How do the animals in the savannah grasslands work together in order to survive?


Quick Answer

Several animals on the African savannah work together to ensure survival, including baboons with impalas, zebras with wildebeests, oxpeckers with large animals and cattle egrets with buffaloes. Hyenas work together to hunt in packs for the mutual survival of the group, and lionesses hunt in much the same manner as they attempt to bring down zebras, gazelles and wildebeest.

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Full Answer

Baboons and impalas watch out for predator species and warn each other of impending danger. Impalas have good hearing and eyesight, and they snort when they sense danger. Baboons climb trees and termite mounds to watch for predators. These monkeys shriek an alarm when danger approaches.

Zebras and wildebeest migrate together in a mutually beneficial relationship that includes grass consumption. Zebras eat harder parts of grasses, whereas wildebeest prefer more tender grasses. When zebras eat older grass, newer shoots come up that wildebeest consume. The two animals provide a common defense when migrating. Zebras have better hearing than wildebeest, so they sound the alarm faster when predators get close. Wildebeest have a better sense of smell than zebras and can sniff out water during dry seasons.

Both hyenas and lions hunt in packs to bring down larger prey. One individual charges at a wildebeest or buffalo to drive the prey toward a larger group of predators that take down the larger animal. After the animal dies, all the hyenas in the pack or lions in the pride get to eat.

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