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The main plants that grow on grasslands are grasses. There are thousands of different types of grasses.
Grasses are plants that are found from the edge of the sea to high up in mountains, and in every continent except Antarctica. Grass is a very successful plant because it can survive the harshest conditions.
Many wildflowers grow in grasslands. Flowering plants grow amongst the grassses, generally flowering in spring and summer.
Canadian prairie
Plant Adaptations
Adaptation means the changes that a living organism makes over a very long time so that it can survive in its environment.
Unlike most plants, grasses grow from the base, not the top. Creeping stems above the ground are called stolons, and those below the ground are called rhizomes. As these creeping stems spread out, shoots grow up and produce leaves. The deep, spreading root systems make sure that even in drought, the plants are able to get water. Long narrow leaves like grass do not lose as much water in the heat as big leaves do.
Grass can be cut quite close to the ground, and new leaves (blades of grass) sprout from the base of the plant. This means that grasses can be eaten and walked on by animals and are not killed.
Grasslands Animals
Many animals live in grasslands, different animals in different countries. Some of them are very small such as mice, prairie dogs, snakes, lizards and insects. These animals can hide easily in the grasses.
There are also large grasslands animals such as elephants, lions, zebra, giraffes, cheetah and rhinoceros in Africa, bison in North America, kangaroos in Australia. These animals are too large to hide in the grasses, so they must protect themselves in other ways, such as by speed or camouflage. Some, like African elephants, giraffes and rhinos, are so large that predators cannot easily attack a healthy adult.
Many grasslands animals live in large groups, often called herds. Living in groups means that there is protection from predators for the weaker members. There are more eyes to spot danger, and strong members surround weaker ones.
Information about some plants of different grasslands in the world:
http://www.mbgnet.net/sets/grasslnd/
http://www.hamiltonnature.org/habitats/grasslands/grass_plants.htm
Information about some animals living on different grasslands in the world:
http://www.mbgnet.net/sets/grasslnd/
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/biomes/grassland/grassland.shtml
Information on other kidcyber pages about some grasslands animals:
antelopes,elephants, emu, lions, leopards, meerkats, przewalski horse, zebra, giraffes, cheetah , African rhinoceros , bison, kangaroos
Information about the Australian grasslands
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If you use any part of this in your work, acknowledge this source in your bibliography like this:
Sydenham, S. & Thomas, R. Grasslands Biome [Online] www.kidcyber.com.au (2002)
Updated July 2009 ©kidcyber