All About the Taiga Biome
By Jacqueline Hodges
Basic information
The taiga biome is the largest biome in the world. It it found in the northern hemisphere stretching over Asia, Europe, and North america. This biome has extremely cold, snowy winters that last for six months, and warm, rainy summers.
Climate
The taiga biome has two different average temperatures due to its drastic season change. For the wintery half of the year, the average temperature is below freezing. The low is -65 degrees fahrenheit and the high is 30 degrees fahrenheit. For the summer the low is 30 degrees fahrenheit and the high is 70 degrees fahrenheit. The average rainfall, falling mostly in the summer months, is 12 to 33 inches.
Red Fox
The red fox is very common in the Taiga biome. They are the smallest member of the dog family and look very similar to a dog. They get their name from their auburn colored fur. The red fox is nocturnal and adapt to the biome by resting in burrows in the snow during the day. Some our their prey include rabbits, birds, wild fruits and rodents.
Bald eagle
The bald eagle can be found all throughout the taiga but 80% can be found in Alaska alone. They are the United States' national bird.These birds can build several different types of nest depending on the shape of the tree they are making them in. This is very helpful since there are many different types of trees in the taiga biome. They usually eat dead animals but will also eat live chicken or fish. They used to be considered an endangered species but have recently been changed ti a recovered species.
Grizzly Bear
The grizzly bear is a sub-species of the brown bear. This bear's coat is made up of many different colors and is very shaggy which helps them get through the long winters. The grizzly bear is a predator that helps its community by killing over the elderly or injured deer. 75% of their diet is made up of 200 different types of plants, and the other 25% is made up of insects, small rodents, and mammals. The grizzly bear is endangered in all of the united states except for Alaska.
Snowshoe Rabbit
The snowshoe rabbit gets its name from its hind feet which can expand to work as "snowshoes". The rabbit has fur on the bottom of its feet protecting them from the cold snow. In the summer the rabbit is a dark gray color. In the winter they turn completely white except for the tip of their ears. This allows the to blend in during the winter. The can run up to 27 miles per hour and jump as high as 10 feet. The snowshoe rabbit is a herbivore and usually only eats plants.
Long eared owl
The long eared owl is a medium sized owl. It gets its name from the bunches of fur on its head that look like ears. The owl can turn its head to where it can see completely behind it. This is extremely helpful to the owl's hearing when hunting at night. This owl is considered a predator feeding mostly on small vole other rodents.
Taiga food web
Interesting facts
- Because winters are so cold, decomposition is slow, causing dead vegetation to pile up leaving a sponge-like covering over the forest floor
- The taiga biome has less animal and plant species then most other biomes
- Some of the world's oldest trees can be found in this biome
Paper Birch
The paper birch tree has thin bark that peels back into horizontal layers. There are many different types of birch tress. Some can grow to be 60 to 80 feet tall. There are about forty different type of birch trees.
Black Spruce
The black spruce tree can grow to be 25 meters tall. As it gets older the crown of the tree looks more and more like a spike. The tree is covered in sharp needles. Many animals do not feed off of this plant. It prefers cold weather which is why it grows mostly in the taiga biome.
White fir
The white fir can grow to be over 60 feet tall and live for over 300 years.This trees wood is often used for lumber.The leaves on this tree are 2-3 inches long and are slightly flattened.
Eastern Red Ceder
This plant usually only grows to be 10-15 feet tall. They can grow in any type of soil and are often found in fields or meadows.These plants do not grow well in forest because they need full sunlight to grow.
Jack Pine
This tree usually grows to be about 27 meters tall .As it gets older the trunk grows rounder and rounder.The bark is flat and over time turns grayer and grayer.This tree is mostly found in colder parts of the biome.
Taiga Biome
The taiga biome is very important to us. Its trees provide many different things to us such as lumber and paper. Some threats to the biome include oil or gas explosions, mining, human triggered forest fires, and road building.