VELD

GRASSLANDS
SOUTH AFRICA
 VEGETATION
THE 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.
 VEGETATION CONTINUED
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.
 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.
 CARACAL
FELIS 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 FACTS
Facts 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 record
Per Teodor Cleve (Swedish chemist)
plant fossil record
 GROUP 4
SPECIAL THANKS TO
• JASMANN BINDRA
• CHINMAY PATHAK
• NEHA BHOOMKAR
• SAUMYA BAHETI
• MUSKKAN BAFNAA
(REPRESENTATOR)
THANK YOU
FRIENDS &
MAAM