Taiga Biome Information
Taiga is the Russian word for forest and is the largest biome in the world.
It stretches over Eurasia and North America. *
The taiga is located near the top of the world, just below the tundra biome. *
The winters in the taiga are very cold with only snowfall. The summers are warm, rainy, and humid. A lot of coniferous trees grow in the taiga. *
The taiga is also known as the boreal forest. *
The taiga is the biome of the needleleaf forest.
Coldness and food shortages make things very difficult, mostly in the winter.
Some of the animals in the taiga hibernate in the winter, some fly south if they can, while some just cooperate with the environment.
The taiga doesn't have as many plant and animal species as the tropical or the deciduous forest biomes.
It does have millions of insects in the summertime. Birds migrate there every year to nest and feed.
There are not a lot of species of plants in the taiga because of the harsh conditions. *
Not many plants can survive the extreme cold of the taiga winter.
There are some lichens and mosses, but most plants are coniferous trees like pine, white spruce, hemlock and douglas fir.
Animals of the taiga tend to be predators like the lynx and members of the weasel family like wolverines, bobcat, minks and ermine.
They hunt herbivores like snowshoe rabbits, red squirrels and voles.
Red deer, elk, and moose can be found in regions of the taiga where more deciduous trees grow.
Many insect eating birds come to the taiga to breed, they leave when the breeding season is over.
Seed eaters like finches and sparrows, and crows stay all year long.
Because of the tilt of the earth on its axis, there are long nights in the winter and long days in the summer. *
Because of cool temperatures decomposition is slow in the taiga. Undecayed vegetation builds up on the forest floor, making it feel like a sponge. Since decomposition is slow, the soil is thin and lacking in nutrients. Trees grow taller where warmer temperatures allow for faster decompostion or by streams and rivers which carry nutrients from higher ground. *
It stretches over Eurasia and North America. *
The taiga is located near the top of the world, just below the tundra biome. *
The winters in the taiga are very cold with only snowfall. The summers are warm, rainy, and humid. A lot of coniferous trees grow in the taiga. *
The taiga is also known as the boreal forest. *
The taiga is the biome of the needleleaf forest.
Coldness and food shortages make things very difficult, mostly in the winter.
Some of the animals in the taiga hibernate in the winter, some fly south if they can, while some just cooperate with the environment.
The taiga doesn't have as many plant and animal species as the tropical or the deciduous forest biomes.
It does have millions of insects in the summertime. Birds migrate there every year to nest and feed.
There are not a lot of species of plants in the taiga because of the harsh conditions. *
Not many plants can survive the extreme cold of the taiga winter.
There are some lichens and mosses, but most plants are coniferous trees like pine, white spruce, hemlock and douglas fir.
Animals of the taiga tend to be predators like the lynx and members of the weasel family like wolverines, bobcat, minks and ermine.
They hunt herbivores like snowshoe rabbits, red squirrels and voles.
Red deer, elk, and moose can be found in regions of the taiga where more deciduous trees grow.
Many insect eating birds come to the taiga to breed, they leave when the breeding season is over.
Seed eaters like finches and sparrows, and crows stay all year long.
Because of the tilt of the earth on its axis, there are long nights in the winter and long days in the summer. *
Because of cool temperatures decomposition is slow in the taiga. Undecayed vegetation builds up on the forest floor, making it feel like a sponge. Since decomposition is slow, the soil is thin and lacking in nutrients. Trees grow taller where warmer temperatures allow for faster decompostion or by streams and rivers which carry nutrients from higher ground. *