Manuel Gutierrez - Where Is the Serengeti?

The lioness approaches the herd of wildebeests in plain sight. If she were hunting the wildebeests, she would crouch low and disappear into the tall grass. Her tan coat would help camouflage the lioness. (Camouflage means to blend in with her surroundings.)

But for right now, shes only watching the herd.

And the herd watches her back. Nervously. The wildebeests walk on, all the while keeping an eye on the female lion.

The lioness cant outrun the wildebeests. In short bursts, lions can reach speeds of fifty miles per hour. But wildebeests can run that fast for a long time. So if the lioness is far away from the herd, the wildebeests will be safe. And if the lioness decides to charge them, theyll have plenty of time to run for their lives.

The lioness walks alongside the herd. Lions prefer to attack when their target is no more than a hundred feet away. With a good running start, they can leap as far as thirty-six feet! But this lioness doesnt want the wildebeests to panic and runat least not yet. For now, she wants to keep their attention on her. Slowly, she begins closing the distance between them.

The wildebeests notice, and turn to flee.

The lioness charges, running straight for the herd!

Shes too far back. Shell never catch up.

But on the other side of the herd, lying in wait in the tall grass, are two more lionesses. And the panicked wildebeests are running right toward them.

Suddenly, the other lionesses spring into action. They jump up into a run and select their target: a lone wildebeest that has separated from the herd.

The lioness that reaches the wildebeest first sinks her claws into its backside. The wildebeest bucks in an attempt to shake the lioness off, but its no use.

The wildebeest is one of the largest speciesor typesof antelope, weighing up to six hundred pounds. But the lioness is strong. The wildebeest is pulled to the ground. Now a second lioness arrives and delivers the killing blow: a sure and swift bite to the throat.

The wildebeests death may seem brutal. But lions and their cubs need meat to survive. Predators, like lions, must hunt and kill prey, like wildebeests.

As the lions feast on their fresh kill, smaller carnivores (meat eaters), like jackals, wait in the background. Vultures circle overhead. After the lions have had their fill, the jackals and the vultures will swarm in to fight over the scraps. Soon, the wildebeests bones will be picked clean.

When survival is at stake, nothing goes to waste.

This is life in the Serengeti (say: sair-en-GET-ee), a wide, grassy plain in the east-central African nation of Tanzania. Serengeti National Park was established in 1951. It covers an area of 5,700 square milesabout the size of Connecticut.

Soon after the park was founded, elephants began moving back to the Serengeti. They had not been in the area for many years, having been driven out by hunters. Today, there are thousands of elephants on the Serengeti Plain. The area is also home to as many as two million wildebeests, four thousand lions, and a wide variety of other animals, including zebras, gazelles, giraffes, leopards, and hyenas.

With all these animals, the Serengeti holds the highest concentration of large game and predators on earth. (That means the greatest number of these animals are living in the smallest area.)

In 1981, the Serengeti was named a World Heritage Site by the United Nations. It is a place of outstanding universal value to humankind. The Grand Canyon in the United States and the Great Barrier Reef in Australia are other World Heritage Sites.

Today, no peopleexcept for a few scientists and park rangersare allowed to live in Serengeti National Park. It is a wild and special place, practically untouched by humans, and ruled by great beasts.

In the language of the local Maasai people (say: ma-SIGH), Serengeti means endless plains or extended place. The Maasai arrived here from Kenya, to the north, about three hundred years ago. They used the grasslands to graze their cattle.

Maasai women

There are around two hundred species of grass on the Serengeti Plain. There are short grasslands in the south and east, with taller grasslands in the west. Millions of animalswildebeests, zebras, buffalograze here. A single elephant can eat six hundred pounds of grass in a day! The Serengetis vegetation feeds the largest herds of animals on the planet.

To the north and west is the savanna, grasslands with trees here and there. Some areas of the savanna are more heavily forested. Here, only giraffes can feed on the tallest leaves in the trees. A number of small rivers, lakes, and swamps dot the park.