Mammals of the Savanna: How They Adapt to Harsh Climates

If you’ve ever seen Disney’s The Lion King, you can imagine that breathtaking opening scene. You can see in your minds eye, the vast expanse of the African savanna and the multitude of creatures marching along to that familiar tune. This iconic imagery is ingrained in our collective memory, not simply because it is part of a timeless film, because it is repeated over and over in the way that many people understand Africa.

It is safe to say that the African savanna is one of the most iconic landscapes on the planet. The savanna stretches across vast regions of sub-Saharan Africa, awash with rolling grasslands, scattered trees, and an extraordinary array of wildlife. Perhaps the most recognizable inhabitants of the savanna are the diverse mammals that roam its expansive plains.

Towering elephants, galloping giraffes, herds of monochromatic zebras, troops of chattering baboons, swift cheetahs, and the heraldic lions of lore, are all part of this regions remarkable biodiversity. Each one of these amazing mammals have adapted to survive and thrive in the harsh and variable conditions of the savanna. They have learned to weather extreme temperatures, prolonged droughts, and limited resources with aplomb.

In this article, we will explore the fascinating mammals of the savanna and learn how they have evolved to cope with the unique pressures of their environment. From physical adaptations to behavioral strategies, these animals showcase the resilience of nature and have captured the attention of our collective imagination for untold millennia.

The Savanna Ecosystem

The complex nature of the savanna ecosystem is not entirely unique. The tropical or subtropical grassland we are currently discussing is located in Africa but can also be found in other places around the globe. There are grasslands like it in parts of South America, Australia, and Asia. Africa is our focus, however, and the savanna in question covers much of the eastern and southern parts of the continent, including countries such as Kenya, Tanzania, and South Africa.

Marked by distinct wet and dry seasons, the savannah faces periods of abundant rain and unforgiving drought. During the wet season, rainfall is frequent, and the landscape becomes lush with grass and vegetation. The dry season, however, is very different. With little to no rain, the dry season is usually punctuated by extreme heat and rapidly dwindling water sources. These cyclical changes in climate create a challenging environment for plants as well as animals.

Nevertheless, the savanna remains one of the most biologically rich ecosystems on Earth, supporting a wide variety of species, including herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores. The most recognizable and iconic animals that people associate with Africa live here, and are well-adapted to life on the plains.

Key Adaptations of Mammals in the Savanna

Savanna mammals have developed a range of physical and behavioral adaptations. This enables them to survive in the extreme conditions unique to this habitat. These myriad adaptations help them conserve water, regulate body temperature, find food during lean times, and avoid predators. Some of the most notable of these adaptations can be found below.

Water Conservation

It’s hot in subsaharan Africa, and with the exception of the rainy season, water can be extremely scarce. Fortunately for them, savanna mammals are adept at dealing with that water scarcity during the dry season. Many of these mammals have evolved specific strategies to minimize water loss and make the most of the water they consume.

• Elephants: African elephants are the largest terrestrial mammals on Earth. As such, they require large amounts of water in order to survive. When the dry season hits and water sources dry up as a result, finding water is no certainty. Fortunately, elephants have an uncanny ability to locate water and can go several days without it, often traveling great distances to find waterholes. When these waterholes are not available, they will dig down into dry riverbeds to access underground water sources. At the same time, their large bodies can store water and retain moisture with equal aplomb.
• Giraffes: Giraffes are also pretty big creatures when compared to the rest of the animals in the savanna. These large ungulates have also developed impressive water-conserving strategies, getting most of their water from the leaves they eat, particularly acacia leaves, which have a high moisture content. These towering herbivores can also go weeks without drinking water directly, reducing the need to visit water sources where predators might be lying in wait.
• Oryx and Gazelles: Smaller herd animals like oryx and gazelles have similarly adapted to survive in arid environments by reducing their water needs. The oryx, for instance, can raise it’s body temperature during the day to minimize water loss through sweating. Meanwhile, gazelles have kidneys that can concentrate urine to conserve water. In both cases, these mammals rely heavily on the moisture from the plants they eat in order to stay hydrated.

Heat Regulation

The intense heat of the savanna can be a real drain on the metabolism. This can prove to be a particular challenge for mammals, especially during the peak of the dry season. To survive in this environment, all animals must find ways to regulate their body temperature effectively.

• Lions: Lions are one of the savanna’s most ferocious apex predators. Because of their metabolisms, lions must hunt on hot days and cooler nights. Nevertheless, to avoid overheating, lions tend to be most active during the cooler parts of the day. This means they are most active in the early morning or late evening. When the sun is at its apex and the day is at its hottest, lions will rest in the shade to conserve energy. They also pant to cool down and dissipate heat.
• Cheetahs: Cheetahs are the fastest land animals in the world. They don’t run long distances but rely on short bursts of speed to catch their prey. They can sprint at speeds of up to 70 miles per hour in a burst, but this generates a heck of a lot of body heat. This is why cheetahs don’t run for more than approximately 30 seconds at a clip, to avoid overheating. After overhearing, they rest and recover in the shade, allowing their body temperature to return to normal before they hunt again.
• Elephants: Elephants hold a lot of heat in their immense bodies, which is why African elephants have large, thin ears, full of blood vessels. Elephants can flap their ears to increase blood flow to these vessels in an effort to dissipate the heat and cool down their massive bodies. When there is mud available, elephants take a dip cool down. They wallow in the mud and, if it’s free, they spray themselves down with water to protect their skin.

Dietary Flexibility

Food might seem as though it’s always abundant on the savanna. Unfortunately, the climate can fluctuate dramatically between the wet and dry seasons, which makes finding food far from a certainty. Because of this, many mammals have evolved flexible diets or specialized feeding behaviors to cope with the changing conditions.

• Antelopes: There are many different types of antelope living on the savanna and each species of has evolved a specialized that allows them to graze on different types of vegetation. For example, the impala grazes on grasses during the wet season and switches to browsing on shrubs and trees during the dry season. This is defined as a mixed feeder, which many savanna mammals evince this behavior.
• Zebras: A zebra’s diet is primarily made of grasses. However, during the dry season, when grasses are sparse, zebras can shift from grazing and opt for tougher, less nutritious vegetation like leaves or shrubs. This dietary flexibility allows them to migrate and survive in areas where food is less abundant.
• Elephants: Elephants eat a lot each day, because of this, they also have highly varied diets, which includes grasses, leaves, bark, and fruits. During the dry season, elephants will stop looking for grasses and instead strip the bark from trees. They will also use their tusks to dig up roots, which are full of water and nutrients. They also have the added benefits granted to them by their large size and clever, prehensile trunks, both of which allow them to access food sources that other animals cannot.

Migration and Movement

When things get tough, or dry, or particularly rainy, savanna mammals hit the bricks! Many of the mammals that live in the savanna are migratory. Migration is an essential survival strategy that helps animals avoid the harshest conditions and take full advantage of the savanna’s seasonal abundance. These animals follow the rains and food sources wherever they need to in order to survive.

• Wildebeest: We are all very used to the idea of vast herds of animals marching their way across the African plains, and perhaps the most famous example of savanna migration is that of the wildebeest. Every year, over a million wildebeest, along with thousands of zebras and gazelles, travel across the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem. They travel together over hundreds of miles in response to the seasonal rains, all in search of fresh grass and water.
• Elephants: Because of their size and nutrition al needs, elephants need to cover a lot of territory in order to survive. During the dry season, these hardy beasts will travel great distances to find food and water. They migrate using their memory and knowledge of the landscape, searching for waterholes, rivers, and other needed resources. It is said that elephants travel ancient migratory routes that have been known to their herds for untold generations.

Social Structures and Cooperation

In the savanna, mammals exhibit distinct social structures which are key for surviving in such an unforgiving, unpredictable environment. Living in groups provides these animals with protection from predators, helps them locate food and water, and facilitates the care of their progeny.

• Lions: Lions are unique among big cats. While many apex predators like leopards, jaguars, and tigers hunt and live alone, lions are uniquely social animals. Living in large family groups called prides, lions evince cooperative hunting behaviors. Hunting as a pride helps lions take down prey much larger than themselves; prey which many other predators have no chance of taking down on their own. Not only do these groups allow lions to hunt together, they also help defend their territory and care for their young. Prides tend to consist of related females, their offspring, and a few adult males.
• Elephants: Elephants are highly intelligent and social creatures. They live in matriarchal family groups, commonly led by an older, experienced female. The matriarch guides the herd in finding food and water, while helping to defend the herd and find them safe areas to live. When food or water is scarce, the whole herd will cooperate to find resources.
• Meerkats: The smallest creature on out list are the unassuming meerkats, mongoose relatives that are known for their highly social family groups. Meerkats live in cooperative groups where individuals take on specific roles, such as keeping watch for predators, foraging for food, or keeping an eye on the meerkat kits. Because meerkats are so small and relatively helpless, this cooperation increases the survival chances of the group as a whole.

Camouflage and Avoiding Predators

Predation is a constant threat for herbivores on the savanna. In this mostly barren expanse, many mammals have evolved adaptations to avoid being seen or caught by keen-eyed predators. These adaptations often include camouflage, speed, and group behavior.

• Gazelles: Thomson’s gazelles and their unnamed relatives , have developed the ability to run at incredible speeds in order to evade predators. This speed, coupled with an equally impressive agility, can see them outrun even the likes of cheetahs on a lucky day. Thomson’s gazelles will run in a zig-zag pattern or evince a behavior called “stotting,” where they leap into the air to signal to predators that they are fit and healthy. This makes them seem like too much work for some predators to even attempt to chase them, especially since most predators need to expend a lot of precious energy during a hunt.
• Zebras: Zebras might look like they stick out like a sore thumb, but their distinctive black-and-white stripes create an optical illusion that confuses predators. This is especially effective when zebras move together in a herd, since predators can’t single out an individual zebra from the group to chase them down.

True Investigator Says…

As we have seen, the amazing mammals that call the savanna home are some of the most iconic and well-adapted animals on the planet. Through a combination of physical, behavioral, and social adaptations, these remarkable creatures have learned to survive and thrive in a harsh and breathtaking environment.