Flooded grassland and savanna forms a terrestrial biome in the World Wide Fund for Nature's biogeographic classification, made up of large expanses of grassland that are seasonally or permanently inundated with water. Its plant and animal communities are shaped by fluctuating water levels and distinctive soils, and the biome regularly hosts enormous congregations of migratory and resident waterbirds along with other animals that move between habitats as water availability shifts through the year. It occurs across Asia, Africa, North America and South America. The Everglades of Florida, covering some 7,800 square miles, is the world's largest rain-fed flooded grassland growing on a limestone base, home to roughly 11,000 seed plant species, 25 kinds of orchid, 300 bird species and 150 fish species. Brazil's Pantanal, at over 187,000 square kilometers, is the largest flooded grassland of any kind on Earth and supports more than 260 fish species, 700 birds, 90 mammals, 160 reptiles, 45 amphibians, 1,000 butterfly species and 1,600 plant species. The Lake Chad flooded savanna, the Zambezian flooded grasslands of southern Africa and the Sudd wetland of South Sudan are also counted among the biome's globally outstanding examples.
Facts
Climate
Annual Precipitation (mm)Figures are for the Guayaquil flooded grasslands ecoregion (Ecuador); see temperature-low-c for the same caveat. Typical Low Temperature (C)Figures are for the Guayaquil flooded grasslands ecoregion (Ecuador), one WWF ecoregion within this biome; other ecoregions run cooler or drier, for example the Zambezian flooded grasslands. Typical High Temperature (C)Figures are for the Guayaquil flooded grasslands ecoregion (Ecuador); see temperature-low-c for the same caveat. Connections
Home To
Source African groove-toothed rat (Wikipedia)
Source African marsh rat (Wikipedia)
Source Angolan marsh rat (Wikipedia)
Source Angolan vlei rat (Wikipedia)
Source Angoni vlei rat (Wikipedia)
Source Buffoon striped grass mouse (Wikipedia)
Source Common rufous-nosed rat (Wikipedia)
Source Ghana rufous-nosed rat (Wikipedia)
Source Gray-bellied pygmy mouse (Wikipedia)
Source Hinde's rock rat (Wikipedia)
Source World Wildlife Fund
Source Macmillan's thicket rat (Wikipedia)
Source Rusty-bellied brush-furred rat (Wikipedia)
Source Sandhill Crane (Wikipedia)
Source Schomburgk's deer (Wikipedia)
Source Encyclopaedia Britannica
Source Sudanian grass rat (Wikipedia)
Source Encyclopaedia Britannica
Source West African shaggy rat (Wikipedia)
Sources
1. Guayaquil Flooded Grasslands (Wikipedia)
WikipediaPhysical sectionQuote, Physical section
Total annual precipitation is about 1,200 millimetres (47 in).
Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.- Home To: Shoebill
- Home To: West African Lungfish
View the Source World Wildlife Fund
Schomburgk's deer (Wikipedia)
Home To: Schomburgk's deer, Habitat, habitatQuote, Home To: Schomburgk's deer, Habitat, habitat
inhabited swampy plains with long grass, cane, and shrubs in central Thailand
Angoni vlei rat (Wikipedia)
Home To: Angoni vlei rat, Lead, habitatQuote, Home To: Angoni vlei rat, Lead, habitat
Its natural habitats are moist savanna, temperate grassland, subtropical or tropical seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland, swamps, and pastureland.
African marsh rat (Wikipedia)
Home To: African marsh rat, Lead, habitatQuote, Home To: African marsh rat, Lead, habitat
Its natural habitats are moist savanna, temperate grassland, subtropical or tropical seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland, and swamps.
Rusty-bellied brush-furred rat (Wikipedia)
Home To: Rusty-bellied brush-furred rat, Lead, habitatQuote, Home To: Rusty-bellied brush-furred rat, Lead, habitat
subtropical or tropical seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland
Angolan marsh rat (Wikipedia)
Home To: Angolan marsh rat, Lead, habitatQuote, Home To: Angolan marsh rat, Lead, habitat
Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland and swamps.
Buffoon striped grass mouse (Wikipedia)
Home To: Buffoon striped grass mouse, Lead, habitat, flooded grasslandQuote, Home To: Buffoon striped grass mouse, Lead, habitat, flooded grassland
seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland
Hinde's rock rat (Wikipedia)
Home To: Hinde's rock rat, Lead, habitat, flooded grasslandQuote, Home To: Hinde's rock rat, Lead, habitat, flooded grassland
seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland
Angolan vlei rat (Wikipedia)
Home To: Angolan vlei rat, Habitat sentence, flooded grasslandQuote, Home To: Angolan vlei rat, Habitat sentence, flooded grassland
seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland
African groove-toothed rat (Wikipedia)
Home To: African groove-toothed rat, Lead, flooded grassland habitatQuote, Home To: African groove-toothed rat, Lead, flooded grassland habitat
subtropical or tropical seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland
Common rufous-nosed rat (Wikipedia)
Home To: Common rufous-nosed rat, HabitatQuote, Home To: Common rufous-nosed rat, Habitat
Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland and seasonally flooded agricultural land.
Gray-bellied pygmy mouse (Wikipedia)
Home To: Gray-bellied pygmy mouse, Lead, habitatQuote, Home To: Gray-bellied pygmy mouse, Lead, habitat
seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland
West African shaggy rat (Wikipedia)
Home To: West African shaggy rat, Lead, habitatQuote, Home To: West African shaggy rat, Lead, habitat
Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland and swamps.
Macmillan's thicket rat (Wikipedia)
Home To: Macmillan's thicket rat, Lead, flooded grasslandQuote, Home To: Macmillan's thicket rat, Lead, flooded grassland
Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical or tropical swamps, subtropical or tropical seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland, shrub-dominated wetlands, and urban areas.
Ghana rufous-nosed rat (Wikipedia)
Home To: Ghana rufous-nosed rat, Habitat statementQuote, Home To: Ghana rufous-nosed rat, Habitat statement
Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland and seasonally flooded agricultural land
Sudanian grass rat (Wikipedia)
Home To: Sudanian grass rat, Lead, natural habitatsQuote, Home To: Sudanian grass rat, Lead, natural habitats
subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland, subtropical or tropical seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland
Sandhill Crane (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationHome To: Sandhill Crane, CubaQuote, Home To: Sandhill Crane, Cuba
They inhabit dry or seasonally flooded grasslands and savannas, as well as nearby wetlands, and the remaining populations are divided into 10 localities (it formerly occurred in two additional localities) in six provinces.
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.