Taiga

Snowshoe Rabbit
Class: Mamalia- Mamals Order: Lagomorpha: Lagomorphs Size: body 36-52cm (14 1/4-20 1/2in) tail: 2.5-5.5cm ( 1-2 1.4 in) Diet: plants Family: Leporidae: Rabbits and Hares Scientific Name: Lepus Amaricanus Range: Alaska, Canada, Northern U.S.A Conservation Status: Non- threatened Habitat: Forest, swamps, thickets

Climate
Rainfall=15 to 20 inches Temperature=60 degrees inches in the summer, and 30 degrees in the winter

Some Animals That Live in Taiga

Wolverin e

European Red Squirre

Lynx

Snowshoe Rabbit

Some Plants That Live In Taiga

Black Spruce Paper Birch

Balsam Fir

Eastern Red Cedar

Taiga Locations
Taigas are found in continents North America, Asia, and Europe. More specifically Taigas are found in Western United States, Northern Europe, and Asia. Specifically Finland,Sweden, Russia, and Norway.

Taiga Movie Rated G

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American Black Bear long-legged Look For:A large black

bear. LengthMoves much faster than you might think. :Body 4-6' long, 3-4' high; tail 37" long; 200-600 lb. Habitat:Forests, swamps, and parklands near eastern suburbs. Range:Most of Alaska and Canada. South to California, Nevada, and through the Rocky Mts. in the West. South to the Great Lakes, New England, and in mountains and coastal regions to Florida and Louisiana in the East. Also in Arkansas and southeastern Oklahoma.

Black Spruce

Common Names: Black Spruce, Bog Spruce, Swamp Spruce, pinette noire Genus: Picea Species: mariana Parts used: The Black Spruce is a tall tree. It can grow to be twenty-five meters tall. It grows in the taiga biome. As the tree gets older the crown of the tree gets more and more like a spike. The Black Spruce has sharp needles with four sides on them. The needles are blue-green, short, and pointed. They are usually a half an inch long. The bark of the tree is gray-brown. The branches are short and drooping, and are usually layered.

The Black Spruce has pinecones. The pinecones are black and the seeds are usually a purplish-brown. Many animals such as deer, moose and elk do not feed of this plant. The white tailed deer will only eat the saplings under starvation. But many birds eat this plant seeds. The seeds of this tree give the animal's nutrients. The Black Spruce enjoys colder climates in the northern part of the world. It is all over the taiga forest. It also enjoys poorly drained soil. The Black Spruce is able to survive in the colder climates because of its layered twigs, waxy pine needles, and rough bark. These survival skills protect the Black Spruce from the cold and predators. Also from forest fires. The Black Spruce does not have a special root system. The Black Spruce is used to build house. It is a good type of wood to make houses because of its layered wood. Layered wood is wood that is very thick and has many layers of bark. Some other values this tree has are, Christmas trees, antiscorbutic beverages, and rope. The Black Spruce is not an endangered species. It is plentiful in the wild.

River Otter
Genus: Lutra Species: canadensis One of the animals that can be found in the North American Taiga is the river otter. The Taiga is an area that is rocky, a bit icy, and has lots of pine trees. The climate is cold, rainy, and snowy. There isn't much sunshine. In addition, there are many varied species of plants. River otters inhabit areas that have thick woods, lakes, swamps, rocks, and logs near grassy areas, streams, rivers, ponds, and mostly fresh water. River otters can be found from 45 to 66 north latitude and from 120 to 139 west longitude.

The river otter is 25-30 inches long from head to body, and its tail is 16-18 inches long. They weigh about 10-33 pounds. They have a long, slender, and sleek body with a tapered tail. They have a coat that is about 2.5 inches thick. River otters have two different types of fur: they have an outer coat of guard that protect their other set of fur which is an inner coat of short, dense fur. The river otter has a dark brown back and can be either light brown or gray on the stomach. The shape of its head is small, round, and flattened. Their eyes are and are located near the top of the skull to give them the ability to see above water while swimming underwater. The ears are very small. The nose pad is large and the snout (which is the muzzle) is rounded with very long whiskers. The nostrils of a river otter are located at the top of the nose to enable it to breathe while most of its body is submerged. When the river otter dives into the water, their nostrils automatically shut. Its whiskers are very sensitive and pick up the vibrations underwater. The river otter has four webbed feet to give it forward thrust when swimming. Also, they have short, strong legs. When it swims, the river otter moves slowly when above water, but when it's underwater, it twists and turns.

1.

California. One of them is 4,600 year old. Now that's OLD! 2. Coniferous trees grow thick bark to protect them from wildfires. 3. Needles actually help keep coniferous trees warm during the winter. 4. The trunks of the conifer trees are used to make paper. Like the stuff you use to write on in school or at home. 5. The taiga is the largest biome in the world. 6. Here is not much diversity in the taiga, because many plants cannot survive such harsh conditions. 7. The trees are narrow and grow very close together. 8. During the summer, the taiga fills up with hundreds of insects. 9. This forest is covered with coniferous trees. 10. In fact, sometimes the taiga is called a coniferous forest.

10 Interesting Facts found in The world's oldest trees are the bristlecone pines

Credits
http://oncampus.richmond.edu/academics/as /education/projects/webunits/biomes/taiga.h tml http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/index.htm http://www.klrn.org