Download Location and Climate

The Grassland
Facts and Information
Location and Climate
Depending on where you are,
grasslands can be found in many
places and are called many names:
prairies (North America), steppes
(Asia), savannas (Africa and
Australia), and pampas (South
America). The one thing these all have
in common is grass.
The climate in the grassland can very a bit from one
place to another. They basically have hot summers
and cold winters. Temperatures generally range
from about 86˚F in summer to about 32˚F in
winter. The average precipitation
(rainfall) in the grassland is about 75
centimeters. With the high
rate of evaporation (water
returning to the atmosphere)
and grazing by animals,
grasslands often fall victim
to forest fires and droughts.
Grassland Plants
As the name implies, the major plant of the
grassland is grass. Grass is adapted for survival in
the grassland by being small to overcome the
excessive evaporation and grazing mentioned
above. For the same reasons, very few taller plants
grow well here. Over 10,000 different species of
grass grow, worldwide. Growing among the
grasses, you may find small flowering plants and a
few trees such as cottonwoods and willows.
Because
of
the
growth of the grass,
grasslands
often
have rich soil. It is in
these regions that
farmers have found
the most success in
growing food crops.
Grassland Animals
Without very many places above ground to
hide, grassland animals have
adapted to survival in many ways.
One way is camouflage. Animals
of the grassland are colored such that they
blend with the environment either
to sneak up on food or to avoid
being food. Another adaptation of the grassland is
sharp vision and speed. Still another adaptation is
that many of the grassland animals live
underground. Some animals of the grassland
include: lions, coyotes, jack rabbits, prairie
chickens, prairie dogs, rats, mice, ground
squirrels, wolves, foxes, antelope, elk, deer,
bison, hawks, owls, snakes, kangaroos, wombats,
giraffes, elephants, zebras
and
wildebeests.
These
animals do not live together
in one grassland, but can be
found in different grasslands
all over the world