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The Amazing African Steppe: Animal and Flora

Savannah (the African steppe) is a vast area covered by arboreal shrubby rare forms and grassy vegetation, which belongs to the subequatorial belt. For savannas, the characteristic type of climate is subequatorial, which is marked by pronounced division in the dry and rainy seasons.

Description

The African steppe of the savannah is a typical example of a terrain, the image of which appears in the main number of people at the mention of this continent. The territory is dominated by rain evergreen forests and deserts, between which stretches a beautiful, unstable and wild savannah - a huge area overgrown with solitary trees and grass. Scientists have determined the approximate age of this natural phenomenon - about 5 million years. Consequently, it is considered the youngest zonal type of Africa.

Geographical position

The African steppe occupies almost 40% of the mainland area. It is located around the equatorial evergreen forests.

The Guinea-Sudan savannah borders on the north with equatorial forests, stretching for 5000 km from the east coast of the Indian Ocean to the west coast of the Atlantic Ocean. From the river. Tana savannah extends to the valley of the river. Zambezi, then, turning 2,500 km to the west, runs to the Atlantic coast.

Dependence on weather

The African steppe of the savannah is in direct dependence on the weather, whose whims here are very strongly felt by representatives of the plant and animal world. Arid seasons here are not similar to others. Nature every year must adapt to the changes that come with the climate. Inevitably, only one thing - the savanna in each such period loses its vitality, brightness, juices, turning into a sea of sultry despondency and wilted grass. With the advent of the rainy season, the landscape changes so rapidly that the nature becomes absolutely unrecognizable for a couple of days. If you compare the images of the savannah before the arrival of the rainy season and a week of heavy rainfall, finding their similarities will not be easy.

The vegetable world of the savannah

On the black continent, typical savannah plants are all kinds of acacias, oilseeds, baobabs, lanceolate lions, doom-palms, elephant grass, anisophylls, various grasses. By the way, the latter are better than others adapted to the conditions of regular changes in humidity and temperature. After all, if for a period of drought trees-xerophytes can simply throw down foliage and stand in this condition in anticipation of a new wet season, then it is much harder to survive the herbs. Although nature could take care of maintaining the viability of the grassy cover of the savannah. In the cereal representatives of the flora of Africa, the leaves are hairy, narrow, very rigid and have a wax resistant coating that saves moisture in the cells.

Wildlife Savannah

Many are surprised and interested in the African steppe savannah. Animals on its expanses live in huge numbers. They came here due to migratory regular phenomena, which are associated with a change in temperature on the Earth. At some point, millions of years ago, the continent was completely covered with rain forests, only the climate gradually became increasingly dry, due to which huge parts of the forest disappeared, while in their place were fields that grew grassy vegetation and open woodlands. This, in turn, served as the emergence of various new species of animals that were searching for good conditions for food.

Thus, the African steppe developed. Here the giraffes from the jungle came first, elephants, all kinds of monkeys, antelopes and other herbivores settled down behind them. Following them, according to the law of nature, the savannah began to be populated by predators: servalis, lions, jackals, cheetahs and others. And since the soil and grass of the savannah is inhabited by an incredible number of worms and insects, the fauna was replenished with all kinds of birds that flew to Africa from all over the world. In this place, birds can see the red-billed quillies, storks, vultures, marabou, African ostriches, horned crows, vultures, etc. There are also many lizards, crocodiles and snakes.

Life in a drought period

During the drought, large animals try to stay near the watering place, but due to strong competition during this period the struggle for survival becomes more fierce than the African steppe (savannah), the photo of which is presented in this article. Small animals of the savannah, who are not capable of long movements in the search for food and water, fall into hibernation all summer.

The African steppe is a place of unique ecosystems and diametrically opposite landscapes. Here, a serious struggle for survival is in absolute harmony with the amazing beauty of nature, while the richness of flora and fauna - with real African flavor, as well as surprisingly attractive exotic.

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