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Article: Life in the Dry Season.(African watering holes attract numerous species)(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- Animals
- Article date:
- January 1, 1999
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1999 Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Africa is forever a continent of stark, spellbinding contrasts, and it is the eternal cycle of wet and dry seasons that most profoundly governs nature in southern Africa. During the wet season, with water plentiful and an abundance of nutritious young grasses and fresh shoots, wildlife spread out over vast areas. The herds of antelopes, wildebeests, or zebras wander where good grazing may be found, followed by the predators. Many animals give birth at this time, ensuring sufficient food for their young in the first critical months of life.
But it is a completely different story once the land gets into the merciless grip of the dry season. A relentless sun scorches ...