Grade 1 - Animals and Habitats

Animals and Habitats: Supplemental Guide 4A | Animals of the East African Savanna Habitat 77

sharp thorns help keep some animals from eating too many of the

branches. These trees are right at home in this habitat.

 Show image 4A-9 Giraffe near a tree

Animals living in the savanna have adapted to their habitat in
many ways. Some animals, like the giraffe, have long, powerful
legs so that they can quickly run away from predators, animals
that hunt and kill other animals. Their long legs also help them
travel long distances searching for food. Can you imagine a rat like
me keeping up with a giraffe or zebra? Not a chance!
 Show image 4A-10: Oxpecker on giraffe
Now, there’s a little bird that’s been sitting on this giraffe the
whole time I’ve been watching. This is the oxpecker. Oxpeckers
perch on the backs of large animals. This oxpecker will use its
sharp claws to hold on to the giraffe, who will hardly even know
it’s there. The giraffe and the oxpecker coexist.^10 The oxpecker
feeds on the fl eas and ticks living on the giraffe’s body and warns
the giraffe of any predators that might be trying to sneak up on it.
In turn, the giraffe will let the oxpecker live on its back and provide
the oxpecker food (fl eas and ticks), shelter, and protection from
predators. The oxpecker will spend most of its life on the giraffe’s
back. What a partnership!
 Show image 4A-11: Zebra
So, here I am, back in all this tall grass, and I bet you recognize
the black and white stripes of the zebra I’ve just run into. Zebras
are specially adapted to living in the savanna. They have strong,
long legs that make them very good at outrunning lions and other
predators, and the stripes on the zebra’s legs and body don’t
just make it look pretty—they camoufl age the zebra against the
grass so that predators can’t see it. Zebras eat the grass on the
11 What does camoufl age mean? savanna, so they are herbivores. 11

10 When two animals coexist, it
means that they live together
peacefully.