the savanna biome
the lion
SAVANNA
The Savanna Biome is a grassland with scattered single trees, Savannas of one or another cover almost half the surface of Africa, large areas of Australia, South America and India. A savanna can be found between a tropical rainforest and desert biome. Not enough rain falls in the savanna to support forests, this is why a savanna is an open grassland with scattered trees. Another name for the savanna is a tropical grassland, These grassland are found in a wide band reaching across the equator, on each side and on the edges of tropical rainforests.
When it comes to creating a savanna, climate is the most important factor, savannas are always found in hot or warm climates with the average rainfall of 20 to 50 inches per year. It is very important that the rainfall is scattered over a six to eight month period of the year witch is normally followed by a long period of drought. This drought season causes the savanna to have many fires witch helps keep the savanna alive. If the savanna had rain well distributed throughout the year many areas would become tropical forest. The savanna temperature range is about 68° to 86°. In the winter the temperature ranges from 68° to 78° F and in the summer the temperature ranges from 78° to 86° F. The temperature in the savanna does not change a lot, but when it does it is very gradual, not drastic.
The lion is a major animal that lives in the savanna, the can grow up to be 5 to 9 feet long (head and body), and can weight 265 to 600 pounds, lions that live in the wild can live anywhere from 10 to around 14 years. Lions in captivity can live up to 20 years and older.
When it comes to creating a savanna, climate is the most important factor, savannas are always found in hot or warm climates with the average rainfall of 20 to 50 inches per year. It is very important that the rainfall is scattered over a six to eight month period of the year witch is normally followed by a long period of drought. This drought season causes the savanna to have many fires witch helps keep the savanna alive. If the savanna had rain well distributed throughout the year many areas would become tropical forest. The savanna temperature range is about 68° to 86°. In the winter the temperature ranges from 68° to 78° F and in the summer the temperature ranges from 78° to 86° F. The temperature in the savanna does not change a lot, but when it does it is very gradual, not drastic.
The lion is a major animal that lives in the savanna, the can grow up to be 5 to 9 feet long (head and body), and can weight 265 to 600 pounds, lions that live in the wild can live anywhere from 10 to around 14 years. Lions in captivity can live up to 20 years and older.
THE BRONX ZOO
The Bronx Zoo has done a very good job recreating the lion habitat, they have plenty of room to roam and many trees and rocks to sleep and lay under. The climate of the Bronx is not always as warm as the savanna maybe even hotter. The temperatures in spring this year have ranged from a low of around 47° to a high around 77° on the other hand, the savanna only has a low of around 68°. In the Bronx the summers have temperatures of 85° to 90°.
In the savanna the lion has a wide variety of prey it can feed on but the typically go for the prey that poses the lowest risk of injury. Buffalo, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest and antelope are just a few of the animals lions prey on. The zebra is one of the lions most favored prey, because they have a low level injury threat to the lion and a high body mass parameter. Having a high body mass parameter means that if caught, that animal will provide a sufficient amount of food therefor making the risk worthwhile. Big cats such as the lion are in need of a diet very high in protein and fat, but being held in captivity the lions don't need as much because they aren't burning the same amount of calories they would be if in the wild. In the wild the lion will normally eat around 10 to 25 pounds of prey a day. In other cases some big cats will eat up to 100 pounds in one sitting and then fast for many days. In this case the lions in captivity are fed five days a week, they are given about 9-18 pounds of chunk meat.