some of which transmit diseases such as yellow fever. Other insects typical of this region are the tsetse flies that also transmit what is called "sleeping sickness". Finally, the largest insects that live here are beetles, crickets and horseflies.
Mammals
Mostly mammals can be found among the animals of the savannah, some primates like baboons live here together with baboons. Other species such as antelopes, rhinoceroses, buffaloes, hippopotamuses, wildebeests, African moose, jackals, pumas, foxes, meerkats, wild boars, pigs, anteaters, aardvarks, other species are:
- African elephant: This species is on the list of Endangered animals in Africa despite its large size, which can reach up to 3 meters and a half and can weigh between 4 and 6 tons. Among the animals of the savannah that are herbivores, they can eat much more than other species, approximately 200 kilos daily.
- Lion: Lions are always in a pack, although when they grow up they move away a bit to get their own packs and after a while they join a female to reproduce. Lions can measure up to 150 centimeters and even more and their average weight is 260 kilos. They spend a good part of the day resting, almost all day actually (when they are adults).
- Zebra: Zebras are smaller compared to donkeys and horses, species with which they are somewhat related. They can measure one and a half meters or only one meter and weigh approximately 450 kilos, their sense of hearing is very good thanks to its large ears so with it they can stay alert to predators.
- Gazelle: Gazelles are one of the species that are kept in a herd to avoid being hunted more quickly. Thousands of gazelles can be seen together in the African savannah, taking turns sleeping. They usually sleep for about half an hour. Its speed is a characteristic of this species that is the constant target of predators.
reptiles
To mention some reptiles of the African jungle, three main species will be taken:
- The African Crocodile: This species is usually found in the forests together with the Nile Crocodile and the Dwarf Crocodile.
- The black mamba: This is the most poisonous species of the Elapidae family in the world, it is quite fast and is always on the move due to its restlessness.
- The eastern tiger snake: In addition to the black mamba, this species of snakes is quite poisonous.
- The striped mabuya: known as the sand fish or striped African skink.
- Among the tortoises you can see the sulcata tortoise and the leopard tortoise
