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Animal Themes
Grasslands


Grasslands


Grasslands
Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grades 4 to 10
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   10.11

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    plant-eating, short-distance, interesting, contrast, cheetahs, survival, biome, running, temperate, actually, fastest, receive, dominate, savannahs, bison, perhaps
     content words:    North America, Central Asia, South Africa, South America


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Grasslands   

1     Grasslands are an interesting biome - it is too dry to grow trees, but it is not dry enough to be a desert. Since neither forests nor bare ground dominate the landscape there, grasses flourish and cover the area like a big, green carpet!
 
2     Grasslands can be further divided into two categories - temperate grasslands and savannahs. What is the difference between the two? Well, temperate grasslands have hot summers and cold winters. Temperatures can range from 30 degrees Fahrenheit to -4 degrees Fahrenheit there. With an average precipitation of about 20-35 inches a year, temperate grasslands receive most of its rainfall in late spring or early summer. Winter is a tough time for animals living in temperate grasslands. Grasses are either dead or buried under snow, making survival difficult for plant-eating animals. We can find temperate grasslands in North America, Europe, Central Asia, South Africa, and Argentina.
 
3     Unlike temperate grasslands that have quite a contrast in temperature changes, savannahs are warm all year round. They also receive slightly more rainfall than temperate grasslands. For animals living in savannahs, the difficult time of the year is not the winter but the dry season. The long drought usually causes fire and forces animals to travel for long distances to find food and water. Perhaps the biggest difference between temperate grasslands and savannahs is that savannahs actually have some trees scattered around! Africa, Australia, and South America all have savannahs.

Paragraphs 4 to 5:
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