In the equatorial belt of Africa, a huge area occupied by savanna. This is a flat or slightly hilly plains, where the open, covered with grasses sections alternate with groups of trees or dense thickets of thorny shrubs. In the rainy season is covered with high grass savanna, which with the onset of the dry period and the yellow fade. Agriculture in the savannas hardly developed, and the main occupation of the local population - cattle.
African elephant.
Animals Savanna - a unique phenomenon. Not a single corner of the Earth to the memory of mankind has there been such an abundance of large animals like the African savannah. At the beginning of the XX century. countless herds of grazing animals roamed the vast savannah, moving from one pasture to another, or in search of watering places. They were accompanied by numerous predators - lions, leopards, hyenas, cheetahs. For predators, followed by scavengers - vultures, jackals.
Greater kudu.
The indigenous population of Africa has long been engaged in hunting. However, while the man was armed with a primitive, maintained a sort of equilibrium between the diminution of animals and increase their numbers. With the arrival of white colonialists, armed with guns, the situation changed radically. Due to excessive hunting rapidly reduced the number of animals, some species such as Quagga, white-tailed gnu, antelope, blue horse, were wiped out completely. Fencing of private land, construction of roads and grassland fires, plowing of large areas and the expansion of livestock have exacerbated the plight of wild animals. Finally, Europeans, trying unsuccessfully to fight the tsetse fly, made a tremendous slaughter, and over 300 thousand elephants, giraffes, buffalos, zebras, wildebeest and other antelope were shot with rifles and machine guns from the vehicles. Many animals have died, and the plague, which was buried with cattle. Now you can drive hundreds of kilometers of savannas and do not meet any large animal.
Gazelle Award.
Fortunately, there were far-sighted people who have insisted on the creation of nature reserves where hunting and any business activities are prohibited. Government of newly independent states of Africa, have shaken off the yoke of colonialism, strengthened and expanded the network of such reserves - the last refuges of wild animals. Only when people can still admire the view of primeval savanna.
Antelope Kongone
Among the many species of hoofed mammals that inhabit the African savannah, the most numerous - the blue wildebeest, related to the subfamily of bovine antelope.
Oryx.
Appearance wildebeest is so unique that it will know at a glance: short dense body on thin legs, a heavy, covered with a mane and a head adorned with sharp horns, fluffy, about a horse's tail. Next to herds of wildebeest herds is always possible to meet the African horse - zebra. Also characteristic of the savanna, but the smaller gazelle - gazelle Thomson's, which from a distance you can see the black, constantly twitching tail, and a large and bright gazelle Grant. Gazelle - the most graceful and swift antelope savanna.
Giraffes.
The blue wildebeest, zebra and gazelle make up the core of herbivores. To join them, sometimes in large numbers, red, similar to the Impala gazelles, huge heavy canna, outwardly awkward, but very swift Kongone, with long, narrow snout and abruptly curved S-shaped horns. In some places there are many gray-brown longhorn water goats, relatives Kongone - swamps, which are identified by purple-black spots on the shoulders and thighs, swamp goats - slender medium-sized antelope with lyre-shaped horns beautiful. The rare antelopes, which even in the reserves can be found only by accident, include oryx, long, straight horns that resemble the sword, the mighty horse antelope and bush savanna dwellers - kudu. Twisted in a gentle spiral kudu horn are considered to be beautiful.
Impala.
One of the most typical African savannah animals - a giraffe. Once numerous, giraffes are one of the first victims of the white settlers: from their huge roofs made of skins for the carts. Currently giraffes are generally protected, but their number is small.
Zebra.
The largest land animal - the African elephant. Especially great elephants that live in savannas, - the so-called steppe elephants. From the forest, they are more broad ears and powerful tusks. By the beginning of this century, the number of elephants has decreased so that there was danger of their extinction. With the introduction of widespread protection and the establishment of nature reserves now, elephants in Africa has become even more than a hundred years ago. They mostly live in the reserves, and forced to feed on a limited area, quickly destroying the vegetation.
Blue wildebeest.
Even more concern is the fate of the strong black and white rhinos. Their horns, which are valued at four times more expensive than ivory, has long been coveted prey to poachers. Reserves, and helped to save these animals.
Black rhino and clawed lapwing.
In African savannas are many predators. Among them the first place, of course, belongs to the lion. Lions live in groups, usually - prides, consisting of both adult males and females, and the rising generation. Responsibilities are distributed among members of the Pride is very clear: lighter and more mobile Pride lionesses provide food, while the share of larger and stronger males have to guard the territory. Make prey of lions zebras, wildebeest, Kongone, but if the lions eat willingly and smaller animals and even carrion
Leopard.
A very interesting relationship with the other lions, wild animals African savannah - the spotted hyena. It was believed that the hyena eats mostly leftovers from meals, lion, it is cowardly, inactive, and almost no self-hunts. Recent studies have shown that it is not. It turned out that hyenas hunt at night (which is why hunting hyenas did not know) that they are easy to kill even large prey such as wildebeest and zebra, hyena, and that is not "parasitic" on the lions, and lions - on hyenas! Hearing the voices of the hyenas have mastered prey, lions immediately rush out there and drive away the hyenas. It happens that the hyenas are not forced to retreat and leave the lion. Experiments have shown that it is easy to lure lions when playing a tape recording roll call hyenas. By the way, only recently has become fairly well known that hyenas often attack people and very dangerous.
Horned crows.
Of the other savanna predators should mention the leopard and cheetah. This looks somewhat similar but completely different way of life big cats have now become quite rare. Main prey of cheetah form ghazal, the leopard is a versatile hunter: in addition to small antelope, he successfully obtains the African wild pigs - warthogs and baboons in particular. When in Africa, destroyed almost all the leopards, baboons and warthogs, breeding, have become a scourge for crops. Leopards had to take custody.
Hyena with cubs.
African savannas are unusually rich in birds. Only in the savannah lives the largest of modern birds - an African ostrich. The trees are often completely covered with nests weaverbirds many species that are outside the breeding season in flocks of many thousands wander in search of food, and often completely destroy the crop of millet and wheat. In the shrub savanna is particularly striking relatives of our chickens - guinea fowl, numerous species of turtles, sizovoronok, Shchurok. In the open places prey on lizards, snakes and grasshoppers, and bird-secretary and horny crows clawed run troubled lapwings, skylarks fly and the heater. The air is almost always possible to see the eagle-buffoon - a major predator docked, excrete in flight unexpected pirouettes. Where thorns forms continuous thickets, seek out food dazzling bright birds - glossy starlings. Finally, on the backs of elephants, rhinos and buffaloes climb like nuthatches, small olive-brown bird with a red beak. This buffalo birds or voloklyui that constantly accompany large animals by eating them ticks and other parasites.
Guinea fowl.
Picture of the African savannah wildlife would be incomplete without mention of termites (see Art. "Social Insects"). These insects are dozens of species in Africa. They - one of the main consumers of plant residues. The buildings of termites, which in each species has its own form - a characteristic detail of the landscape of savannas.
Marabou.
Animals Savannah has long been developed as a separate entity. Therefore, the degree of adaptability of the whole complex of animals to each other and of each individual species to specific conditions is very high. These adaptations include primarily the strict separation of process and composition of the main power feed. Vegetation savannas can support only because a huge number of animals that some species use the grass, others - young shoots of shrubs, and others - the bark, the fourth - and flower buds. Moreover, these same runners are different kinds of animals taken from different heights. Elephants and giraffes, for example, feed on the height of the tree crown, zhirafovaya gazelle and a large kudu reaches out to shoot, located one and a half to two meters off the ground, and the black rhino, as a rule, tears shoots near the ground. The same division is observed in a purely herbivorous animals that like wildebeest, zebra quite attractive, and zebra, in turn, be happy nibbling the grass, by which ghazal are indifferent.
African ostriches.
The second thing that makes a highly productive grassland - this is a great mobility of the animals. Wild ungulates almost constantly on the move, they will never beat out grazing as it makes the cattle. Regular migration, ie movement, the African savanna herbivores, covering hundreds of kilometers, allow vegetation to fully recover within a relatively short period of time. Not surprisingly, in recent years, a strengthened and the idea that a reasonable, science-based exploitation of wild ungulates promises great prospects than traditional breeding, primitive and unproductive. Now these questions are being intensively developed in some African countries.
Also on these and many other animals can be found in my blog.
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