Taiga Biome

Page 1

Taiga


Table of Contents Snowshoe Rabbit- ​page 2 Earthworm- ​page 3 Wolverine- ​page 4 Canadian Lynx- ​page 5 Coniferous Trees- ​page 6 Ermine- ​page 7 Arctic Fox- ​page 8 Moose- ​page 9 Bald Eagle- ​page 10 Biome-​ page 11 Glossary- ​page 12 Food Web- ​page 13 Credits- ​page 14


Snowshoe Rabbit Snowshoe rabbits are by all means awesome. When you look at it you will immediately think “Is that a white bunny?” (Well, I do at least). Snowshoe rabbits are herbivores, living on berries and plants. Snowshoe rabbits don't live in fields, or in a tundra, but actually in forests and swamps. Snowshoe rabbits are very quick and can easily escape predators by zipping away, their white fur gives them good camouflage in the winter. Surprisingly, snowshoe rabbit grows brown fur in the summer in order to remain camouflaged when the snow has melted. Then you'll be thinking “Is that a brown bunny​?”

Basic facts Eats: berries, plants Adaptations: Its white fur let's it camouflage into the snowy ground Habitat: forests, swamps Height: 413 to 518 mm Lifespan: up to 1 year Fun fact: snowshoe rabbits fur turns brown in the summer Winter

Summer


Earthworm Earthworms are tiny little animals, more specifically they are actually invertebrates and amphibians. Invertebrates means they are spineless. Amphibians means they can survive and live on both water and land. Mainly living in soil, earthworms are able to easily escape other animals by burrowing down into the earth (except for aardvarks). You may not believe this but earthworms eat soil (talk about a bad meal). Earthworms can easily camouflage in the soil and hide from animals high in the sky, all though, with bald eagles supervision they can see worms inching their way across the the land.

Basic facts Adaptations: the soil gives the worms quick escapes Habitat: soil Length: 35 cm Lifespan: 6 to 9 years Fun fact: there are more than 1 million worms in one acre of land


Wolverine No! I'm not talking about the superhero X-men guy wolverine! Wolverines are the second best animal (behind the honey badger) on my list! Living in the forest (and surprisingly the tundra) wolverines are known for eating animals bigger than itself such as wolves, reindeer, bears, and moose. Also, just saying wolverines eat berries as well. Wolverines climb trees and can dig underground. When wolverines are born, the stay with there mom for 2 years and then get sent off into the wild for the rest of their life. The wolverines defense is a huge tribute to the overall animal. You didn't know however that wolverines are the biggest land dwelling mustelid, and I totally know what that means...

Basic facts Eats: wolves, bears, reindeer, ermines, and moose Adaptations: the wolverines epic defense helps it survive Habitat: forest Height: 7 to 10 inches Lifespan: 7 to 12 years Fun fact: wolverines are the largest land dwelling mustelid


Canadian Lynx The Canadian lynx eats mice squirrels and birds. There favorite food is snowshoe hare. Canadian lynx has very good night vision. They have tons of fur that makes them quite in the snow.They look the same as a house just with more fur and long ears. Canadian lynx can be 4-8 inches tall and as large as 22-44 pounds. The scientific name for the Canadian Lynx is the Lynx canadensis​. In the 1900s, the Lynx population dropped severely. Now they are almost extinct.

Basic facts Eats: mice, squirrels, birds Adaptations: Canadian lynxes are quiet in the snow Habitat: Canadian forests Height: 4-8 inches Lifespan: 15 years


Fun fact: the fur on the Canadian lynxes face is in the shape of a house

Coniferous Tree Coniferous trees are large trees that live in the Taiga biome. The coniferous tree has evolved to lose all of it leaves in the fall so it can save its energy for the winter. When they lose all of their leaves, that helps them prevent the risk heavy snowfalls in the winter so they can't be broken down. Also, their cone shape help them prevent them from being damaged in the winter and helps shed excess snow when there branches droop down. Coniferous trees spread their population by storing their seeds in the pine cones that they drop in the spring so they can grow in the summer and become strong enough to protect themselves during the winter.


Ermine Ermines are… well… weird. They have white fur which acts as a winter coat to help survive the winter. Surprisingly, the fur ermines have was used way back when for royal clothing. Ermines can be found dashing around the woodlands. They build nests up in trees in order to protect their eggs from bears, wolves, and other ground animals. These mammals are pretty short growing up to 13 to 29 centimeters (only 5 to 12 inches). Ermines are extremely light and only weigh up to 0.7 pounds! Ermines can eat eggs, birds, and frogs. Just like the the snowshoe rabbit, the ermine's fur turns brown with a whitish throat, belly, and chest in the summer. Ermines have a flexible spine which allow them to perform something called a “marten run.” A marten run is when an ermine’s hind feet are tucked in behind the front feet. This allows the back to form an arch. Also, one last thing, considering that ermines are carnivores they have 34 little sharp teeth!

Basic facts Eats: eggs, birds, and frogs Adaptations: ermines thick fur helps them to survive the winter Habitat: woods Height: 5 to 12 inches Lifespan: 4-6 years Fun fact: Ermines have 34 small sharp teeth


Arctic Fox The arctic fox eats small animals. They eat lemmings voles ringed seal pups fish and sea birds. The arctic fox has a multilayered pelage. Arctic foxes never hibernate they are active the whole year. The arctic fox goes by many names. One being the white fox, polar fox, and last but not least the snow fox. Its thick fur acts as a winter coat to help it survive the winter. Arctic foxes can camouflage into the snow. They can grow up to 18 to 27 inches. Arctic foxes can live up to 2 to 4 years. Polar bears, humans, and a pack of wolves are all predators to the artic fox.

Basic facts Eats: seal pups, fish, seabirds Adaptations: Its white fur allows it to camouflage into the snow Habitat: forests Height: 18 to 27 inches Lifespan: 2-4 years Fun fact: the white fox has many names


Moose ​ he moose is the largest of the deer. At the shoulders, they average T about 5-6.5 feet. It averages about 1,200-1,800 pounds. They have amazing Antlers that have about a 6 foot wingspan.

​Diet

Moose have huge appetites. They eat about 73 pounds a day in the summer, and eat about 34 pounds a day in the winter due to the lower amount of food. In the summer, they eat a variety of shrubs, woody plants, and aquatic plants. In the winter, they are more limited and mainly only eat buds of plants.

​Adaptations

​ he moose has adapted to be able to protect itself from predators and T survive the cold in the winter. The have grown to large sizes that help with strong antlers and tusks to help them fend off strong predators including bears and wolves, which are only able to eat old, sick, or young moose. Basic Facts Habitat: Woods, with a mate or by itself Diet: Herbivore Fun facts - Moose are the largest the largest of the deer spices - Moose are great swimmer and can swim up to 6 mph


Bald Eagle Adaptations An bald eagle is a giant bird with a 6ft. Wingspan, 2 inch talons, a sharp beak, a ferocious speed of 56-75 mph, and is built to be hunting machine that eats almost anything it sees. The bald eagle has keen vision that helps it see small mammals and other birds in the sky. Diet The bald eagle is not picky about what it eats. The bald eagle will basically eat almost anything that it sees. Mainly, it eats fish and small mammals; Fish, squirrels, raccoons, chipmunks, and much more. Basic Facts Lifespan: 20-30 years Diet: Carnivore Population: Around 70,000 in North America Fun Facts - Bald eagles can swim - Bald eagles can close their eyes and still see - Bald eagles have the largest nest in the world, and can weigh up to a ton.


Biome Temperature: ​Taiga temperature averages 32 degrees in the summer. And 22.6 degrees in the winter. The highest temperature recorded for a taiga biome is 104 degrees! Soil: ​Taiga soil is usually young and poor in nutrients. The soil is thin. This is because of the naturally cold environment, which hinders the development of soil and the easiness with which plants can use its nutrients. Plants: ​Some types of Coniferous trees are birch, evergreen, pine, and fir. Coniferous trees are domite plant of the Taiga biome. They keep their seeds inside of their wooden pine cones. Needles contain a very small amount of sap. Locations: ​Usually, taigas are located in Canada, or scattered across Europe and Asia. Taiga biomes are the largest biomes in the world. Animals: ​Wolverines, moose, bald eagles, arctic foxes, ermines, earthworms, canadian lynx, and snowshoe rabbits are all animals that can be found in a taiga biome! Weather: ​In taigas, summers aren't extremely hot, but is pretty mild. Winters are freezing! If you are planning a trip to a taiga, for some reason, pack with heavy jackets.


Glossary Camouflage:​ To blend into surrounding objects Invertebrate/Vertebrate: ​Spineless organism/ Organism with spine Amphibian: ​To be able to live on both land and water Biome: ​An area of living and nonliving things in an ecosystem Adaptations- ​A physical or behavioral trait that helps the organism survive


Ż​Credits​Ż ✏​Research​✏ Wikipedia Britannica Online Natural Geographic Live Binder

͛​Images​͛ Advanced Google Image Search Google Life Stock Images Safari Enchanted Learning

ʼ​Authors​ʼ Patrick Dykeman Jacob Mc​Loughlin Chad Clayman

TH​AN​K Y​OU


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