🌾 Savanna and grassland animal reports, grades 5–6
13 sheets, one animal each, so every child in a group gets a different one. Pick another set or one animal.
My report: the cheetah
Acinonyx jubatus · Grades 5–6
| 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
Cheetahs hunt in the daytime, creeping close and then sprinting. Their claws only pull back partway, so they grip the ground like a runner's spikes. Unlike lions and tigers, a cheetah cannot roar; it purrs, chirps and meows. Fewer cheetahs live in the wild than in the past, because their grasslands are being turned into farms and towns.
Habitat and range: where on Earth, and what the place is like:
Diet: what it eats, and what might eat it:
Adaptations: two ways its body or habits help it survive:
Is it in danger? Why or why not?:
Compare it with another animal you know:
Bibliography: write each source below as site, page title, date checked:
Where my facts came from
- Smithsonian's National Zoo, Cheetah, nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/cheetah, checked 2026-10-30
My report: the lion
Panthera leo · Grades 5–6
| 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 are the most social of the big cats. The lionesses in a pride are usually related: mothers, daughters, sisters and aunts. A male's mane makes him look bigger and may show other lions he is healthy. Lions rest for most of the day and are busiest at dawn, dusk and night, when it is cooler.
Habitat and range: where on Earth, and what the place is like:
Diet: what it eats, and what might eat it:
Adaptations: two ways its body or habits help it survive:
Is it in danger? Why or why not?:
Compare it with another animal you know:
Bibliography: write each source below as site, page title, date checked:
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
My report: the african elephant
Loxodonta africana · Grades 5–6
| 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
African savanna elephants are the largest land animals alive. Flapping their huge ears helps them cool down. Elephants talk with deep rumbles, some so low that people can't hear them, which travel through the ground. Their tusks are long teeth, and people hunting for ivory are one reason elephants need protection.
Habitat and range: where on Earth, and what the place is like:
Diet: what it eats, and what might eat it:
Adaptations: two ways its body or habits help it survive:
Is it in danger? Why or why not?:
Compare it with another animal you know:
Bibliography: write each source below as site, page title, date checked:
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
My report: the giraffe
Giraffa camelopardalis · Grades 5–6
| 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 have the same number of neck bones as people; each one is just much longer. A giraffe has a big, strong heart to pump all the way up its long neck to its head. When it bends down to drink, it spreads its front legs wide. Each giraffe's patch pattern is its own, and scientists use the patterns to tell them apart.
Habitat and range: where on Earth, and what the place is like:
Diet: what it eats, and what might eat it:
Adaptations: two ways its body or habits help it survive:
Is it in danger? Why or why not?:
Compare it with another animal you know:
Bibliography: write each source below as site, page title, date checked:
Where my facts came from
- Wikidata, from its cited reference, wikidata.org/wiki/Q15083#P2048, checked 2026-10-30
My report: the red kangaroo
Osphranter rufus · Grades 5–6
| 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 are the largest marsupials, mammals whose babies finish growing in a pouch. Hopping is a very efficient way to travel: their tendons stretch and spring back like a pogo stick. In the hot outback they rest in the shade by day and feed in the cool of evening and night, and they can go a long time without drinking.
Habitat and range: where on Earth, and what the place is like:
Diet: what it eats, and what might eat it:
Adaptations: two ways its body or habits help it survive:
Is it in danger? Why or why not?:
Compare it with another animal you know:
Bibliography: write each source below as site, page title, date checked:
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
My report: the komodo dragon
Varanus komodoensis · Grades 5–6
| 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
Komodo dragons live only on a few islands in Indonesia, where they are the top hunters. They mostly wait in hiding rather than chase. Scientists have found that their bite carries venom. A female can sometimes lay eggs that hatch with no father, something only a few kinds of animals can do. Komodo National Park protects them and their islands.
Habitat and range: where on Earth, and what the place is like:
Diet: what it eats, and what might eat it:
Adaptations: two ways its body or habits help it survive:
Is it in danger? Why or why not?:
Compare it with another animal you know:
Bibliography: write each source below as site, page title, date checked:
Where my facts came from
- Smithsonian's National Zoo, Komodo dragon, nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/komodo-dragon, checked 2026-10-30
My report: the grévy's zebra
Equus grevyi · Grades 5–6
| 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 zebra is the largest wild animal in the horse family. No two zebras have the same pattern of stripes, and scientists use the patterns to tell them apart in photos. Males hold a patch of land, while females and their foals wander more widely in search of grass and water. Grévy's zebras are endangered because farm animals now share their grass and waterholes, so community groups in Kenya work to protect them.
Habitat and range: where on Earth, and what the place is like:
Diet: what it eats, and what might eat it:
Adaptations: two ways its body or habits help it survive:
Is it in danger? Why or why not?:
Compare it with another animal you know:
Bibliography: write each source below as site, page title, date checked:
Where my facts came from
- Smithsonian's National Zoo, nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/grevys-zebra, checked 2026-10-30
My report: the white rhinoceros
Ceratotherium simum · Grades 5–6
| 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 the largest kind of rhino and among the biggest land animals alive. Their two horns are made of keratin, the same stuff as your hair and fingernails, with no bone inside. Because rhino horn was sold for a lot of money, poachers hunted white rhinos until almost none were left. Rangers and reserves guarded the few that remained, and the southern white rhino has come back, though poaching is still a danger.
Habitat and range: where on Earth, and what the place is like:
Diet: what it eats, and what might eat it:
Adaptations: two ways its body or habits help it survive:
Is it in danger? Why or why not?:
Compare it with another animal you know:
Bibliography: write each source below as site, page title, date checked:
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
My report: the meerkat
Suricata suricatta · Grades 5–6
| 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 are a kind of mongoose, and they live in the dry lands of southern Africa. In a mob the members share the work: some adults babysit the pups at the burrow while others look for food, and the lookouts take turns so everyone gets a chance to eat. The sentry uses different calls for danger in the sky and danger on the ground, and the others know just how to react. Meerkats eat mostly insects, plus spiders, small lizards and even scorpions.
Habitat and range: where on Earth, and what the place is like:
Diet: what it eats, and what might eat it:
Adaptations: two ways its body or habits help it survive:
Is it in danger? Why or why not?:
Compare it with another animal you know:
Bibliography: write each source below as site, page title, date checked:
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
My report: the american bison
Bison bison · Grades 5–6
| 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 once covered the Great Plains in huge herds, and their grazing and rolling helped many kinds of plants and animals thrive on the prairie. Hunting left almost none, but ranchers, parks and conservation groups saved them. Today herds live in national parks such as Yellowstone and on prairie reserves. Bison look slow and heavy, but they can run faster than any person.
Habitat and range: where on Earth, and what the place is like:
Diet: what it eats, and what might eat it:
Adaptations: two ways its body or habits help it survive:
Is it in danger? Why or why not?:
Compare it with another animal you know:
Bibliography: write each source below as site, page title, date checked:
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
My report: the pronghorn
Antilocapra americana · Grades 5–6
| 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 share the prairie with bison, and they eat sagebrush, grasses and wildflowers. Unlike deer, which drop their antlers, a pronghorn sheds only the black outer sheath of its horns each year, and a new one grows over the bony core. Pronghorns travel long distances between summer and winter ranges, and fences can block their way, so ranchers and wildlife groups build fences that pronghorns can get under.
Habitat and range: where on Earth, and what the place is like:
Diet: what it eats, and what might eat it:
Adaptations: two ways its body or habits help it survive:
Is it in danger? Why or why not?:
Compare it with another animal you know:
Bibliography: write each source below as site, page title, date checked:
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
My report: the ostrich
Struthio camelus · Grades 5–6
| 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
Ostriches are the largest birds alive, and their eggs are the largest eggs of any bird. Each foot has only two toes, a bit like a hoof, which suits running. An ostrich swallows small stones that stay in its stomach and help grind up tough plants. It does not really bury its head in the sand; that is just an old myth.
Habitat and range: where on Earth, and what the place is like:
Diet: what it eats, and what might eat it:
Adaptations: two ways its body or habits help it survive:
Is it in danger? Why or why not?:
Compare it with another animal you know:
Bibliography: write each source below as site, page title, date checked:
Where my facts came from
- Smithsonian's National Zoo, Ostrich, nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/ostrich, checked 2026-10-30
My report: the aldabra giant tortoise
Aldabrachelys gigantea · Grades 5–6
| 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
Aldabra giant tortoises live on Aldabra, a ring-shaped coral island in the Indian Ocean, where they are the biggest plant-eaters. As they graze, they shape the plants around them and spread seeds in their droppings. Long ago sailors took giant tortoises from many islands, and most kinds vanished, but the Aldabra tortoise survived, partly thanks to its remote home. Today Aldabra is a protected World Heritage site.
Habitat and range: where on Earth, and what the place is like:
Diet: what it eats, and what might eat it:
Adaptations: two ways its body or habits help it survive:
Is it in danger? Why or why not?:
Compare it with another animal you know:
Bibliography: write each source below as site, page title, date checked:
Where my facts came from
- Smithsonian's National Zoo, nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/aldabra-tortoise, checked 2026-10-30