Page 81 - World of Animals - Issue #33

Rhino
These horned mammals help
maintain savannah like no other
Burchell’s zebra animal. White rhinos maintain
short lawn-style grass, which
might not sound like a big deal but
Cheetah actually prevents fire. Without the

grazing they offer there is more
fuel available to spontaneously

combust and a greater risk of fires
spreading over much larger areas
than those with rhinos present.

Lion
This big cat’s range is made up
almost entirely of grassland,
and lions can be found across a
quarter of the 14 million square
kilometres (53 million square
miles) of savannah remaining.
Their habitat is fragmented,
however, and rather than exist as

one flowing habitat it is divided

into almost 70 different lion areas.
Dung beetle
Grazing animals only extract
about half of the nutrients from
the vegetation they eat, leaving
nutritious treats for Africa’s
dung beetles. These insects do
an important job by clearing the
savannah of animal waste, which
would otherwise become overrun
with flies. Dung beetles also bury

their balls, keeping the soil fertilised

without attracting flying insects.
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