# Grazing patterns in the savannah

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grazing-patterns-in-the-savannah/816615>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 23, 2018, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grazing-patterns-in-the-savannah/816615 "2018-06-23T11:26:21Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![The\_Sheikh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@The\_Sheikh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Sheikh)\
**Post date:** [June 23, 2018, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grazing-patterns-in-the-savannah/816615/1 "2018-06-23T11:26:21Z")

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In a TOEFL test I had an interesting reading passage about the savannah. It describes how animals graze in such a way that preserves the savannah. Different animals graze at different times. Some graze on long grass, making access to shorter grass possible for the next animals. I can’t recall the details of that passage and I dont know the name of this behavior. Would appreciate a link to a reading on that behavior.

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**Author:** ![Ionizer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/5daacb/32.png) [@Ionizer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ionizer)\
**Post date:** [June 23, 2018, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grazing-patterns-in-the-savannah/816615/2 "2018-06-23T11:39:20Z")

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Searching the title [gets this](http://mygeologypage.ucdavis.edu/cowen/~gel107/savanna.html) as first result, fwiw. Seems to fit the question.

The denser growth of land grazed leading to denser growth does seem to be valid. Even the loss of a (grazing) species or two can throw it all off-kilter.