A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland - grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) biome and ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close.
A savanna is a vegetation type that grows under hot, seasonally dry climatic conditions and is characterized by an open tree canopy (i.e., scattered trees) above a continuous tall grass understory (the vegetation layer between the forest canopy and the ground).
Savanna biomes are flat plains dominated by grasses and large trees like baobab. The animals there include grazers like elephants and zebras, predators like lions and cheetahs, and other herbivores.
Isalo National park has typical savanna, with mostly grasses and widely spread trees. Image by Antony Stanley. When you first enter a savanna, you may not even realize you've entered a new kind of habitat. You see patches of grass (some as tall as 10 feet), low-growing shrubs, and likely some trees that are widely spread out, but that’s about it.
Savannas are areas of open grassland with dispersed trees. Learn all about the savanna biome, including wildlife, climate, vegetation, and more.
A savanna or savannah is a tropical or subtropical woodland ecosystem characterized by the trees being sufficiently small or widely spaced so that the canopy does not close, above a continuous tall grass understory.
A savanna is a rolling grassland scattered with shrubs and isolated trees, which can be found between a tropical rainforest and desert biome. Not enough rain falls on a savanna to support forests. Savannas are also known as tropical grasslands.
Most savannas don’t have the four seasons you might be familiar with. These areas alternate between dry winters and wet summers. During the winter, a savanna may not get rain for months at a time. That prevents many trees from growing there. Dry conditions also allow savannas to catch fire easily.