23 Grasslands

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Grasslands by lan Trevaskis Table of Contents Chapter 1 What Are Grasslands? page 2 Chapter 2 Where Are Grasslands? page 6 Chapter 3 African Savanna Animals page 8 Chapter 4 American Prairie Animals page 10 Chapter 5 Night on the Grasslands page 12 Glossary/ Index page 15 Comprehension Check page 16

Chapter 1 What Are Grasslands? Grasslands are big open spaces where tall grass grows. When the wind blows, grasslands look like rolling seas of grass. The grasslands of Africa are famous for being full of animals. Lions sometimes live and hunt here. Their cubs play hide-and-seek in the tall green and brown grass. A lion cub rests in the African grasslands. There are two major types of grasslands: tropical grasslands and temperate grasslands. Tropical grasslands are hot all year. Most of them have heavy rain in the summer. Africa has tropical grasslands. Temperate grasslands have hot summers and cold winters. Often there are strong winds because few trees grow there. North America has a large temperate grassland area. Malaysia's tropical grasslands (below) have different grass than Africa's tropical grasslands.

Soil is important in grasslands. Grassland soil is rich and dark. This helps plants and grasses grow. The grasses' roots are also important. They hold the soil together. The roots stop the soil from being blown away by wind or washed away by rain. These grasses are tough. They keep growing no matter how much animals eat. This means that many grazing animals can live on the grasslands. Grass Growth Most of the grass in grasslands lies deep under the ground. The roots can be longer than the grass is tall. Some grasses may die in the winter, but they are kept alive by their long underground roots. roots grass stalk Fires sometimes move quickly across the grasslands. They burn away dead grasses and some trees. But they don't burn anything below the soil. That means that many grasses can grow back quickly after fires. Some grasses have seeds that won't grow until they have been burned in a fire. Then the seeds pop open and grass grows. After a fire, grassland birds have a lot to eat. The birds eat grasshoppers and other insects that have hopped, wiggled, and crawled away from the fire. Fires burn away dead grasses and help new grasses to grow.

Chapter 2 Where Are Grasslands? Grasslands are found all around the world, except in Antarctica. Tropical grasslands are mainly found near the equator. The Everglades in Florida is a tropical grassland. Tropical grasslands are sometimes called savannas. Savannas have very few trees. This map shows where temperate and tropical grasslands lie. green Tropical grasslands (savannas) orange Temperate grasslands equator NORTH AMERICA SOUTH AMERICA EUROPE AFRICA ASIA AUSTRALIA ANTARCTICA The Dust Bowl Every 30 years or so, the North American prairies have a long dry spell that lasts for years. The most famous of these took place in the 1930s. The prairies were called the "Dust Bowl" then because the soil turned to dust and blew in the wind. Temperate grasslands found in North America are called prairies. The prairies cover a huge area in the middle of North America. Prairie lands promised early settlers a good living because they could grow and sell crops. That's why so much prairie land was turned into farms. Other temperate grasslands are found in Russia, Hungary, New Zealand, the European Alps, Sri Lanka, and Australia.

Chapter 3 African Savanna Animals Some of the most beloved creatures on Earth live on the African savanna. The African grasslands are home to many animals. Some of these animals are big. Some are small. And some of them, such as elephants, are huge. An elephant can eat around 300 pounds (140 kilograms) of plants per day. A bale of hay weighs about 50 pounds (23 kilograms). That's a lot of food every day! An elephant eats grass by pulling it into its mouth with its trunk. Cheetahs are the world's fastest land animals. Animals they chase usually get caught. Large herds of zebras, wildebeests, and antelopes also live on the savannas of Africa. These animals are always on the lookout. They are watching for predators that hunt them, such as the noble lion and the speedy cheetah. Female lions like to creep up on these animals and then pounce. A cheetah runs down its prey with a great burst of speed.