Savannah plants: a wonderful world of unusual vegetation. Characteristics, flora and fauna of the African savanna Africa animals and plants of the savanna

There are ten natural zones on Earth. One of them is the African savanna. Today we will introduce you to this region and its inhabitants.

Description of the savannah

Tropical savannas have two seasons: winter and summer. They are not accompanied by sudden changes in temperature and do not have seasonal differences associated with this. These are areas located in a warm or hot climate zone. The average air temperature ranges from +18 to +32 degrees. It increases very smoothly.

Winter

This is the so-called “dry season” in the tropical savanna. It lasts from November to April. During this period, the savannah zone receives very little rainfall. From December to February there may be absolutely no rain. This is the coolest time of the year, when the air temperature does not rise above +21 degrees. Thunderstorms begin in October. They are accompanied by strong winds that dry out the air. During the dry season, fires are common in savannas.

Summer

During the rainy season, savannas experience high humidity. Tropical showers begin in May or early June. From May to October, the area receives between 10 and 30 mm of rainfall. During the rainy season, the African savannah blossoms: dense forests grow rapidly, picturesque meadows bloom. Savannah animals actively reproduce, and during this period the mother's milk of females is saturated with useful substances due to the variety of herbs in the diet.

Wildlife of the savannah

We can immediately say that this is a unique world that does not exist anywhere else on Earth. Primarily due to the variety of large and very large animals. Before the advent of white colonialists, the animals of Africa felt free and at ease. Savannas provided food for countless herds of herbivores that moved from place to place in search of water. They were accompanied by numerous predators, and carrion eaters (jackals and vultures) moved behind them.

Later the situation changed radically. Plowing up large areas of land, steppe fires, building roads, and industrial cattle breeding have put wild animals in distress. The situation was saved by the creation of nature reserves in which hunting and any economic activity are prohibited. Thanks to the animals, the savannah has a characteristic, incomparable appearance. In this article we will look at the most typical wild animals of the savannah. The list may not be complete, since the fauna of these areas is very diverse.

Giraffe

These are amazing animals of Africa. It is impossible to imagine Savannah without these majestic beauties. Even children know their graceful gait and surprisingly long neck. Not everyone knows that the “name” of the giraffe translated from Latin means “camel-leopard”. Perhaps those who first met this handsome man decided that he was a cross between these animals. In addition to a long neck, the giraffe also has a very long tongue (up to 45 cm).

These giants are herbivores. They feed on tree leaves. Thanks to their high growth, they can reach young and succulent foliage. It is not very convenient for a giraffe to drink: you have to bend your legs. The long neck of this giant, like all mammals, has 7 vertebrae.

Elephants

When talking about what animals live in the savannah, one cannot fail to mention the steppe, or African elephants. They have powerful tusks and wide ears, unlike their Indian counterparts. Plus, they are much larger. These giants live in groups, each of which is led by a large female elephant.

Because of the value of their tusks, these huge animals were brought to the brink of extinction in the last century, and the threat remained until their destruction was banned. Nature reserves have played a huge role in protecting elephants.

Lions

The main predator of the savannah, the king of beasts well known to all of us, is a beautiful and formidable lion. He poses a danger to almost all inhabitants of the places where he lives.

These predators prefer to live in prides (groups). They usually include adult females and males, as well as their offspring. In a pride, responsibilities are very clearly distributed: lionesses get food, and males protect the territory of the “family.”

Hyenas

The fauna of the savannah is very interesting. Take, for example, the relationship between lions and other predators, for example, the spotted hyena. More recently, it was believed that the hyena is a cowardly animal that is not capable of hunting, and therefore it eats leftovers after the meal of the “king of beasts.”

Cheetahs

The savannah zone of Africa is a diverse world where a wide variety of animals live nearby. For example, the record holder for long-distance speed running is a graceful and at the same time incredibly powerful cheetah. This adorable “cat” is the fastest animal on Earth.

It is capable of reaching incredible speeds in pursuit of prey (110 km/h). This is explained by a special running technique: the animal rests on two legs. This predator is amazingly strong and fantastically fast. These qualities allow him to easily obtain food for himself: antelopes or zebras.

Leopards

Savannah animals are very different. Leopard is another predator from the cat family. This incredibly beautiful animal has a flexible, strong and at the same time very slender body. Thanks to its powerful limbs, it quickly overtakes its prey. Its strong body is covered with thick, but not fluffy, fur, which has a characteristic color: black spots on a light yellow background. This is excellent camouflage, making the leopard invisible among the grass and branches.

The leopard is naturally endowed with excellent vision, excellent hearing, and a keen sense of smell. He easily climbs tall trees and even prefers to take a nap there during the day, sitting comfortably on the branches. More often, the leopard hunts at night: it sneaks up on its prey so silently that not a single leaf crunches under its powerful body. And then a rapid rush follows - and the antelope, monkey or zebra has no chance to survive. The leopard drags the remains of its meal up a tree and hides it securely among the branches so that jackals or hyenas do not get it.

A leopard, regardless of its gender, has its own hunting territory. It is better for an uninvited guest not to enter it: he will face serious punishment. Leopards live more comfortably alone.

Zebras

Another animal that lives in the African savannah is the cute striped zebra horse. Many people wonder why she needs such a bright color? Savannah animals have hair of certain colors not only to recognize each other from afar. Mainly it helps to deceive the attacking enemy. Let's say a zebra is attacked by a lion. Alone, she is clearly visible to a predator. What if she rushes to her herd? When there is a large concentration of animals, all the stripes merge, causing ripples in the eyes of the predator... Hunting becomes more difficult.

Striped horses eat grass. However, the life of savannah animals is not easy, and in search of watering places and pastures, they travel long distances across the hot savannah. Antelopes, giraffes, and ostriches often graze next to zebras. Such a large company helps to escape from enemies. Despite its harmless appearance, the zebra knows how to stand up for itself. She strives to strike the enemy with her forelimbs with hard hooves; a herd of these cute animals can even repel the attack of a lion. Zebras usually live in small herds; they gather into large herds only before a long journey. At the head of such a herd is an experienced and strong leader. Zebras are monogamous: they build their families once and for life.

The foal recognizes its mother by the stripe pattern. Interestingly, it never repeats itself. And so that the baby remembers his mother, she does not let anyone near him for several days after birth. When the cub grows a little, it is protected by all the zebras in the herd.

Rhinoceros

Savannah animals can be proud that they live next to the largest land animal (after the elephant). This is a rhinoceros. Its weight reaches 2.2 tons, length - 3.15 m, height - 160 cm. Its name is not accidental. There really is a horn growing on his nose, huge and very sharp. Moreover, some individuals have two of them: one is very large, the other is slightly smaller. They are formed from hard, compressed hair. However, this is a very dangerous weapon.

These giants love water, swamps, and even more pleasure is given to them by mud, in which they can wallow to their heart's content during the rainy season. This way they escape the heat. The thick skin of a rhinoceros gathers into folds. He resembles an ancient knight dressed in armor. Birds can often be seen on its back. The giant is not against these guests, since they are his assistants. Birds clean the skin of rhinoceroses from various insects and ticks.

Rhinoceroses see poorly, but hear very well. Their sense of smell is even better developed. They find a familiar path to the lake by smell. Each rhinoceros has its own path. These huge animals feed on leaves, grass, and fruits fallen from trees. Having had enough, the rhinoceros goes to bed. He falls asleep so soundly that at this time you can get quite close to him. But if he suddenly wakes up, it’s better not to catch his eye: he’s quick-tempered and really doesn’t like being disturbed from resting.

Most often, rhinoceroses live completely alone. The exception is the African white rhinoceros, which grazes in small groups. The mother rhinoceros feeds her offspring (usually one cub) with milk for a year. Currently, the number of rhinoceroses has decreased significantly. Fortunately, they can still be seen in zoos.

Buffalo

This is a very dangerous African animal. Sensing danger, he immediately attacks his opponent and kills him with his powerful horns. Even the lion tries to avoid meeting him because he is not sure of the outcome of the battle. The herds of these animals are very large, sometimes numbering more than a hundred animals.

Antelope

This animal has a very unusual appearance. A large and heavy head with curved horns, and a shaggy thick mane on the neck. The tousled fur on the face resembles a beard. With a massive body, the legs with sharp hooves are quite slender, reminiscent of a horse. The color of the antelope's coat is grayish-blue, only the mane and tail are dark. These animals make abrupt sounds similar to grunting. The antelope lives only in Africa. In the vast expanses of savannas they graze in huge herds. The antelope feeds on certain varieties of grass.

Antelopes travel vast distances in search of water and food. They go to areas where it has already rained. Having reached the water, they rest for a long time.

Antelopes often become prey for lions, leopards and hyenas. However, you should not think that antelopes are so harmless. They can stand up for themselves. The animals, frightened by the predator, launch into a fast gallop, kick their hind legs, and thrust their sharp horns forward threateningly.

With the arrival of spring, tournaments take place between male antelopes. This usually happens on the knees. The males rest their heads and try to knock the enemy onto his side. The strongest wins the fight.

When an antelope has a baby, the adult antelopes of the herd decorously go to meet it. Their attention sometimes turns out to be excessive, so the mother is forced to drive away her fellow tribesmen.

The most original adaptations have been developed by plants to survive lack of moisture in the dry tropics: African savannahs, tropical forests of Madagascar and northern Australia, South American deciduous woodlands - caatingah.

Most adapted to dry times dry season years turned out to be trees from the family yourself water Baobab bombaxes. Many of their species are unusual cork absorbs quickly not only externally, but also she becomes light according to the structure of wood, which plays a role water Baobab giant accumulator and moisture keeper in Baobab giant plant dry period. The wood of these trees peaceTo increase stock soft and heavy due to floraTo enlarge the water it contains. At giant of the plant world When it dries it becomes as light as these trees are soft cork, but unlike The wood of these trees corks quickly absorb bombax family Many water.

years there were trees

To increase the water supply trunks time of year turned out to be trees grow greatly. An example of this structure of wood playing serve Brazilian Cavanilesia - bottle tree, or whatever it is called wood playing a role called by local residents, “the tree of life”, period Wood of these and a giant of the plant world dry period Wood baobab.

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There are ten natural zones on Earth. One of them is the African savanna. Today we will introduce you to this region and its inhabitants.

Description of the savannah

Tropical savannas have two seasons: winter and summer. They are not accompanied by sudden changes in temperature and do not have seasonal differences associated with this. These are areas located in a warm or hot climate zone. The average air temperature ranges from +18 to +32 degrees. It increases very smoothly.

Winter

This is the so-called “dry season” in the tropical savanna. It lasts from November to April. During this period, the savannah zone receives very little rainfall. From December to February there may be absolutely no rain. This is the coolest time of the year, when the air temperature does not rise above +21 degrees. Thunderstorms begin in October. They are accompanied by strong winds that dry out the air. During the dry season, fires are common in savannas.

Summer

During the rainy season, savannas experience high humidity. Tropical showers begin in May or early June. From May to October, the area receives between 10 and 30 mm of rainfall. During the rainy season, the African savannah blossoms: dense forests grow rapidly, picturesque meadows bloom. Savannah animals actively reproduce, and during this period the mother's milk of females is saturated with useful substances due to the variety of herbs in the diet.

Wildlife of the savannah

We can immediately say that this is a unique world that does not exist anywhere else on Earth. Primarily due to the variety of large and very large animals. Before the advent of white colonialists, the animals of Africa felt free and at ease. Savannas provided food for countless herds of herbivores that moved from place to place in search of water. They were accompanied by numerous predators, and carrion eaters (jackals and vultures) moved behind them.

Later the situation changed radically. Plowing up large areas of land, steppe fires, building roads, and industrial cattle breeding have put wild animals in distress. The situation was saved by the creation of nature reserves in which hunting and any economic activity are prohibited. Thanks to the animals, the savannah has a characteristic, incomparable appearance. In this article we will look at the most typical wild animals of the savannah. The list may not be complete, since the fauna of these areas is very diverse.

Giraffe

These are amazing animals of Africa. It is impossible to imagine Savannah without these majestic beauties. Even children know their graceful gait and surprisingly long neck. Not everyone knows that the “name” of the giraffe translated from Latin means “camel-leopard”. Perhaps those who first met this handsome man decided that he was a cross between these animals. In addition to a long neck, the giraffe also has a very long tongue (up to 45 cm).

These giants are herbivores. They feed on tree leaves. Thanks to their high growth, they can reach young and succulent foliage. It is not very convenient for a giraffe to drink: you have to bend your legs. The long neck of this giant, like all mammals, has 7 vertebrae.

Elephants

When talking about what animals live in the savannah, one cannot fail to mention the steppe, or African elephants. They have powerful tusks and wide ears, unlike their Indian counterparts. Plus, they are much larger. These giants live in groups, each of which is led by a large female elephant.

Because of the value of their tusks, these huge animals were brought to the brink of extinction in the last century, and the threat remained until their destruction was banned. Nature reserves have played a huge role in protecting elephants.

Lions

The main predator of the savannah, the king of beasts well known to all of us, is a beautiful and formidable lion. He poses a danger to almost all inhabitants of the places where he lives.

These predators prefer to live in prides (groups). They usually include adult females and males, as well as their offspring. In a pride, responsibilities are very clearly distributed: lionesses get food, and males protect the territory of the “family.”

Hyenas

The fauna of the savannah is very interesting. Take, for example, the relationship between lions and other predators, for example, the spotted hyena. More recently, it was believed that the hyena is a cowardly animal that is not capable of hunting, and therefore it eats leftovers after the meal of the “king of beasts.”

Cheetahs

The savannah zone of Africa is a diverse world where a wide variety of animals live nearby. For example, the record holder for long-distance speed running is a graceful and at the same time incredibly powerful cheetah. This adorable “cat” is the fastest animal on Earth.

It is capable of reaching incredible speeds in pursuit of prey (110 km/h). This is explained by a special running technique: the animal rests on two legs. This predator is amazingly strong and fantastically fast. These qualities allow him to easily obtain food for himself: antelopes or zebras.

Leopards

Savannah animals are very different. Leopard is another predator from the cat family. This incredibly beautiful animal has a flexible, strong and at the same time very slender body. Thanks to its powerful limbs, it quickly overtakes its prey. Its strong body is covered with thick, but not fluffy, fur, which has a characteristic color: black spots on a light yellow background. This is excellent camouflage, making the leopard invisible among the grass and branches.

The leopard is naturally endowed with excellent vision, excellent hearing, and a keen sense of smell. He easily climbs tall trees and even prefers to take a nap there during the day, sitting comfortably on the branches. More often, the leopard hunts at night: it sneaks up on its prey so silently that not a single leaf crunches under its powerful body. And then a rapid rush follows - and the antelope, monkey or zebra has no chance to survive. The leopard drags the remains of its meal up a tree and hides it securely among the branches so that jackals or hyenas do not get it.

A leopard, regardless of its gender, has its own hunting territory. It is better for an uninvited guest not to enter it: he will face serious punishment. Leopards live more comfortably alone.

Zebras

Another animal that lives in the African savannah is the cute striped zebra horse. Many people wonder why she needs such a bright color? Savannah animals have hair of certain colors not only to recognize each other from afar. Mainly it helps to deceive the attacking enemy. Let's say a zebra is attacked by a lion. Alone, she is clearly visible to a predator. What if she rushes to her herd? When there is a large concentration of animals, all the stripes merge, causing ripples in the eyes of the predator... Hunting becomes more difficult.

Striped horses eat grass. However, the life of savannah animals is not easy, and in search of watering places and pastures, they travel long distances across the hot savannah. Antelopes, giraffes, and ostriches often graze next to zebras. Such a large company helps to escape from enemies. Despite its harmless appearance, the zebra knows how to stand up for itself. She strives to strike the enemy with her forelimbs with hard hooves; a herd of these cute animals can even repel the attack of a lion. Zebras usually live in small herds; they gather into large herds only before a long journey. At the head of such a herd is an experienced and strong leader. Zebras are monogamous: they build their families once and for life.

The foal recognizes its mother by the stripe pattern. Interestingly, it never repeats itself. And so that the baby remembers his mother, she does not let anyone near him for several days after birth. When the cub grows a little, it is protected by all the zebras in the herd.

Rhinoceros

Savannah animals can be proud that they live next to the largest land animal (after the elephant). This is a rhinoceros. Its weight reaches 2.2 tons, length - 3.15 m, height - 160 cm. Its name is not accidental. There really is a horn growing on his nose, huge and very sharp. Moreover, some individuals have two of them: one is very large, the other is slightly smaller. They are formed from hard, compressed hair. However, this is a very dangerous weapon.

These giants love water, swamps, and even more pleasure is given to them by mud, in which they can wallow to their heart's content during the rainy season. This way they escape the heat. The thick skin of a rhinoceros gathers into folds. He resembles an ancient knight dressed in armor. Birds can often be seen on its back. The giant is not against these guests, since they are his assistants. Birds clean the skin of rhinoceroses from various insects and ticks.

Rhinoceroses see poorly, but hear very well. Their sense of smell is even better developed. They find a familiar path to the lake by smell. Each rhinoceros has its own path. These huge animals feed on leaves, grass, and fruits fallen from trees. Having had enough, the rhinoceros goes to bed. He falls asleep so soundly that at this time you can get quite close to him. But if he suddenly wakes up, it’s better not to catch his eye: he’s quick-tempered and really doesn’t like being disturbed from resting.

Most often, rhinoceroses live completely alone. The exception is the African white rhinoceros, which grazes in small groups. The mother rhinoceros feeds her offspring (usually one cub) with milk for a year. Currently, the number of rhinoceroses has decreased significantly. Fortunately, they can still be seen in zoos.

Buffalo

This is a very dangerous African animal. Sensing danger, he immediately attacks his opponent and kills him with his powerful horns. Even the lion tries to avoid meeting him because he is not sure of the outcome of the battle. The herds of these animals are very large, sometimes numbering more than a hundred animals.

Antelope

This animal has a very unusual appearance. A large and heavy head with curved horns, and a shaggy thick mane on the neck. The tousled fur on the face resembles a beard. With a massive body, the legs with sharp hooves are quite slender, reminiscent of a horse. The color of the antelope's coat is grayish-blue, only the mane and tail are dark. These animals make abrupt sounds similar to grunting. The antelope lives only in Africa. In the vast expanses of savannas they graze in huge herds. The antelope feeds on certain varieties of grass.

Antelopes travel vast distances in search of water and food. They go to areas where it has already rained. Having reached the water, they rest for a long time.

Antelopes often become prey for lions, leopards and hyenas. However, you should not think that antelopes are so harmless. They can stand up for themselves. The animals, frightened by the predator, launch into a fast gallop, kick their hind legs, and thrust their sharp horns forward threateningly.

With the arrival of spring, tournaments take place between male antelopes. This usually happens on the knees. The males rest their heads and try to knock the enemy onto his side. The strongest wins the fight.

When an antelope has a baby, the adult antelopes of the herd decorously go to meet it. Their attention sometimes turns out to be excessive, so the mother is forced to drive away her fellow tribesmen.

Among the grasses of the savannah. In the savannah there are periods of drought when there is a shortage of food. Then numerous herds of animals go in search of more favorable conditions. These migrations can last for weeks, and only the hardiest animals manage to reach their goal. The weaker ones are doomed to die.

The savannah climate favors the growth of tall and lush grass. Trees, on the contrary, are rare here.

The baobab is not a very tall tree, but its trunk diameter can reach 8 meters.

The African buffalo, along with the hippopotamus, is considered one of the most dangerous animals in Africa. Indeed, if a buffalo is wounded or feels danger to itself or its cubs, it does not hesitate to attack the aggressor and kill him with its powerful horns. Even the lion tries to avoid meeting him, as he is not sure of the outcome of the battle. Therefore, only buffaloes that have strayed from the herd, or old and sick animals that are unable to defend themselves, are attacked by predators.

The zebra skin is original and easily recognizable. At first glance, all zebras seem the same, but in fact, each animal has its own stripe pattern, like human fingerprints. Countless attempts have been made to domesticate zebras (domesticate them like horses), but they always end in failure. The zebra does not tolerate riders or other loads on its rump. She is very shy and difficult to approach even in nature reserves.

Zebras lack horns and other means of defense and flee from predators. Once surrounded, they defend themselves with their teeth and hooves.

How to spot predators? Zebras' vision is not very sharp, so they often graze next to other animals, such as giraffes or ostriches, which are able to notice the approach of predators earlier.

A pursued zebra can travel at speeds of 80 kilometers per hour, but not for long.

The stripes on a zebra's skin can be used to identify different types of zebra. The stripes on the croup are especially significant in this sense.

Leo prefers open spaces, where he finds coolness in the shade of rare trees. For hunting, it is better to have a wide view in order to notice herds of grazing herbivores from afar and develop a strategy on how best to approach them unnoticed. Outwardly, it is a lazy beast that dozes and sits around for a long time. Only when the lion is hungry and forced to pursue herds of herbivores or when he must defend his territory does he emerge from his stupor.

Lions do not hunt alone, unlike cheetahs and tigers. As a result, all members of the lion family live together for a long time and the grown lion cubs are not expelled from it, unless the conditions in the hunting territory become critical.

Usually a group of females goes hunting, but males rarely join them. The hunters surround the prey, hiding in the tall grass. When the animal notices the danger, it panics and tries to escape at a gallop, but most often falls into the clutches of other hidden lionesses that it has not noticed.

A characteristic feature of a lion is a thick mane in males, which is not found in other representatives of the cat family.

A lioness usually gives birth to two cubs. To become adults, they need about two years - all this time they adopt the experience of their parents.

A lion's claws can reach 7 cm.

In an effort to survive, all animals have evolved to provide their species with sufficient food. The giraffe can feed on tree leaves that other herbivores cannot reach: thanks to its six-meter height, it is taller than all other animals. A giraffe can take food from the ground, as well as drink water, but to do this, it must spread its front legs wide apart in order to bend over. In this position, he is very vulnerable to predators, because he cannot immediately rush to flight.

The giraffe has a very long, thin and soft tongue, adapted for plucking acacia leaves. The lips, especially the upper ones, also serve this purpose. The giraffe picks off leaves growing at a height of two to six meters.

The most favorite food of giraffes is tree leaves, especially acacia; its thorns apparently do not bother the animal.

Giraffes live in herds, divided into two groups: one contains females with cubs, the other contains males. To win the right to become leaders of the herd, males fight by striking their heads with their necks.

When running, the giraffe is not very fast or agile. When running away from an enemy, he can only count on a speed of 50 kilometers per hour.

The cheetah's "secret weapon" is its flexible body with a strong spine, curved like the arch of a bridge, and powerful clawed paws that allow it to rest firmly on the ground. This is the fastest-footed animal of the African savannah. No one can imagine an animal running faster than a cheetah. In short moments, it reaches speeds of over 100 kilometers per hour, and if it didn’t get tired quickly, it would be the most feared predator in Africa.

The cheetah prefers to live in small groups of two to eight to nine individuals. Typically such a group consists of one family.

Unlike other members of the cat family, the cheetah's claws never retract, just like dogs. This feature allows the animal not to slip on the ground when running; Only the claw of the thumb does not touch the ground.

The cheetah climbs trees and surveys the savanna from above to discover herds of grazing herbivores that could become its prey.

The skin of a cheetah is not always covered with spots; sometimes they merge, forming stripes, like the king cheetah.

The long tail serves as a rudder - it can quickly change the direction of running, which is necessary when chasing a victim.

The African elephant was threatened with extinction both because of hunting, to which it became a victim at the beginning of the 20th century, since there was a great demand for ivory products (from tusks), and because of important changes made by man in its habitat. Now elephants live mainly in giant national parks, where they are studied by zoologists and protected by guards. Unfortunately, this is not enough to stop elephants from being killed by poachers. The situation is different with the Indian elephant, which has never been in danger because man has used it for various jobs for centuries.

The African elephant is different from the Indian elephant. It is larger, its ears are larger, and its tusks are much longer. In Southeast Asia, elephants are domesticated and used for various jobs. African elephants are resistant to domestication due to their more independent nature.

Like the giraffe, the elephant prefers to eat tree leaves, which it plucks from the branches with its trunk. It happens that he knocks down an entire tree to the ground to get food.

Tusks and trunks are two of the elephants' miraculous survival tools. The elephant uses its tusks to protect itself from predators and uses them during drought to dig up the ground in search of water. With a very mobile trunk, it picks off leaves and collects water, which it then puts into its mouth. The elephant loves water very much and, at the first opportunity, climbs into a pond to freshen up. He swims great.

The elephant willingly hides in the shade because its huge body has difficulty cooling down. Its huge ears serve this purpose, with which it rhythmically fans itself to cool itself.

Just as children hold their mother’s hand, so baby elephants walk holding the elephant’s tail with their proboscis.

The natural environment in which the ostrich lives determined the final adaptability of this bird, the largest of all: the ostrich's mass exceeds 130 kilograms. The long neck increases the ostrich's height to two meters. A flexible neck and excellent vision allow him to notice danger from afar from this height. The long legs give the ostrich the ability to run at speeds of up to 70 kilometers per hour, usually fast enough to escape predators.

The ostrich prefers open spaces where it can see everything from afar and there are no obstacles for running.

Ostriches do not live alone, but in groups of varying numbers. While the birds are looking for food, at least one stands guard and looks around the area to spot enemies, primarily cheetahs and lions.

The ostrich's eyes are surrounded by long eyelashes, which protect them from both the African sun and dust raised by the wind.

Ostriches build a nest in a small depression, digging it in sandy soil and covering it with something soft. The female incubates the eggs during the day because her gray coloration blends well with her surroundings; the male, with predominantly black feathers, incubates at night.

Females lay from three to eight eggs in a common nest, and each of them takes turns incubating the eggs in turn. One egg weighs more than one and a half kilograms and has a very strong shell. Sometimes it takes a baby ostrich a whole day to break the shell and hatch from the egg.

The ostrich's beak is short, flat and very strong. It is not specialized for any particular food, but serves to pluck grass and other vegetation and grab insects, small mammals and snakes.

This huge pachyderm lives in both Africa and South and Southeast Asia. There are two species of rhinoceroses in Africa, distinct from the Asian ones. African rhinoceroses have two horns and are adapted to habitats characterized by large spaces with very few trees. The Asian rhinoceros has only one horn and prefers to live in forest thickets. These animals are on the verge of extinction because they are ruthlessly hunted by poachers for their horns, which are in high demand in some countries.

Despite its mass, the African rhinoceros is very mobile and can make sharp turns while running.

A female rhinoceros usually gives birth to one calf every two to four years. The baby stays with his mother for a long time, even when he grows up and becomes independent. Within an hour, a newborn calf can follow its mother on its own legs; moreover, it usually walks either in front of her or on the side. It feeds on mother's milk for a year, and during this time its weight increases from 50 to 300 kilograms.

Male rhinoceroses, like many other animals, fight for the right to become the leader. At the same time, they use the horn as a stick, that is, they hit with the side, and not with the tip. It may happen that during a single combat the horn breaks, but then it grows back, albeit very slowly.

A rhinoceros's eyesight is poor; it sees only close up, like a nearsighted person. But he has the finest sense of smell and hearing; he can smell food or an enemy from afar.

A rhinoceros horn can reach a length of 1.5 meters.