“It’s a... Safari” African Plains canyons Africa is a land of varied climates. Canyons are carved by fast flowing rivers. Vegetation on the African Plains is mostly grass. These steep walls are composed of lava rock. Some drought resistant trees do grow there. The Orange River runs through the desert. What happens during a drought? How does erosion create gorges and canyons? Af • ri • can • Plains can • yons A f • r i • c an • P l ai n s c a n • y o n s African Plains canyons Augrabies Desert mountain forest The Augrabies Desert is a semi-arid savannah. The mountain forest has subtropical weather. This land has very little rainfall. Water vapor condenses and falls as rain. Plant roots take what water they can from the soil. The cliffs are a habitat for many birds and How do plants adapt to the desert? reptiles. Au • gra • bies • De • sert Describe a “misty mountain top”. Au • g r a • b ie s • D e • s er t moun • tain • for • est Augrabies Desert m ou n • t ain • f or • e s t mountain forest Highveld Grasslands Grasses flourish on the Highveld grasslands. picking Acacia trees are plentiful on the plateaus. This baboon is picking fruit to eat. Africa has many freshwater and saltwater lakes. He forages for fruit, nuts, leaves, and insects. Which phrase means “high, cool, open He is omnivorous, so he will eat almost anything. grasslands”? What is an omnivore? High • veld • Grass • lands pick • ing H i gh • v e l d • G r a ss • l a n d s p i ck • i ng Highveld Grasslands picking desert kicking This is the Kalahari Desert. The baby elephant is kicking up dirt as she trots. The arid desert is a harsh habitat. She hurries to the waterhole for a mud bath. Animals and people must adapt to the conditions. A newborn elephant weighs about 265 pounds. Which word means “lacking moisture”? What is a pachyderm? de • sert kick • ing d e • s er t k i ck • i ng desert kicking © 2008 LocuTour Multimedia All Rights Reserved. For information call 800.777.3166 or 805.544.0775 “It’s a... Safari” taking off sleeping The bateleur bird is taking off. The gazelle fawn is sleeping. He is a jet black raptor, a bird of prey. It may be left in a “nursery” with other fawns. His wingspan is six feet wide. Its mother watches from a distance. Measure six feet. Reach the distance with your A father is a buck, a mother is a _ _ _? arms. sleep • ing tak • ing • off s l ee p • i ng t a k • i ng • o ff sleeping taking off attending charging The male gazelle is attending to his surroundings. The two Cape buffalo are charging each other. He relies on his ability to see and hear predators. This aggressive behavior is called “rutting”. If alarmed, he will sprint away. A broadside stance shows dominance. If he doesn’t pay attention, what may happen? Which buffalo is more dominant this mating at • tend • ing season? a t • t e n d • i ng char • ging attending ch ar • g i ng charging eating The hartebeest is herbivorous. yawning It is eating the leaves, stems, and bark of the The lion cub is yawning. plant. She rests twenty of the twenty-four hours in a day. It grinds the plants with its large flat teeth. The other hours are spent hunting. What is an herbivore? How many hours a day do humans sleep? eat • ing yawn • ing ea t • i ng y aw n • i ng eating yawning stuffing drinking The rock hyrax is stuffing his cheeks with grass. The mother and her daughters are drinking water. If he senses danger, he will let out a squeak. The bond between them is lifelong. It is an alarm for all nearby animals. It lasts from 50 to 60 years. Do animals communicate? Is it possible for elephants to have caring feelings? stuff • ing drink • ing s t u f f • i ng d r i n k • i ng stuffing drinking © 2008 LocuTour Multimedia All Rights Reserved. For information call 800.777.3166 or 805.544.0775 “It’s a... Safari” jumping sniffing The impala is jumping over the rock and brush. The mongoose is sniffing for food. An alarmed impala can broad jump 36 feet. It uses its long claws for digging. He can “pronk” 10 feet straight up in the air. It digs for eggs, millipedes, shellfish, and insects. Use your hands to demonstrate “pronking”. When a mongoose digs, its ears can close. Why? jump • ing sniff • ing j u m p • i ng s n i f f • i ng jumping sniffing panting flying The lionesses are resting and panting in the The vulture is flying over a recent kill. shade. This is a signal to many animals that food is It is common for these cats to hunt and rest nearby. together. The vulture must wait its turn for the food. Daytime temperatures can be over 100 degrees. Why would other animals notice a vulture flying? What is the daytime temperature today? Compare. fly • ing pant • ing f l y • i ng p a n t • i ng flying panting chewing sits This waterbuck is chewing cud. The meerkat sits and suns his underbelly. It is a “ruminant” animal. He does this for about an hour every morning. It swallows food, regurgitates, and chews it again. He will eat, play, rest, then eat again. Explain the saying, “He ruminates over Meerkats stay in the burrows on rainy days. Why? problems.” sits chew • ing s i t s ch ew • i ng sits chewing crawls building The millipede crawls across the road. The lesser masked weaver is building a nest. This “myriopod” is named for its many legs. This small nest is for one family. “Milli” means thousand, and “pede” means foot. It differs from the sociable weaver’s huge nest. What would centipede mean? Find the sociable weaver’s nest. Compare the two. crawls build • ing c r aw l s b ui l d • i ng crawls building © 2008 LocuTour Multimedia All Rights Reserved. For information call 800.777.3166 or 805.544.0775 “It’s a... Safari” flapping hut Elephants use their ears to cool their bodies. The thatched home is called a “behive hut”. There are many blood vessels close to the surface. This is a characteristic Zulu home. Flapping lowers the temperature by cooling blood. The Zulu people live in the countryside. How do other animals cool off? How do you think the beehive hut got its name? flap • ping hut f l a p • p i ng h u t flapping hut homestead fence This family’s homestead is in the countryside. This fence is built to keep the predatory animals Each family usually builds their own home. out. Many people live in cities. Domesticated animals are kept inside the fence. How are African homes alike/different? The ostrich is a common domestic animal. home • stead How are fences used in your area? h o me • s t ea d fence homestead f e n ce fence village An extended family lives in this farming village. girl They grow corn and other crops. This little girl lives in Africa. Their homes are made of mud bricks. She lives with her mother, father, and sister. How does cooperation affect the families’ lives? Zebra walk past her home. vil • lage What familiar animal looks like a zebra? v i l • l a ge girl village g ir l girl city Pretoria is like other large cities in the world. children Many people live in apartments and houses. These children walk a long way to school. They work in office buildings. They are dressed in their uniforms. What is the name of your city? It is a privilege to go to school, not everyone can. ci • ty How would you feel if you couldn’t go to school? c i • t y chil • dren city ch i l • d r e n children © 2008 LocuTour Multimedia All Rights Reserved. For information call 800.777.3166 or 805.544.0775 “It’s a... Safari” selling container The people are selling their home-grown produce. The San make jewelry to sell to tourists. They sell guavas, mangoes, and bananas. They use porcupine quills, wooden beads and One woman balances a heavy load on her head. horns. Define the word, “burden”. The container is a tortoise shell, a carapace. sell • ing What does the word, “resourceful” mean? s e l l • i ng con • tain • er selling c o n • t ai n • er container thatching The men are thatching the roof. carves First, rafters are built and fastened. The young man carves bowls out of wood. Grass is then bundled and spread in layers on top. He uses a homemade adz. How would you make a thatched roof watertight? The adz has a wooden handle and metal blade. thatch • ing How is an ax different from an adz? th a tch • i ng carves thatching c ar ve s carves brickyard Clay bricks are made in the brickyard. herds The red soil gives the brick its red color. The boy herds the cow. Many houses are made of brick. He takes it from the grazing area to his home. How is the kiln used in making bricks? He walks barefoot on the dirt road. brick • yard What are calluses? b r i ck • y ar d herds brickyard h er d s herds nomadic The San people travel from place to place.