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African Savanna Word Search

The grasslands of eastern and southern Africa and the animals — and trees — that define them.

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Easy: words read across and down only.

Easy10×10
0/14

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About this puzzle

The African savanna is a grassland dotted with trees, home to some of the most famous animals on Earth. This list includes the big predators (lion, leopard, cheetah, hyena), the grazers and browsers that live alongside them (zebra, gazelle, wildebeest, giraffe), the giants (elephant, hippo, rhino), a small burrowing mammal of southern Africa (meerkat) and two iconic trees (baobab and acacia).

The default layout is Easy on a 10×10 grid. Easy, Medium and Hard each use their own checked layout of the same words, and every one can be printed in standard or large print on US Letter or A4.

Word notes

Elephant
African elephants are the largest land animals; they use their trunks to breathe, smell, drink and lift.
Giraffe
The tallest living animal; its long neck has seven vertebrae, the same number as a human neck.
Zebra
Every zebra's stripe pattern is unique, much like a fingerprint.
Cheetah
The fastest land animal over short distances.
Hippo
Short for hippopotamus, Greek for "river horse"; hippos spend the day in water and graze on land at night.
Wildebeest
Famous for huge seasonal migrations.
Baobab
A massive tree that stores water in its trunk.
Acacia
Flat-topped acacia trees are a classic savanna sight, and giraffes browse their leaves despite the thorns.
Meerkat
Lives in groups in southern Africa; members take turns standing guard while the others forage.

Try this after the puzzle

Sort the animals into predators and plant-eaters, then draw arrows to show who eats whom. Older students can compare African and Asian elephants, or find out why the baobab is nicknamed the "upside-down tree".

All 14 words

Lion · Elephant · Giraffe · Zebra · Cheetah · Hippo · Rhino · Leopard · Hyena · Gazelle · Wildebeest · Baobab · Acacia · Meerkat

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