Armadillos in the Savanna

Of the 20 known species of Armadillos, the majority tend to live in Savannas or grassland type regions. They are not a targeted source of prey and don’t play an essential part of an ecosystem. They live underground and sleep up to 16 hours a day. The savanna biome is an area that has a very dry season and then a very wet season. They are situated between a grassland and a forest. They can also overlap with other biomes such as a grassland. There are Savanna's located in Africa, South America, India, and Australia. These areas are hot all year round and overall very dry, with an average temperature of 63 degrees. In the most known Savanna, the African Savanna, you can find mostly find animals such as wildebeest, warthogs, elephants, zebras, rhinos, gazelles, hyenas, cheetahs, lions, leopards, ostrich, mousebirds, starlings, and armadillos!! All the animals are extremely dependent on each other for food supply. Because of this, herbivores have developed traits to escape predators, such as being fast, being tall and being large. Most birds and large mammals migrate during the dry season to search for water. Grasses are also a dominant plant in a Savanna, along with Acacia and Baobab trees. In order to survive the dry season, some store water in their roots and extend their long roots deep into the ground to reach water reserves. The Baobab tree has adapted to the savanna biome by only producing leaves during the wet season and being able to store water inside its trunk. Since the Savannas are so dry there are many wildfires, these fires burn the little bit of vegetation that is in the savannas. Humans have made the soil worse by over farming it. If the biome is too dry, there won't be any water for the animals to drink, they will die of dehydration, and eventually become extinct. To solve this, we as humans need to learn how to leave the world alone!! The animals and plants will learn to adapt to the natural dryness of the land, but not to the torn up, barren soil caused by humans.  

Citations:

<a href="http://www.softschools.com/facts/biomes/savanna_biome_facts/163/">Savanna Biome Facts</a>

"Earth Floor: Biomes." Earth Floor: Biomes. ETE Team, 28 Apr. 2005. Web. 18 Oct. 2015.

Armadillos. Animal Corner, n.d. Web.