Taiga/Boreal Forest Biome (:
By: Sydney, Alaina, Rain, and Isabella
Where is it? Why it's is North America and Canada!
The boreal forest (also known as the taiga, a russian word meaning swampy moist forest) is found in a nearly continuous belt across North America and Eurasia. Most of Canada and Russia are covered by coniferous trees that make up this biome.
The temperature range is nice and cool!
Some animals found in the Taiga are...
Moose
Scientific Name:Alces alces
Average weight:Female: 350 kg
Male: 400 kg
Average length:2.4 to 3.2m
Life expectancy:average 8 to 12 years
The moose is the largest member of the deer family, and stands taller at the shoulder than the largest saddle horse. It has long, slim legs with divided, or cloven, hooves that are often more than 18 centimetres long. The moose gets its humped appearance from its deep and incredibly muscled shoulders. It is also low-rumped, has slender hindquarters and a stubby tail.
Deer
Caribou are rather large members of the deer family. Their broad, concave hoofs spread to aid walking on soft ground and are good for digging in snow. Both sexes grow antlers that in males serve as sexual ornaments and weapons for fighting rivals during the breeding season. Alaskan caribou are clove-brown with a white neck and rump. Chukotkan reindeer, as a result of domestication, have varied pelt combinations of brown, grey, black and white in the same herd.
And Bison!
Distinguishing Features - Average lenght: Male 3.4 m, Female 2.12 m. Weight: Male 400 - 800 kg., Female 320 - 440 kg. Overall colouration: coppery brown. Head, large, bearded, dark brown to black. Matted, woolly undercoat. Head and shoulders seem disproportionate to slim hindquarters. Horns, short, black on sides of head.
Conservation programs today have helped the bison's comeback. However, it's range has been severely reduced to selected habitats, usually game preserves. It prefers open plains, grasslands, meadows, valleys and open forests.