5 ESSENTIAL FACTS:

  • There are two layers of vegetation - tall grass and trees such as acaia and baobab trees scattered around the land
  • There is noticeable diversity in savanna grasslands, species vary from wildebeest to gazelles, which in turn attract predators such as lions and cheetahs.
  • All trees in the savanna grasslands are deciduous [shed leaves], an adaptation to reduce water loss through transpiration in the leaves.
  • There is an extreme, long dry season in the winter.
  • The landscape changes drastically during the wet and dry seasons.

The baobab tree is an extreme adaptation in which it's immense tree trunk (up to 9 metres wide) has a soft and spongy inner layer which is used to store water as a reserve for the dry season. Tree growth is slow and the roots are long tap roots which assist in the absorption of water from deep underground.

Baobab_tree_sized

The giraffe's iconic long neck is one of its many adaptations to live in the savanna grasslands. Their long neck allows them to reach leaves from trees where no other species can grab, allowing their species to be the sole consumer of leaves of that height. Giraffes also have a special glue-like saliva that allows them to eat (the afore mentioned) acaia trees, which have a spiky, thorn layer around their leaves. In addition, giraffes havee the ability to go without water for long periods of time, and often drink morning dew.

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Sources:

Baobab tree http://langabi.name/gallery/mapungubwe05/Baobab_tree?full=1

Giraffe http://www.naturfoto-cz.de/giraffe-foto-7535.html