The rainfall is 15 to 30 inches a year, with frequent droughts, wildfires, and intense grazing. Various names are used around the world, for grasslands are known as prairies in North America, in Asia they are called steppes, in South America they are called pampas, and in South Africa they are called veldts. This biome bakes to a golden brown through long, hot, cricket-filled summers. When it freezes during the winter it is constantly shaped by winds that gather enormous speed across its vast open landscape. Occasional wildfires help maintain this biome.
Wildfires play an important role in keeping grasslands open and free of trees and shrubs.
The rainfall is between that of temperate forests and deserts, but it is not enough to support dense stands of trees. Giraffes have very little enemies, they are tall, so they can get their food from trees. They have long legs, which makes it easy for them to run fast. The lions can run very fast on flat land because there is nothing to get in their way. Monarch butterflys are poisonous to their predators.