ECOSYSTEM Grasslands by MAKAYLA LAWRENCE 6/2/11

Grassland facts  The climate typically consists of warm, wet summers followed by cold, dry winters with heavy frost.  Normally consists of 70 to 80 degree weather during the winter and 80 to 90 degree weather during the summer.  In the summer time because of heat and rain it can get humid.  Location  In Africa, they are found close to the equator itself, in part of Sierra Leone, Liberia, Kenya, the C.A.R or the Congo, and downwards towards Zimbabwe, Angola, Burundi, Madagascar and South Africa.  This is only a shortened of grasslands. Grasslands are usually found on either side of the equator.

Habitats  This region consist of habitat made up of mixed grasslands species.  The open country has limited trees and shrubs growth that is usually confined to watercourses, hillsides, and rugged terrain.  The grasslands have a capacity for all of the bird and mammal life in southern Africa.  This habitat has a grass 3.5 feet tall it is like this for predators like a cheetah or a lion to hide in the grass to stalk his prey  In this habitat the herbivores are

organisms  Marabou Stork  Aardwolf  Zebra  Gazelles  antelope  Buffalo  Caracal

Food Chain  Burma Grass Zebra King Cheetah

Facts about plants  Roots of prairie grasses extend deep into the ground to absorb as much moisture as they can  Extensive root systems prevent grazing animals from pulling roots out of the ground  Prairie grasses have narrow leaves which lose less water than broad leaves  Grasses grow from near their base, not from tip, thus are not permanently damaged from grazing animals or fire  Many grasses take advantage of exposed, windy conditions and are wind pollinated  Soft stems enable prairie grasses to bend in the wind

ZEBRA Its long Neck Black and White Stripes used to Distract the prey hooves  Its muscle

Zebra Description  Plains Zebra can be identified by their broad stripes. They inhabit grasslands and savannas spanning all over eastern and southern Africa. Their mouths are specially adapted to eat all types of grasses, from tall and rough to short and tender. They compensate for poor digestion by eating throughout most of the day. They also cannot go for long times without water.  Zebra mussels are usually about an inch or less long, but may be larger. When healthy, they attach to hard substrates, often found in clusters much like marine mussels.

Adaptation  1.the mainly white fur to rebound the sun's light  2. big ears to let the heat out  3.thin fur to keep cool  4.stripes to blend in with one another and stay away from predators  zebras have long legs so they can run fast away from predators  the zebra's adaptations are it's stripes. they somewhat blend in with the background. sort of like camouflage., it also adapts to the weather because it has thin fur/skin.

communication  Zebras communicate with each other with high pitched barks and whinnying.  Gravy's zebras make mule-like brays. A zebra’s ears signify its mood.  When a zebra is in a calm, tense or friendly mood, its ears stand erect.  When it is frightened, its ears are pushed forward. When angry, the ears are pulled backward.  When surveying an area for predators, zebras will stand in an alert posture; with ears erect, head held high, and staring.  When tense they will also snort. When a predator is spotted or sensed, a zebra will bark (or bray) loudly

zebras food  Zebra eats the stiff stems of corns, that antelopes avoid. Also they eat leaves, twigs. They drink water daily.  You can often see zebras and antelopes to graze together. predators Lions are the major predators of zebras, while hyenas, wild dogs, leopards, and cheetahs are their minor predators

Zebra babies  The stripes are typically vertical on the head, neck, forequarters, and main body, with horizontal stripes at the rear and on the legs of the animal  A baby zebra also can have brown and white stripes and when it gets older has black and white stripes.  There zebra mother keeps her young close to her at all time no matter what.  As it grows up she teaches the child how to gaze and stay calm.  The baby zebra has brown stripes and the adult has black stripes.

status  People shouldn’t be concerned about this animal because there are plenty of them.

Cheetah The golden and Black spot Sharp claws like Cleits for running The long legs that Are used for the The long tail used for 60 to 75 mil/hour run. Balance.

Description  The cheetah's chest is deep and its waist is narrow. The short fur of the cheetah is tan with round black spots measuring from 2 to 3 cm (0.79 to 1.2 in) across, which causes camouflage while hunting.  There are no spots on its white underside, but the tail has spots, which is from four to six with dark rings at the end. The tail usually ends in a bushy white tuft.  The cheetah has a small head with high-set eyes. Black "tear marks" running from the corner of its eyes down the sides of the nose to its mouth. This helps keep the sunlight out of its eyes also to aid in hunting,and see in long distances. Although it can reach high speeds, its body cannot stand long distance running.  The adult cheetah weighs from 36 to 65 kg (79 to 140 lb). Its total body length is from 115 to 135 cm (45 to 53 in), while the tail can measure up to 84 cm (33 in) in length. Cheetahs are 67 to 94 cm (26 to 37 in) in height at the shoulder.

Adaptations  Secondly, the cheetah's spine is very flexible so that while it runs it is able to turn quickly, and lengthen it's stride. In addition, Cheetahs cannot retract their claws. The claws are less of killing tools, and more like an athlete's cleats that help them gain traction while running in the Savannah. The cheetah's legs are long, and muscular so that the animals have greater length between their steps.  Also, the cheetah has a long tail for balance. Unlike most big cats, the cheetah has smaller, blunter canines. The long, sharp teeth were sacrificed for larger nasal cavities so that the feline can intake more air as it runs.  The "tears", or lines that run down it's face help lessen the glare of the bright sun. Cheetahs cannot roar, and rather communicate to the others with a combination of body language and chirps.  Also, Cheetahs do not eat from something they haven't killed, and if approached by another animal,will most of the time give up their kill in favor of getting into a fight

Communication  Chirping - When a cheetah attempts to find another, or a mother tries to locate her cubs, it uses a high-pitched barking called chirping. The chirps made by a cheetah cub sound more like a bird chirping, and so are termed chirping, too.  Growling - This vocalization is often accompanied by hissing and spitting and is exhibited by the cheetah during annoyance, or when faced with danger.  Yowling - This is an escalated version of growling, usually displayed when danger worsens.  Purring - This is made when the cheetah is content, usually during pleasant social meetings (mostly between cubs and their mothers). A characteristic of purring is that it is realized on both aggressive and ingressive airstream.

foodpreadators

Young  The cheetah babies are found faced and fluffy with not fully developed spots  They are about three inches long when they are new born.  The mother hides them in caves hidden by the tall grasses  There mother breast feed them for about a year then let them live on their own.  Cheetah cubs are different because they don’t see in color for thr first two years.

status  Yes the cheetah is going extinct because hunters keep on hunting them and wont stop people  We can set up organizations to help the cheetah and stop killing them for a sport

Food web

Ecosystem