As grasslands are open areas, animals and plants have to develop certain survival mechanisms to protect themselves from their enemies and to adapt to the environment. Some animals have similar ways to save themselves. For example, lions and cheetahs can run very fast to escape from their enemies. Also, elephants and zebras always travel in large groups so that they can protect the smaller and weaker ones. However, some animals and plants have their specific survival mechanisms. The followings are some examples:

Animals:

1. Small insects: they surround themselves with froth to shield them from dry air.
2. Beetles: a kind of beetle gives out a drop of blood from its mouth when it is pecked by birds in order to frighten them away.
3. Grasshoppers: they have bright red or blue hind wings which can be shown clearly when they are flying but when they are on the ground, their hind wings will be covered with their front wings so that they can not be seen easily.

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4. Harvestmen: they belong to the spider group. They can shed a leg and escape with just seven legs when they are caught
5. Lizards: they can snap off their tails to escape when caught by enemies and new tails will grow out later.
6. Monarch butterflies: they are poisonous to their predators
7. Rabbits: They live in underground tunnels. They have good senses of hearing and they will thump the ground with their hind legs to warn others when there is a danger
8. Shrew: this is a kind of mammal whose saliva is poisonous
9. Snails: they can seal their shells with mucus to prevent them from drying out
10. Snakes: they can pick up the vibrations caused by footsteps on the ground in order to escape quickly.

Plants:

     Although plants are anchored into the ground by roots, they still have some ways to prevent the approach of enemies. For example, the stinging nettle plant can cause a painful feeling in the animal that touches it. Also, a kind of grass can cut the tongue of the animal that eats it. In addition, there is a kind of poison ivy.

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