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made with barbed wire. Few animals can get round the acacia’s spiny defenses. Giraffes, with their long, nimble tongues, can pick acacia leaves from between the thorns, while black rhinos have leathery mouths that can crunch up the thorniest twigs. Trees like this are dotted over African grasslands, and tropical grasslands in general. Paramo Grassland? In the high Andes of South America, between the subtropical rainforest that reaches to about 5,900 feet (1800 meters) and the snowline above 16,400 feet (5,000 m), there is a temperate zone. The higher parts of this zone, between about 13,100 to 16,400 feet (4,000 to 5000 m), support an area of alpine grass- land called the paramo. At this altitude it is very cold during the day, and freezing every night. The vegetation is short grass dotted with a variety of tiny, often brightly colored flowers. This dramatic scenery,

The acacia tree is adapted to survive on the African savannah.

What Are Grasslands? 15