Chapter 5 - Taiga

Taiga is the Russian word for coniferous forest and is the largest biome in the world. It stretches over Eurasia and North America. The taiga is located near the top of the world, just below the tundra biome. The winters in the taiga are very cold with only snowfall. The summers are warm, rainy, and humid. A lot of coniferous trees grow in the taiga.

The taiga is also known as the boreal forest. Did you know that Boreal was the Greek goddess of the North Wind?

The taiga doesn't have as many plant and animal species as the tropical or the deciduous forest biomes. It does have millions of insects in the summertime. Birds migrate there every year to nest and feed.

CLIMATE/LOCATION

The taiga is located in the northern parts of Alaska, Canada, Asia, and Europe. The taiga is wrapped in a band around the world and has the tundra above it and the deciduous forest in the parts below it. This means that the tundra is at a latitude that is farther away from the equator then the taiga is and the deciduous forest is closer to the equator then the taiga is.

The climate of the taiga is very cold and dry but not as much as the tundra is. The taiga gets between 25-75 cm of rain per year. The taiga has cold snowy winters and warm summers. Also most of the precipitation comes in the summer months. Some other things about the climate of the taiga is that the average temperature is below freezing for six months of the year.

VEGETATION

The coniferious forest has few species of vegetation compared to most of the other biomes. In some parts of Canada only eight species of trees exist. Trees and plants aren't the only part of the vegetation though.

Other things that make up parts of the area of the vegetation are bogs and marshes. These are in the coniferious forest because of the wet rainy weather year round. Forest fires are another major part of the vegetation cycle. Forest fires clear old vegetation pretty much every month allowing the new vegetation sunlight so that the new vegetation may grow.

Snow is the final essential part of vegetation. The weight of the snow breaks off old tree branches. The weight also bends the trees to an abnormal form.

The main trees that inhabit the coniferous forest are the pines and other trees like it. The reason that these trees are there is they have needles that stay on them all year round. Almost all of the trees in the taiga also produce cones, thus they have the species name conifer.

Animals

There are many different kings of animals in the taiga biome. Among them are the wolves, deer, bears, lynx, cougars, moose, and cyotes. Many of these animals are often hunted for sport and also for food. Also, some are poached, which is illegal.

The adaptations of a wolf is that it is fast, has sharp fangs, and sharp claws, which they use to catch their prey. Wolves are carnivores, so they eat mainly other animals bigger and smaller than themselves. Deer are fast and have antlers, which they use to fight off their predators. Deer are herbivores, so they eat mainly plants of all kinds. Bears have the advantage of their size, teeth, claws, and the ability to run fast. Bears are omnivores, so they will eat just about anything. Lynx are basically oversized, wild, house cats. They have speed, sharp fangs, small, sharp claws. Lynx are carnivores, so they eat mainly little animals smaller than themselves. Cougars are kind of giant cats. They have speed, sharp fangs, sharp claws, and big enough to challenge even the largest of game. Cougars are omnivores, so they will eat just about anything, but they choose to eat other animals.

Ant Ants are social insects.

Arctic Fox This small, white fox lives farther north than any other land animal.

Arctic Hare This white hare lives in the Arctic and has huge hindfeet.

Arctic Wolf Arctic wolves are carnivores that live in Northern Canada.

Badger The badger is a nocturnal mammal with a black-and-white striped face.

Bald Eagle The bald eagle is a large bird of prey. It is the symbol of the USA.

Beaver The beaver is a large rodent that builds dams and dens.

Black Bear A large, black to brown bear.

Brown Bear The Brown Bear is a large bear with a muscular hump on its shoulders.

Canada Goose The Canada goose is a large North American bird that honks.

Caribou Caribou are herbivores that live in Arctic regions.

Dall Sheep A wild, white sheep from the Arctic and sub-Arctic of North America.

Deer The deer is a shy, fast-moving plant-eater.

Earthworm An earthworm is a little animal with a long, soft body and no legs.

Ermine Also known as stoat or short-tailed weasel, this tiny, ferocious mammal lives in cold areas.

Fox The fox is a meat-eating mammal with a long, bushy tail. The red fox lives in the taiga.

Gray Wolf Gray wolves are carnivores that live in packs and howl.

Great Horned Owl A large bird of prey from North and South America.

Husky A hard-working, fast-running sled dog that was originally from Siberia.

Lemming Lemmings are small, short-tailed rodents from North America and northern Eurasia.

Lynx A powerful wild cat from Eurasia and North America.

Malamute The Alaskan malamute is a powerful sled dog from Alaska.

Moose The moose is the largest member of the deer family.

Mosquito Mosquitos are flying insects that live in moist areas and can often carry diseases.

Musk Ox Musk oxen are large, hairy mammals that live in the far north.

Muskrat Muskrats are rodents that often build dome-shaped houses.

Red-Tailed Hawk The Red-Tailed Hawk is a bird of prey, a raptor from North America.

Reindeer Reindeer are herbivores that live in Arctic regions.

Scorpion A venomous arachnid with a large stinger on its tail.

Short-tailed Weasel Also known as stoat or ermine, this tiny, ferocious mammal lives in cold areas.

Snow Goose Snow Geese are migratory birds from North America.

Snowy Owl A white owl that lives in the North American tundra.

Squirrel Squirrels are rodents. They live in a variety of biomes, including the taiga.

Weasel A carnivorous mammal that has a long, slender body and short legs.

White-Tailed Deer The white-tailed deer is a shy, fast-moving plant-eater.

Wolf Wolves are carnivores that live in packs and howl.

Wolverine The Wolverine is a large, ferocious weasel that lives in cold areas.

Woodland Caribou A rare caribou from Canada that eats lichens.