The savannas make up much of Africa’s biomes, the Serengeti is one. The Serengeti is classified as one of the oldest ecosystems of living things. The way the biome works is a wonderful example of God’s goodness and creation of unforgettable s animal that are only found in this part of the world. Diverse wildlife and vast landscapes make the Serengeti a unique African biome. First of all, what is a biome? A biome is simply a place on earth that is classified by it’s animal and plant species. The species are determined by a few things: temperature, soil type, amount of light, and water sources. A biome is not an ecosystem, but has many ecosystems within it. Biomes change as their climates do. A savanna can become a desert if the climate …show more content…
Savannah biomes are characterized by grasses and small disperse trees that do not form a canopy allowing sunlight to reach the ground (National Geographic 1). A great example of a savannah biome is the Serengeti National Park. The Serengeti spreads over two east African countries: Kenya and The United Republic of Tanzania, and is a vast flat land the size of New Jersey (Wood 62). The biome also borders Lake Victoria. Serengeti comes from the word Siringitu, and means “endless plains” in the local Maasai language. It is also Tanzania’s oldest National Park. This savannah stretches 12,000 square miles across east Africa (Jackson 24). All the living things in the savanna are necessary for its health and survival (Wojahn 1). Many plants and animals must adapt to the Serengeti’s unique climate. The climate hasn’t changed in thousands of years. It is warm year-round with temperatures as high as 86 degrees in the summer and as low as 50 degrees in the winter. The summer is the rainy season with rainfalls of up to 50 inches. The winter is the dry season, and many fires burn during those months. Some fires start by lightning, but others are set by people. The rainfall on the …show more content…
In the south, there is short grass, medium grass in the north and west, and long grass in the north. Two of the most common grass types are Elephant grass and Rhodes Grass. Either of which can grow from three to nine feet tall. Some tree species are acacia, toothbrush, and baobab, or as they call them in Africa: Baobao. All plants in the Serengeti have adapted to survive the dry season and fire. The Serengeti Plain has a vast array of animal life that calls this grassland “home”. There are around 500 bird species, 650 species of reptiles and amphibians, 19 types of gazelle, and 10 species of primates. Most animals’ populations in the Serengeti are in good condition. The Black Rhino, are still a protected species and their population is currently stable. There are rarely seen by the public, because they are kept in highly protected areas of the park. That is a huge improvement from being so near extinction. Right now, the only two declining species are Warthogs and African Wild Dogs (also called Painted Wolves). Currently, there are only around 5,000 African Wild Dogs and they are the more endangered than Warthogs. Africa has five special animals that everyone associates with the continent.