Tundra
Hannah Hutt
Weather
The tundra is very cold. The tundra had long winters and short cool summers. About 10 inches of precipitation fall each year. The winds there are very dry. The tundra also has permafrost (ground that is permanently frozen.) The warmest months are usually between 50 and 32F.
Location
Tundra biomes are located near the North Pole, Northern Alaska, Canada, and Siberia.
Animals
In the tundra biomes most animals only use the tundra as a summer home, but yet there are animals that stay all year round. Some of the animals that stay year round consists of the musk ox, arctic fox, caribou, Norway lemming, and last but not least polar bears!!!
The Musk Ox
The Musk Ox eats grass, moss, lichen, and leaves. Their body size range from 6 to 7 feet, and their tail is 3 to 4 inches long. Musk Oxes are not threatened. The scientific name for a Musk Ox is Ovibos moschatus. They are the only species in its genus. Musk Oxes have a dense under coat, long hair, and broad hooves to protect then from the cold snow. They travel in groups of as many as 100.
Article Fox
The scientific name for an Arctic Fox is Alopex lagopus. Arctic Foxes have a diet of birds, rodents, and sometimes left overs from a polar bear kill. Their bodies are 18-26 inches long and their tail is about 13 inches long. Arctic Foxes range from Arctic regions of Europe, Asia, and North America. They have small feet that are furred to protect it from snow and ice and have rounded ears. When it comes time to sleep they usually make burrows in the side of a hill or a cliff, and get this, they don't hibernate! Females usually give birth to 4-11 young in May or June after a period of 54 days.
Norway Lemming
The Norway Lemming eat grass. Their bodies are 5 to 6 inches long and their tails are about 3/4 inches long. Lemmus lemmus is the scientific name for the Norway Lemming. Lemmings are active day and night, which mean they get very little sleep. During the summer the female Lemming may have up to 8 litters of 6 young! Here's and interesting fact: it is to be believed that every three or four years lemmings decrease in their population to almost extinction and the next year they increase in population to where they are not endangered.
Caribou
Caribou eat lichen. They are about 4 to 7 feet long with their tails being only 4 to 8 inches! They are not threatened. The scientific name for caribou is Rangifer tarandus. Caribou range in different colors to almost black, brown, gray, and almost white. Caribou are the only deers where both the male and female have antlers. Female caribou usually give birth to one or two young after a duration on 240 days.
Polar Bears
Polar bears large and small mammals, fish, birds, berries, and leaves. The scientific name for a polar bear is Urus martimus. They are a camy color and can out run caribou. F ale polar bears can only tie birth every other year from 1 to 4 young.
Plants
Plants only grow for a short amount of time in the tundra. But when plants do grow there are a great variety if plants that grow.
Lichen
Lichen grows on exposed rocks. Lichen can be different colors. Lichen is made of fungus and algae.
Cushion Plants
Cushion plants grow in low tight places. They look like little cushions. They are common in habitats that protect them from the cold.
Arctic Moss
The scientific name for arctic moss is Calliergon giganteum. Artic moss is an aquatic plant. They grow one centimeter a year.
Yellow Tundra Flower
Yellow tundra flowers have shallow roots. They need little sunlight. They're leaves hold water.
Bearberry
Bearberries have five petals there are white or pale pink. They grow in rocky and sandy soil. They grow in March June.
Human Impact
The tundra is a very sensitive biome. People are mining for oil, are building new towns, and roads. This is effecting the migration patterns and the permafrost. There are insects that come and us humans spray pesticides and are effecting the food chain.
Catastrophic events
Global warming is damaging the tundra. Air pollution is contaminating the lichen which is what most animals eat there. Oil spills are also damaging the tundra.
Landforms
Did you know the tundra biome makes up 1/5 of the Earth? In the tundra there are mountains. There are also lakes in the tundra.