Amboseli National Park, Kenya Photograph by WWF/ Mauri Rautkari   Northeastern Africa: Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, and Kenya Tropical and Subtropical Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands   125,900 square miles (326,000 square kilometers) -- about the size of New Mexico and Connecticut combined Vulnerable

· Mass Migrations
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
More Photos

Mass Migrations

The Northern Acacia-Commiphora Bushlands and Thickets is teeming with animals. And during the dry season, thousands migrate many miles to congregate at water holes. Drinking there at any one time you might find elephants, rhinos, zebras, giraffes, and antelopes, as well as birds such as chestnut-bellied sandgrouse and black-faced sandgrouse. Elephants play an important role as architects in this habitat. By routinely knocking down trees as they feed, they open and transform woodlands into grassland savannas.

Special Features

The landscape of this ecoregion is for the most part flat, with some rocky outcrops and small hills. Life here is strongly affected by seasonal patterns of rainfall, with most of the rain falling between March and June and a smaller amount falling from October through December. This can be highly unpredictable, however, and one or both rainy seasons may fail in a given year. Despite the fact that very little of this region is suitable for farming, pastoralists have been an integral part of this ecoregion for thousands of years. Indeed, their herds of cattle, sheep, goats, and camels have become a component of this ecosystem.

The pancake tortoise gets its name from its unusually flat shell, which is so flexible it can be bent and indented with mild pressure. This flexibility allows the tortoise to squeeze into tight openings such as rock crevices and cracks for protection from predators. Because they have fewer bones than other tortoises, they are very light, allowing them to move more quickly--making them one of the fastest tortoises in the world.

Wild Side

The greatest concentrations of wildlife can be found near the natural springs and water holes of this ecoregion. Families of elephants bathe in the waters while wading birds snatch prey nearby. Zebras keep a watchful eye for enemies such as lions and cheetahs as they drink. Herds of antelope such as Beisa oryx and lesser kudus graze nearby. With their heads high in the treetops, giraffes nibble on the leaves of thorny acacia trees. The gerenuk, a slender, long-limbed antelope, stands on its hind legs and browses small acacia trees and shrubs. In heavily guarded parks and sanctuaries where poaching has been reduced or eliminated, black rhinoceroses wallow in mud to keep cool. Scheffler’s dwarf geckos, pancake tortoises, and Kenya leaf-toed geckos are some of many resident reptiles.

Cause for Concern

Because of the long dry season and unpredictable rains in this region, water is a scarce and precious resource. Unsustainable water usage and irrigation practices pose problems for wildlife that rely on a steady supply of water to rivers and water holes. In wetter areas near the coast, threats to the habitat include farming and land clearing for large-scale plantations of sisal, cotton, and tobacco. Throughout the region, the cutting of trees for firewood and charcoal production is a major threat, and livestock grazing has fragmented much of the habitat and created grazing competition for wild species. Populations of large mammals in particular have become highly fragmented. Species such as elephants and rhinos are killed for their skins, ivory, and horns. The black rhinoceros has been wiped out from most of the region because its horns are extremely valuable on the black market. Even some plant species, such as the African blackwood, are threatened by over-harvesting because of their commercial value in making carvings for the tourist industry.

For more information on this ecoregion, go to the World Wildlife Fund Scientific Report.