Grasslands are one of the eight major biomes located on the earth. Tropical grasslands are found from 5º to 20º north and south of the equator in Africa, South America and northern Australia. Temperate grasslands have hot summers and cold winters. They annually get anywhere from 20 to 100 cm of precipitation. Tropical grasslands have daily temperatures that range from 20º to 30º C. They annually get 50 to 130 cm of precipitation. In both temperate and tropical grasslands the trees are very limited. This is due to the very little rainfall and animals and fire killing off the seedlings. Some grasses located in temperate grasslands have deep roots that have helped them adapt to any drought conditions throughout the year. The grasses have well-developed root systems that help them re-grow after most wildfires. They also have bendable stalks that keep them from breaking off in any windy conditions. Although trees are scarce, in tropical grasslands the Acacia tree has thorns that keep animals from consuming. Some of the grasses are unappetizing and animals stay away from them as well. The bulk of animals that live in grasslands are in fact grazing animals and this is due to the large amount of forage available.  In temperate grasslands some typical animals you may find are horses and wolves. Antelope are commonly found in both tropical and temperate grasslands. Animals such as zebras, giraffes and elephants are found in the tropical grasslands. Here they are preyed upon by cheetahs, lions, hyenas and leopards. In both the grasslands the land is mostly flat. Temperate grasslands tend to have richer soil than the tropical grasslands but life thrives in each types of the biome.

Semenoff, J. Goertzen, A. Lewis, C. (Writer) (2011). Grassland. [Web] Retrieved from                                             http://www.slideshare.net/AbbeyGoertz/grassland-9197728

~KG