VELD VELD GRASSLANDSGRASSLANDS

VELD VELD GRASSLANDSGRASSLANDS

SOUTH AFRICASOUTH AFRICA

VEGETATIONTHE VELD REGIONS SUPPORT AN ENORMOUS VARIETY OF NATURAL VEGETATION. NO PARTICULAR SPECIES IS UBIQUITOUS, AND MANY ARE HIGHLY LOCALIZED. GRASSVELD IS THE CHARACTERISTIC VEGETATION OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN HIGHVELD, DOMINATED BY SPECIES OF RED GRASS.

WHERE THE RED GRASS GROWS ON WELL-DRAINED, FERTILE SOILS

SUBJECT TO COMPARATIVELY LIGHT RAINFALL, IT TENDS TO BE SWEETER

HENCE IT IS CALLED  SWEETVELD) THAN ELSEWHERE, WHERE IT IS COMMONLY CALLED SOURVELD.

SWEETVELDS ARE MORE PALATABLE TO LIVESTOCK THAN SOURVELDS,

THE LATTER BEING USABLE AS FODDER ONLY IN WINTER.

VEGETATION CONTINUED

ANIMALS IN VELD• MASS SLAUGHTER, TROPHY HUNTING,

AND THE ENCROACHMENTS OF FARMERS AND PASTORALISTS HAVE THINNED OUT EVERY MAJOR SPECIES OF MAMMAL AND REPTILE AND SEVERAL SPECIES OF BIRDS IN THE VELD. THE SOUTH AFRICAN AND ZIMBABWEAN GOVERNMENTS HAVE, HOWEVER, SET ASIDE VAST TRACTS OF VELD AS WILDLIFE RESERVES. 

• WILDLIFE CONSERVATION EFFORTS IN SOUTHERN AFRICA HAVE

FURTHER BEEN AIDED BY THE CREATION OF TRANSFRONTIER PARKS, WHICH LINK NATURE

RESERVES AND PARKS IN NEIGHBOURING COUNTRIES TO

CREATE LARGE, INTERNATIONAL CONSERVATION AREAS THAT PROTECT BIODIVERSITY AND ALLOW A WIDER RANGE OF

MOVEMENT FOR MIGRATORY ANIMAL POPULATIONS.

GENERAL FACTS

The climate typically consists of warm, wet summers followed by cold, dry winters with heavy frosts.

Vegetation is dominated by grass species with many  bulbous plants.

Shrubs and trees are restricted by fire and frost to protected kloofs and rocky areas

The topography is characterized by rolling hills and valleys.

They are generally found at either high altitudes or high latitudes.

They are often characterized by the presence of many wetlands.

CARACALFELIS CARACAL CAN BE FOUND IN THE VELD GRASSLAND IN SOUTH AFRICA, AND IN CENTRAL AFRICA AND INDIA FROM 30° NORTH TO 35° SOUTH LATITUDE AND FROM 20° EAST TO 25° WEST LONGITUDE. THIS ENVIRONMENT IS GENERALLY DRY AND HOT. THE CAT'S HABITAT CAN ALSO BE SAVANNAH, SCRUB AND ACACIA WOODLANDS, OR MOUNTAINS AND HILLY AREAS. ITS HEAD/BODY IS 24-36 INCHES LONG, AND ITS TAIL IS 9-12 INCHES LONG. ITS SHOULDER HEIGHT IS 15-20 INCHES. ITS WEIGHT IS 28-42 LBS. IT HAS A SHAPE LIKE A CAT BUT IT'S BIGGER AND HAS BIGGER EARS.

CARACAL

The cathas a short coat whose color varies from tawny-brown to reddish-grey, sometimes even getting as dark as wine-red. Its head is shaped like an upside-down triangle. The ears are black on the outside and pale on the inside, with two-inch tufts of black hair coming out of them. The fur around the eyes is paler than the rest of the coat. The caracal has powerful jaws on a short muzzle. Its claws can retract into its large paws. It is faster than any other cat its size.

INTERESTING FACTSFacts about fossil record: veld region,as discussed in 

veld (grasslands, Africa): Study and exploration:The discovery of australopithecine fossils on the South African

Highveld in the first half of the 20th century sparked great anthropological interest in the region. Since then it has become one of the major centres of hominid exploration and research,

and many specimens—including those of other hominid species—have been...Related Topics

biostratigraphic unit (geology)catastrophism (geology)fossil (paleontology)

fossil recordPer Teodor Cleve (Swedish chemist)

plant fossil record

GROUP 4SPECIAL THANKS TO• JASMANN BINDRA • CHINMAY PATHAK• NEHA BHOOMKAR• SAUMYA BAHETI

• MUSKKAN BAFNAA (REPRESENTATOR)

THANK YOU FRIENDS &

MAAM