The taiga is the largest biome in the world. It covers large parts of Canada, Europe, and Asia. This forest is covered with coniferous trees. In fact, sometimes the taiga is called a coniferous forest.Conifer trees are often called evergreens. These trees have long, waxy needles instead of wide, flat leaves like hardwood trees. Evergreens do not loose their needles come wintertime. The needles stay on all year long.
What's the weather like tn the taiga? In the taiga, summers are warm and rainy, and the winters are very cold. There is lots of snow in the forests, too. During the summer, it is usually around 70 degrees Fahrenheit. In the winter, the high temperature averages around 30 degrees Fahrenheit, whereas the low temperature is 65 degrees BELOW zero! Now that is very cold! BRRRRRR!
The taiga gets about 12-33 inches of rain in one year. Look at the chart below to compare the rainfall in the taiga to the other biomes.
During the summer months, the taiga is prone to wildfires because of the hot temperatures and the small amount of rain.
What kinds of plants grow in the taiga?
There is not much diversity in the taiga, because many plants cannot survive such harsh conditions.
Lichens and mosses are important, but most of the plants are evergreen trees. There are many types of coniferous trees such as pine, spruce, hemlock, and fur.
The trees are narrow and grow very close together. This is so they can help protect each other from the weather. That snow and wind can be really cold!
Did you know that coniferous trees are usually shaped like a cone? This is for their protection. Being shaped like a cone helps the tree limbs not break under the weight of all that snow. The snow falls right off those waxy needles!
Can animals live in the taiga? Animals who live in the taiga must be ready for some cold weather in the winter and some really warm weather in the summertime. During the summer, the taiga fills up with hundreds of insects. Birds come from all over the world hungry and ready to eat all the insects.
There are other animals that live in the forest as well. Let's learn a thing or two about a couple of them.
Moose- A moose is a large animal with huge antlers. It lives in areas near lakes and streams.
Bald Eagle- The bald eagle has a head covered in white feathers which makes it look bald. It is an endangered species, so we must take good care of it. This huge bird likes to eat fish. It has powerful wings and great eye sight to help it find it's food.
Weasel- A weasel is a small animal that runs along the forest floor. It is small enough to get into the tunnels that mice and voles have created and then catches them to eat.
Fox- The red fox which is shown in this picture has a red coat and a bushy tail. It is a very good hunter. It eats anything from rodents, rabbits to fruits and sometimes garbage.
Taiga Facts
The world's oldest trees are the bristlecone pines found in California. One of them is 4,600 year old. Now that's OLD!
Coniferous trees grow thick bark to protect them from wildfires.
Needles actually help keep coniferous trees warm during the winter.
The trunks of the conifer trees are used to make paper. Like the stuff you use to write on in school or at home.
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