Cross Breeds

Major difference between animals of the rain forest and animals of the grasslands?

Major difference between animals of the rain forest and animals of the grasslands? Also why does this difference exist?

Public Comments

1. The Tropical grassland biome, such as the African savanna, lie mostly between the tropics of Cancer (23.4 degrees North) and Capricorn (23.4 degrees South). Tropical grasslands are a transition between the hot desert biome and the tropical rainforest biome - it receives between approx. 51 to 127 cm of rainfall annually, and has two seasons - a dry season and a wet season. Temperatures are reasonably constant all year round (25 to 33 degrees C)Lack of rainfall means that grass and a few specially adapted trees, such as the Acacia and Baobab trees, survive in this environment. There are less trees the closer you get to the desert and more trees the closer you get to the rainforest. Fire is very important in the grasslands as it burns off the dry stalks of grass, which renew when the rains come. The grasses roots are protected from the fire and the ash puts nutrients into the soil. The baobab tree survives the dry season and fire, because it stores water in its trunk and has a very thick bark. The acacia also has long tap roots and a bark that has a fire resistant sap. Significant animals in tropical grasslands include: Elephants, giraffe, lions, cheetah, cattle, antelope, wildebeest and buffalo. Environmental concerns in tropical grasslands include: poaching, overgrazing, clearing of the land for crops, soil erosion The temperate grasslands are located north and south of the tropics and extend to approximately 60 degrees north and south. They are better known as prairies or plains in the USA and Canada, Steppes in Eurasia, Pampas in South America and the Veld in South Africa. Here the dominant vegetation is grass, with many flowers. Here, there is less rainfall than in the tropical grasslands, approx 25 -75cm annually, but here the seasons differ inthe fact that there is a warm season and an extremely cold (or dormant, non-growing) season where temperatures range from 38 degrees C. in the summer, to as low as -40 degrees C. in the winter in the more extreme latitudes. Significant animals in temperate grasslands include: Bison, gazelle, deer; burrowing animals such as mice and jack rabbits; and predators such as snakes and coyotes. Environmental concerns in temperate grasslands are: many prairies have been turned into farms or grazing because the land is flat, treeless, covered with grass, and have rich soil. Grasslands are found on all continents, except for Antarctica.