Savanna Ecosystem Game

Quick Answer: The Savanna Ecosystem Game is a classroom game about the African savanna in which students build food chains and food webs, from grasses and trees through grazing and browsing animals to predators, scavengers and decomposers.

The Savanna as a Teaching Ecosystem

Tropical savanna is grassland with scattered trees, shaped by a long dry season, grazing and fire, which makes it a strong contrast to forest when teaching ecosystems. Grasses are the main producers, with acacias and other trees adding leaves to browse. Zebra and wildebeest graze the grass, giraffes browse from the trees, and lions, leopards and cheetahs hunt the herbivores. Hyenas and vultures scavenge, while termites and dung beetles recycle what is left.

A savanna ecosystem game asks students to place these organisms into feeding relationships and to see how a change at one level spreads to the others. Games of this kind usually use species cards or tiles and raise questions about competition, seasonal migration and drought, which limits the grass and therefore every animal that depends on it. The species and rules in this edition are not described in the listing and should be checked before class.

The savanna also lets teachers explain niches. Grazers and browsers share one habitat by eating different plants, and different predators favour different prey, which is why so many large animals can live side by side.

Specifications

Lesson Ideas

• Building a savanna food web and labelling producers, herbivores, carnivores and decomposers
• Modelling the effect of a drought year on grass and on the animals that depend on it
• Comparing savanna and forest food webs in a biomes unit
• Discussing conservation of large herbivores and predators

Classroom Management

• Sort the pieces by trophic level before the lesson so groups can check their webs quickly.
• Ask each group to photograph or draw its finished web as a record.
• Keep the game dry and count the pieces back into the box after use.

Why Choose LabEquip

Biology and geography teachers use this game to bring a biome most students have never visited into the classroom. LabEquip lists it in General Lab Products, and pairing it with the Ecosystem Forest Game lets a class compare two contrasting food webs.

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes a savanna different from a forest ecosystem?

A savanna is mainly grassland with scattered trees, shaped by a long dry season, grazing and fire. A forest has a closed tree canopy. The producers differ, so the food webs built on them differ too.

Why can so many large herbivores live together on the savanna?

They divide the food. Grazers such as zebras and wildebeest eat grass at different heights and stages of growth, while browsers such as giraffes eat leaves from trees, so direct competition is reduced.

What role do termites play in the savanna?

Termites are major decomposers there. They break down dead grass and wood and return nutrients to the soil, and their mounds create patches of richer soil where plants grow more strongly.

What happens to the food web in a drought?

Grass growth falls, so grazers lose condition, move away or die. Predators may find weakened prey easier to catch for a while but face shortages later, and scavengers briefly have more food. Students can trace these effects through the game.

Is the game suitable for primary pupils?

The listing gives no age range. Simple savanna food chains suit upper primary science, while food webs, niches and population effects fit secondary biology, so the teacher can choose the depth of discussion.

How can the game support assessment?

After playing, ask students to draw a food web with at least ten organisms, label the trophic levels and predict the effect of removing one species. Their explanations show whether the ideas from the game have been understood.

Last Updated: September 2026