"Savannah" redirects here. For the city in the U.S. state of Georgia, see
Savannah, Georgia.
African elephants in the Serengeti savanna
The word savanna comes from a Panamanian word for prairie or plains. They are covered with tall grasses. They may have scattered bushes and trees, but not enough to keep grasses from growing.
One common example of a savanna is the tropical grassland, in Africa. They have seasonal rains and dry periods. All savanna plants and trees can survive periods of drought. During the dry season the animals migrate north to countries on the East coast. Originally the elephant herds moving up the East coast were in the tens of thousands. Sadly, the numbers of elephants now is much fewer.