Africa! Adventure At a glance Participants will explore the different habitats of the African continent and will learn about some of the animals that live there. Time requirement Goal(s) 1.5 hour program Insert general goals Group size and grade(s) Objective(s) 8-25 participants x Learn about the kinds of habitats Due to the family nature of this class, found in Africa participant ages will vary (infant to x Learn about African animals and grandparent age range) their adaptations Materials Theme Lion mask craft materials Animals that live on the African continent Hike Helper cards have special adaptations that let them Radio survive in the different habitats. Black first aid bag Maasai lion bracelet (for you to wear during Sub-themes the program – please put it back in the bag 1. Every habitat has its own food web. after the program for the next instructor) 2. Every continent has many different types of habitat. Africa! Adventure, July 2013 Page 1 of 13 Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden Background there. Camouflaged coloration, stealthy Africa is made up of mostly 3 biomes: savanna, hunting styles, speed or cooperative hunting desert, and rainforest. Each is host to a unique strategies often lead to success when hunting variety of wildlife with adaptations especially individuals within the many herds of suited to the habitats found there. herbivores. Savanna One of the most well known African Savannas is The African Savanna biome is a tropical the Serengeti. This grassland boasts the largest grassland that can be found in the African diversity of hoofed animals in the world countries of Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Cote including antelopes, wildebeest, buffalos, D'ivore, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, zebras, and rhinoceros. Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, The Zoo’s animals that live on the African Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, and the Democratic savanna include: lions, aardvark, black-footed Republic of the Congo, Angola, Uganda, cat, caracal, serval, Grevy zebra, giraffe, & Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, cheetah Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Botswana, and South Africa. Desert Savannas have warm temperature year round Africa is home to three deserts: the Sahara, but two very different seasons; a very long dry the Kalahari, and the Namib; together they season (winter), and a very wet season comprise more than a quarter of the continent. (summer). In the dry season only an average of The Sahel is the strip of land that separates about 4 inches of rain falls. Between December savanna from the desert. Sahel comes from the and February no rain will fall at all. Oddly Arabic word for "edge" or "border" because it is enough, it is actually a little cooler during this the edge of the desert. dry season. Cooler does not mean cold, There are four major types of deserts in the however, and temperatures still stay around world, hot and dry deserts, cold deserts, coastal 70° F. In the rainy summer season, It gets hot deserts, and semi-arid deserts. and very humid. The monsoon rains begin in The average hot and dry desert temperature May, with an average of 15 to 25 inches of rain ranges from 68 to 77° F. The extreme maximum falls during this time. African savannas have temperature for a hot and dry desert ranges large herds of grazing and browsing hoofed from 110 to 120° F. Cold desert temperature animals. Each animal has a specialized eating ranges from 28.4°F in the winter to 79° F in the habit that reduces competition for food. summer. Coastal desert temperature ranges There are several different types of savannas from 24.8° F in the winter to 95° F in the around the world. The savannas of East Africa summer. Semi-arid deserts have an average are the ones that most people think of with flat temperature range of 70-80° F but can get as grassy land studded with acacia trees and hot as 100.4° F in the summer. At night, inhabited by predators such as lions and temperatures fall to around 50° F. cheetahs and grazing and browsing animals Many of the animals that live in the desert have such as zebras, elephants, gazelles, and giraffes. the ability to burrow underground. This Many of the larger animals that call the adaptation allows them to avoid the intense savanna home are grass-eating mammals. They sun and heat of the day. They emerge from are so successful on the savanna because the their dens, holes, and burrows at dusk or at grass is plentiful and they are able to move night when it is a little cooler. The animals that easily between grazing areas. The carnivores employ this strategy include small nocturnal that inhabit the savanna may not be as (only active at night) carnivores and rodents as plentiful, but they are also well adapted to take well as some insects, arachnids, and reptiles. advantage of the habitat and prey that live Africa! Adventure, July 2013 Page 2 of 13 Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden Some of our animals that live in the desert Habitat – a place that provides food, water, include: black-footed cat, sand cat, naked mole shelter, and space for a living thing rats, and fennec foxes. There are some desert animals that remain Nocturnal – an animal that is active at night and active during the day. Some birds, reptiles and asleep during the day. insects remain in the shade of or in cavities inside of the few plants. Sahel - the strip of land that separates savanna from the desert Rainforest In Africa, rainforests are found in the Zaire Replete – packed with nutrients basin, with a small area in West Africa; also eastern Madagascar. Activity The temperature in a rain forest rarely gets Welcome/Intro higher than 93 °F or drops below 68 °F; average Getting ready humidity is between 77 and 88%; rainfall is Grab the red FNH bin from the shelf by Sarah’s often more than 100 inches per year. There is desk. Radio Security to remind them that you usually a brief season of less rain. In monsoonal have a Family Night Hike tonight and will be out areas, there is a real dry season. Almost all rain in the Zoo in the Africa exhibit and Education forests lie near the equator. A tropical rain Center until 8pm. You do not need them to forest has more kinds of trees than any other leave any buildings open, but they need to area in the world. Scientists have counted know who is hiking around after hours. about 100 to 300 species in one 2 1/2-acre (1- Make sure the room is set up and get your hectare) area in South America. Seventy demo animals. percent of the plants in the rainforest are trees. About 1/4 of all the medicines we use come Doing the activity from rainforest plants. Greet people as they arrive and hand out All tropical rain forests resemble one another in nametags and coloring page/word search for some ways. Many of the trees have straight them to do while waiting for the rest of the trunks that don't branch out for 100 feet or group to arrive. more. There is no sense in growing branches Once everyone is there (or it is time to start), below the canopy where there is little light. The collect pencils, welcome the group, introduce majority of the trees have smooth, thin bark yourself, and thank them for joining you for this because there is no need to protect themselves program. from water loss and freezing temperatures. It Introduce the topic. Africa is a wild and also makes it difficult for epiphytes and plant wonderfully diverse place. Ask participants to parasites to get a hold on the smooth trunks. tell you what they think of when they imagine Some of the Zoo’s animals that live in this “Africa.” Is it the weather/climate? The plants? biome are: fossa, lemur, gorilla, bonobo, Diana The habitat? Probably not. More than likely, monkey, potto, okapi when people think of Africa, they are imagining the animals that call this continent home. Vocabulary Animals that live on the continent are VERY Biome – A major regional or global biotic diverse. Most are adapted to handle a warmer community, such as a grassland or desert, climate, but from there, their adaptations and characterized chiefly by the dominant forms of appearances are really varied based on the type plant life and the prevailing climate. of habitat and the year-round weather in the area in which they are found. There are three main biomes in Africa, the desert, the Africa! Adventure, July 2013 Page 3 of 13 Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden rainforest, and the savanna (savannah). Eats leaves, seeds, grains, Tonight, we are going to learn a little about nuts, fruit, flowers, and each one and meet at least one animal that occasionally, insects. calls each of these places home. Are they ready . Coloration brightens with to begin and meet some African animals? maturity, heat, and stress. Wrap-up o Kenyan sand boa Get ready for the next activity. This snake species is found in semi-arid desert regions Animal Demonstration of East Africa Getting ready . It spends most of its life Make sure the animals and any props (biome buried in the sand, hidden photos) they need are ready and available. under stones, or in the Make sure there is hand sanitizer handy. burrows of other animals. By doing this, it avoids the Doing the activity midday heat. Continuing on the biome theme, the animals . Eyes and nostrils are for this demo will represent the different major placed on the head so that biomes that are found on the continent of they remain free of debris Africa.