Animals That Live in the Temperate Grasslands of Africa

Temperate grasslands are areas of land mainly consisting of grasses and shrubs where the climate is hot and the soil is fertile and rich with nutrients. Southern Africa has many wide open temperate grasslands, which are commonly known as velds. These velds have mainly shrubs and trees distributed across the lands. The animals that live on these velds are usually animals that graze on the vast grasslands available to them.

  1. Zebra

    • Zebras are best known for their distinctive black and white stripes. Each pattern is unique. The zebra is a herbivore; its diet consists mainly of grasses but it will also eat shrubs and herbs. They are very social animals and they live in groups consisting of one male, called a stallion, and a group of females. The female will stay permanently with the male who mates with her successfully. This family group will form a semicircle around a predator, ready to attack it if necessary. Zebras are often hunted by humans for their skins and this, along with the destruction of their natural habitat, has seen numbers decline over many years.

    Black Rhinocerous

    • Despite its name this rhino is not actually black but dark gray in color. Its name was given to the rhino to distinguish it from the white rhino. The black rhinoceros has two horns that are made from keratin (which is the material that makes up the outer layer of human skin). The longest horn measured was nearly 5 feet in length. The horns are used as a defense mechanism and also to help dig up roots when feeding. The rhino has very poor eyesight and instead uses its senses of smell and hearing. Rhinos are solitary creatures that only come together to mate. Occasionally the mother and her calf may stay in a small group for short periods of time. The black rhino is a very aggressive animal and attacks if it become frightened or confused. They often fight each other; close to half of the males die from combat related injuries. Black rhinos are herbivores and eat leafy plants, shoots and fruit. They can live for up to five days without water during a drought.

    African Bush Elephant

    • The African ush elephant is the largest of the two elephant species found in southern Africa. It can weigh up to 6 tons and measure 11 feet tall. The bush elephant's diet consists of grass, leaves and branches of the bushes. The bush elephant has four large molars to help break down the plants they eat. These molars get worn away over a period of time and are replaced as the elephant ages. Their milk teeth are replaced at around the age of 15 by a new set that will last until they are around 30, which will then last another 10 years. At around 40 a final set of teeth are grown, which will last until the elephant reaches 70. Not long after this the elephant will die from starvation as it will be unable to feed correctly.