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Questions For The Experts:

Where do these grasslands grow?        How long does it take before grasslands are formed?    How many species of grassland animals are there?      What are some species of grassland animals?      How many vertebrae are in a grown giraffe's neck? What starts prairie fires? Why?      Why did the bison die off?      What kind of animals live on grasslands?       Where are most grasslands?       How many times each year does the rain fall?      What is your reason for studying the grasslands so intensely? What lives mainly in the grasslands?      What is the smallest animal that lives in the grasslands?      What are the seasons like in the grasslands?       What is the average elevation of the grassland?      What plant life, besides grasses, lives in the grasslands?      What are the most popular animal in the grassland?       What are the most sparse animals that live in the grassland area?      What does the most popular one eat?      What is the biggest animal from the grassland? What is the smallest?       Do most of the animals in the grasslands eat grass?      Where is the largest amount of land in the same area (grassland)?

Sea of Grass

About one quarter of the earth's land is in the grasslands. This biome can be found on every continent except Antarctica. Grasslands exist on either side of two desert belts that circle the earth. Tropical grasslands -- those closest to the equator -- are hot all year long. Those farther from the equator -- such as the U.S. prairies -- have both hot summers and harsh winters. Why do you think the U.S. prairies are often called the "breadbasket of the world?"
Temperate grasslands once covered much of the interior of North America, and they were common in Eurasia and South America as well. Such grasslands are often highly productive when they are converted to agricultural uses. Many of the rich agricultural lands in the United States and southern Canada were originally occupied by prairies, another name for grasslands. In eastern Europe and central Asia, they are called steppes. Whatever name they go by, all grasslands are similar.
The roots of perennial grasses usually penetrate far into the soil, and grassland soil tends to be deep and fertile. In North America, the prairies were once inhabited by huge herds of bison and pronghorns, which were hunted by wolves, bears, and other predators. These herds are almost gone now, and most of the prairies have been converted into the richest agricultural region on earth. They are still grasslands, but are no longer wild.

Check these links for answers and more!

What Is a Grassland Like? 
Types of Grasslands
Grasslands of the World
Grasslands Plants
Grasslands Animals
Grasslands Links

Did you know that GRASSLANDS are found on every continent except Antarctica?

In addition to the prairie of the American midwest, the world has other grasslands. Grasslands in South America are called pampas. The Serengeti plains in Africa is a grassland. In Europe, grasslands are called steppes.
Grasslands in North America:

Tall Grass Prairie	The Tall Grass Prairie lies mainly in the eastern portion of the Midwest. The grasses here often grow to be five feet tall. Here it rains an average of 30 inches per year. approach 30 inches.
Mixed Grass Prairie	The Mixed Grass Prairie is found in the middle portion of the Midwestern United States. The grasses here grow to be two to three feet tall. There is 15 to 25 inches of rain per year. This is the prairie where the buffalo once roamed.
Short Grass Prairie	The Short Grass Prairie is found in the western portion of the Midwest hugging the edge of the deserts and the Rocky Mountains. The grasses here grow to be no more than two feet tall. There is little more than ten inches of rain per year. Prairie dogs are common in here.

Grasslands do not have trees and heavy bushes to hide many creatures. Because of the open land, grasslands are home to large herds of grazing animals. In Africa, zebra and elephants live on the grasslands. In the United States, antelope and bison live on the grasslands.

Aardvark Aardvarks are large mammals that eat ants.

African Elephant The African Elephant is the largest land animal.

African Wild Cat African Wild Cats are fierce, solitary hunters.

Anteater Anteaters are mammals with very long snouts from South and Central America.

Antelope Antelopes are graceful mammals with beautiful horns.

Ant Ants are social insects.

Asian Elephant The Asian Elephant is an endangered species.

Baboon The baboon is a large monkey with a long snout and large cheek pouches.

Black Caiman The black caiman is a meat-eating reptile from South America that can be found on seasonally-flooded savannas.

Boa Constrictor A large constricting snake from South and Central America.

Cape Buffalo Cape Buffalo are large, hoofed mammals that live in African savannas.

Cape Hunting Dog The Cape Hunting Dog hunts in packs in Africa.

Cheetah The cheetah is the fastest land animal.

Earthworm An earthworm is a little animal with a long, soft body and no legs.

Fossa The fossa is a meat-eating mammal from the island of Madagascar.

Giraffe The giraffe is the tallest land animal.

Giraffe and Baby A mother and baby to color.

Gnu The gnu is a fast-running, herding, grass-eater from eastern Africa. Also known as the wildebeest.

Grasshopper Grasshoppers are insects that can hop, walk, and fly. There are about 10,000 different species of grasshoppers.

Hippopotamus The hippopotamus is a large mammal that stays in the water a lot.

Hyena A meat-eating mammal that hunts and scavenges prey.

Impala A high-jumping, lightly-built antelope from southern Africa.

Jack Rabbit Jack rabbits are hares; they have very long legs and long ears.

Kangaroo Kangaroos hop and have pouches. Their babies are called joeys.

Leopard Leopards are widely-distributed, spotted wild cats.

Lion A group of lions is called a pride.

Meerkat Meerkats (also known as suricates) are a type of mongoose that can stand upright.

Mole Moles are almost-blind, burrowing mammals.

Mouse Mice are small rodents with long, scaly tails.

Ostrich The ostrich is the largest bird. It can't fly, but it runs very fast.

Quagga The Quagga is a recently-extinct relative of the zebra.

Redbilled Oxpecker Redbilled Oxpeckers are birds that perch on large mammals in southern Africa.

Rhea The Common Rhea or Nandu is a large, flightless bird from South America.

Rhinoceros The rhinoceros is a large, thick-skinned mammal with one or two horn-like spikes on its head.

Scorpion A venomous arachnid with a large stinger on its tail.

Spectacled Caiman The Spectacled Caiman is a common meat-eating reptile from fresh water habitats in South and Central America.

Tiger Tigers are large, fierce cats that have stripes.

Wallaby Wallabies are small to medium-sized kangaroos.

Warthog The warthog is a wild pig from Africa.

White Rhinoceros The White rhinoceros is a large rhino with gray skin and two horn-like spikes on its head.

Wildebeest The wildebeest is a fast-running, herding, grass-eater from eastern Africa. Also known as the gnu.

Wombat The wombat is a rare, burrowing marsupial from the islands of Australia and Tasmania.

Zebra Zebras have black and white stripes.

Zorilla The Zorilla is a skunk-like mammal that lives in Africa.

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