Savannah (African steppe) is a vast territory covered with rare trees and shrubs and herbaceous vegetation, which belongs to the subequatorial belt. For savannahs, the typical type of climate is subequatorial, which is marked by a pronounced division into dry and rainy seasons.
Description
The African steppe savannah is a typical example of the area, the image of which appears in the majority of people at the mention of this continent. The territory is dominated by evergreen rainforests 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. Therefore, it is considered the youngest zonal type in Africa.
Geographic location
The African steppe occupies almost 40% of the mainland. It is located around the equatorial evergreens.forests.
The Guinea-Sudanese savanna in the north borders on equatorial forests, stretching for 5000 km from the eastern coast of the Indian Ocean to the western coast of the Atlantic Ocean. From r. Tana savanna extends to the valley of the river. Zambezi, then, turning 2500 km to the west, passes to the Atlantic coast.
Weather dependent
The African steppe savannah is directly dependent on the weather, whose vagaries here are felt very strongly by representatives of the flora and fauna. The dry seasons here are unlike any other. Nature every year must adapt to the changes that come with the climate. Only one thing is inevitable - the savannah in each such period loses vitality, brightness, juices, turning into a sea of sultry despondency and withered grass. With the advent of the rainy season, landscape changes begin so rapidly that in just a couple of days nature becomes completely unrecognizable. If you compare images of the savannah before the arrival of the rainy season and after a week of heavy rainfall, it will not be easy to find their similarities.
Savanna flora
On the black continent, typical savannah plants are all kinds of acacias, oilseeds, baobabs, lanceolate loafers, doom palms, elephant grass, anisophylls, various cereal grasses. By the way, the latter are better than others adapted to the conditions of regular changes in conditions of humidity and temperature. After all, if for a period of drought, xerophyte trees can simply throw off their foliage and stand in this form in anticipation of a new wet season, thenit is much more difficult for herbs to survive. Although nature was able to take care of maintaining the viability of the herbaceous cover of the savannas. In the cereal representatives of the African flora, the leaves are hairy, narrow, very hard and have a waxy, persistent coating that preserves moisture in the cells.
Savannah wildlife
Many are surprised and interested in the African steppe savannah. Animals in its open spaces live in huge numbers. They got here due to migratory natural phenomena, which are associated with temperature changes on Earth. At some point, millions of years ago, the mainland was covered entirely with rainforests, only the climate gradually became more and more dry, due to which huge parts of the forest disappeared, while in their place were fields that were overgrown with grassy vegetation, and open woodlands. This, in turn, led to the emergence of various new species of animals that were looking for good conditions for food.
Thus, the African steppe developed. Giraffes from the jungle were the first to come here, followed by elephants, all kinds of monkeys, antelopes and other herbivores. Following them, according to the law of nature, predators began to inhabit the savannah: servals, lions, jackals, cheetahs and others. And since an incredible number of worms and insects live in the soil and grass of the savannah, the fauna was replenished with all kinds of birds that flew to Africa from different parts of the world. In this place of birds there is an opportunity to see red-billed quillies, storks, vultures, marabou, African ostriches,horned ravens, vultures, etc. There are also many lizards, crocodiles and snakes.
Life during a drought
During a drought, large animals try to stay near the watering hole, 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, is different. Small animals of the savanna, which are not capable of long movements in search of food and water, hibernate all summer.
The African steppe is a place of unique ecosystems and diametrically opposed landscapes. Here, a serious struggle for survival is in absolute harmony with the amazing beauty of nature, while the richness of flora and fauna is with a real African flavor, as well as a surprisingly attractive exoticism.
