🌾 Savanna and grassland animal reports, grades 1–2

13 sheets, one animal each, so every child in a group gets a different one. Pick another set or one animal.

Savanna and grassland, grades 1–213 pages · Letter or A4 · portrait

Name:Date:

My report: the cheetah

Acinonyx jubatus · Grades 1–2

Length	5.8 to 7.4 ft (1.8 to 2.3 m)
Height at the shoulder	30 in (77 cm)
Weight	75 to 141 lb (34 to 64 kg)
Top speed	60 to 70 mph (96 to 112 km/h)
How long it lives	8 to 10 years

Read about it

The cheetah is a big cat with spots. It runs faster than any other animal on land. It has black lines on its face, like tears.

It lives in:

It eats:

The coolest thing I learned:

Draw it here, in its home.

Where my facts came from

Smithsonian's National Zoo, Cheetah, nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/cheetah, checked 2026-10-30

Name:Date:

My report: the lion

Panthera leo · Grades 1–2

Length	8.5 to 11 ft (2.6 to 3.5 m)
Height at the shoulder	3.5 to 4 ft (1.1 to 1.2 m)
Weight	414 lb (188 kg)
Top speed	not checked yet: look it up!
How long it lives	16 years

Read about it

Lions live in families called prides. The big males have a shaggy mane. Lions sleep a lot in the daytime.

It lives in:

It eats:

The coolest thing I learned:

Draw it here, in its home.

Where my facts came from

US Fish and Wildlife Service, Federal Register 2015 (Listing Two Lion Subspecies), federalregister.gov/documents/2015/12/23/2015-31958/endangered-and-threatened-wildlife-and-plants-listing-two-lion-subspecies, checked 2026-10-30
Smithsonian's National Zoo, Lion, nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/lion, checked 2026-10-30

Name:Date:

My report: the african elephant

Loxodonta africana · Grades 1–2

Length	not checked yet: look it up!
Height at the shoulder	13 ft (4 m)
Weight	6 tons (5.4 tonnes)
Top speed	not checked yet: look it up!
How long it lives	56 years

Read about it

Elephants are the biggest animals on land. They use their long trunk like a hand and a nose. Elephants live in families.

It lives in:

It eats:

The coolest thing I learned:

Draw it here, in its home.

Where my facts came from

Smithsonian Institution, "Africa's Elephant Kingdom" educator guide (PDF), si.edu/Content/SE/Educator%20Guides/AfricaElephantKingdom_edu_guide.pdf, checked 2026-10-30
Federal Register (US Fish and Wildlife Service), federalregister.gov/documents/2024/04/01/2024-06417/endangered-and-threatened-wildlife-and-plants-revision-to-the-section-4d-rule-for-the-african, checked 2026-10-30

Name:Date:

My report: the giraffe

Giraffa camelopardalis · Grades 1–2

Length	not checked yet: look it up!
Height	18 ft (5.5 m)
Weight	not checked yet: look it up!
Top speed	not checked yet: look it up!
How long it lives	not checked yet: look it up!

Read about it

Giraffes are the tallest animals. Their long necks reach leaves high up in trees. Each giraffe has its own pattern of patches.

It lives in:

It eats:

The coolest thing I learned:

Draw it here, in its home.

Where my facts came from

Wikidata, from its cited reference, wikidata.org/wiki/Q15083#P2048, checked 2026-10-30

Name:Date:

My report: the red kangaroo

Osphranter rufus · Grades 1–2

Length	not checked yet: look it up!
Height	5.9 ft (1.8 m)
Weight	not checked yet: look it up!
Top speed	not checked yet: look it up!
How long it lives	not checked yet: look it up!

Read about it

Red kangaroos hop on their big back legs. A baby kangaroo is called a joey. It lives in its mother's pouch.

It lives in:

It eats:

The coolest thing I learned:

Draw it here, in its home.

Where my facts came from

Smithsonian's National Zoo, How to Care for Wallabies, nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/news/how-care-wallabies, checked 2026-10-30

Name:Date:

My report: the komodo dragon

Varanus komodoensis · Grades 1–2

Length	10 ft (3.1 m)
Height at the shoulder	not checked yet: look it up!
Weight	154 lb (70 kg)
Top speed	9.9 to 12 mph (16 to 20 km/h)
How long it lives	30 years

Read about it

The Komodo dragon is the biggest lizard. It flicks its long, forked tongue to smell. It lives on islands.

It lives in:

It eats:

The coolest thing I learned:

Draw it here, in its home.

Where my facts came from

Smithsonian's National Zoo, Komodo dragon, nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/komodo-dragon, checked 2026-10-30

Name:Date:

My report: the grévy's zebra

Equus grevyi · Grades 1–2

Length	7.5 ft (2.3 m)
Height at the shoulder	3.9 to 4.9 ft (1.2 to 1.5 m)
Weight	769 to 949 lb (349 to 430 kg)
Top speed	not checked yet: look it up!
How long it lives	20 to 25 years

Read about it

Grévy's zebras have thin stripes and big round ears. They are the biggest zebras of all. They eat dry grass.

It lives in:

It eats:

The coolest thing I learned:

Draw it here, in its home.

Where my facts came from

Smithsonian's National Zoo, nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/grevys-zebra, checked 2026-10-30

Name:Date:

My report: the white rhinoceros

Ceratotherium simum · Grades 1–2

Length	not checked yet: look it up!
Height at the shoulder	5.6 to 6.1 ft (1.7 to 1.9 m)
Weight	1.7 to 2.6 tons (1.5 to 2.4 tonnes)
Top speed	not checked yet: look it up!
How long it lives	40 to 50 years

Read about it

White rhinos are huge grass-eaters. They have two horns on their nose. They love to roll in the mud!

It lives in:

It eats:

The coolest thing I learned:

Draw it here, in its home.

Where my facts came from

US Fish and Wildlife Service, Federal Register 2013 (Listing the Southern White Rhino), federalregister.gov/documents/2013/09/11/2013-22132/endangered-and-threatened-wildlife-and-plants-listing-the-southern-white-rhino-ceratotherium-simum, checked 2026-10-30

Name:Date:

My report: the meerkat

Suricata suricatta · Grades 1–2

Length	17 to 24 in (43 to 60 cm)
Height at the shoulder	not checked yet: look it up!
Weight	1.6 lb (725 g)
Top speed	not checked yet: look it up!
How long it lives	10 years

Read about it

Meerkats live in big family groups called mobs. One meerkat stands up tall to watch for danger. It barks if it sees a hawk.

It lives in:

It eats:

The coolest thing I learned:

Draw it here, in its home.

Where my facts came from

Smithsonian's National Zoo, Meerkat, nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/meerkat, checked 2026-10-30
Wikidata, from Suricata suricatta, wikidata.org/wiki/Q134015#P2067, checked 2026-10-30

Name:Date:

My report: the american bison

Bison bison · Grades 1–2

Length	10 to 13 ft (3.1 to 3.8 m)
Height at the shoulder	6 to 6.5 ft (1.8 to 2 m)
Weight	1,000 to 2,000 lb (454 to 907 kg)
Top speed	35 mph (56 km/h)
How long it lives	12 to 20 years

Read about it

Bison are big, shaggy animals with horns. They eat grass on the wide prairie. Baby bison are reddish-orange.

It lives in:

It eats:

The coolest thing I learned:

Draw it here, in its home.

Where my facts came from

National Park Service, Bison subject page, nps.gov/subjects/bison/about.htm, checked 2026-10-30
National Park Service, Wind Cave, home.nps.gov/wica/learn/nature/bison-buffalo-bison-bison.htm, checked 2026-10-30

Name:Date:

My report: the pronghorn

Antilocapra americana · Grades 1–2

Length	3.7 to 4.6 ft (1.1 to 1.4 m)
Height at the shoulder	35 in to 3.3 ft (89 cm to 1 m)
Weight	90 to 125 lb (41 to 57 kg)
Top speed	55 mph (89 km/h)
How long it lives	7 to 10 years

Read about it

Pronghorns are very fast runners. They live on wide, open grasslands. Their horns have a little prong.

It lives in:

It eats:

The coolest thing I learned:

Draw it here, in its home.

Where my facts came from

National Park Service, Yellowstone, home.nps.gov/yell/learn/nature/pronghorn.htm, checked 2026-10-30
National Park Service, Badlands, nps.gov/articles/000/pronghorn.htm, checked 2026-10-30

Name:Date:

My report: the ostrich

Struthio camelus · Grades 1–2

Length	not checked yet: look it up!
Height	8.9 ft (2.7 m)
Weight	198 to 300 lb (90 to 136 kg)
Top speed	43 mph (69 km/h)
How long it lives	30 to 40 years

Read about it

The ostrich is the biggest bird in the world. It cannot fly, but it can run very fast. Each foot has just two toes.

It lives in:

It eats:

The coolest thing I learned:

Draw it here, in its home.

Where my facts came from

Smithsonian's National Zoo, Ostrich, nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/ostrich, checked 2026-10-30

Name:Date:

My report: the aldabra giant tortoise

Aldabrachelys gigantea · Grades 1–2

Length	36 in to 4 ft (91 cm to 1.2 m)
Height at the shoulder	not checked yet: look it up!
Weight	351 to 551 lb (159 to 250 kg)
Top speed	not checked yet: look it up!
How long it lives	100 years

Read about it

The Aldabra tortoise is a giant tortoise with a big, domed shell. It lives on islands in the Indian Ocean. It munches grass and leaves and cools off in muddy puddles.

It lives in:

It eats:

The coolest thing I learned:

Draw it here, in its home.

Where my facts came from

Smithsonian's National Zoo, nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/aldabra-tortoise, checked 2026-10-30