# FAUNA

Fauna: The world's greatest diversity (over 40 different species) of ungulates (hoofed mammals) is found on the savannas of Africa. The antelopes are especially diverse and including eland, impalas, gazelles oryx, gerenuk, and kudu. Buffalo, wildebeest, plains zebra, rhinos, giraffes, elephants, and warthogs are among other herbivores of the African savanna. Up to sixteen grazing and browsing species may coexist in the same area. They divide the resources spatially and temporally; each having its own food preferences, grazing/browsing height, time of day or year to use a given area, and different dry season refugia.

The species-rich herbivore trophic level supports a diverse set of carnivores, including cats (lions, leopards, cheetahs, servals), dogs (jackals, wild dogs), and hyenas. Most herbivorous mammals of the open savannas are herd animals, often organized into groups of females and their young with a single dominant male and groups of bachelor males.

In South America a distinct savanna fauna is not well-developed. The capybara, the large semi-aquatic rodent, is associated with the llanos, but is found elsewhere and in other vegetation types as well. Indeed, few if any neotropical mammals are restricted to the savannas. The highest diversity of mammals is found in the dry or seasonal forests. Similarly, most bird species are not restricted to savanna-type habitats.

Termites are especially abundant in the tropical savannas of the world, and their tall termitarias are conspicuous elements of the savanna landscape. These detrivores are important in soil-formation; their termitaria provide shelter for other animals; and they are the beginning of the food chain for anteaters (endemics of the Neotropical zoogeographic province) and aardvarks and pangolins.

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