Taiga

=Taiga=

By: Patricia

 * The taiga is the largest biome in the world. It has many types of animals and little types of trees, but many of them. The animals could be no taller than the top of your shin or it could be taller than your waist. The trees could be 4 school buses high! The taiga is one of my favorite biomes. || [[image:TAIGAPic.jpg width="353" height="259" caption="Taiga forest"]] ||

== =Animals=

Some of the animals in the Taiga are the lynx, the wolverine, caribou and the marten.

 * The caribou have large legs, large hooves and exotic antlers. The caribou is only in the Taiga for the winter. It hibernates from the Tundra. Caribou shovel snow to get food. Caribou eat large quantities of food to increase their body heat. The caribou has hollow hairs rooted in a thick layer of fat. These hairs prevent heat loss. Both male and female caribou have blunt muzzles with hair all the way down to it. || [[image:http://www.emc.maricopa.edu/faculty/farabee/BIOBK/Caribou.jpg width="281" height="209"]] ||
 * Unlike the caribou, the lynx lives in the taiga all year. It is recognized by its pointed ears, tufted cheeks and its short tail. Although they are strongly protected in most countries, the lynx are becoming scarce or extinct. Breeding normally starts in the spring and a litter of 2 or 3 lynx babies are born. Lynx prey are ground-living birds, young deer, rodents and hares. The lynx stalks its prey on the ground or it lies in wait for it in low vegetation. || [[image:http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/staticfiles/NGS/Shared/StaticFiles/animals/images/primary/lynx-baby.jpg width="290" height="199"]] ||
 * The wolverine can climb tall trees and eat animals three times its size. Although they are strongly feared carnivores, wolverines will also eat berries. Male wolverines hold a large territory with 2 or 3 females. Wolverines mate in the summer and female wolverines can bear up to 2 or 3 young. The young suckle for about 2 months and they stay with their family for 2 years until they are driven out. || [[image:http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/staticfiles/NGS/Shared/StaticFiles/animals/images/primary/wolverine.jpg width="290" height="212"]] ||
 * The marten is known for its bushy tail and acrobatic features. Like the wolverine, the marten uses most of its time in the trees where it hunts squirrels. The marten also preys on the ground. It eats small animals, insects, fruits and nuts. Usually in April, the female marten breed 2 to 4 babies. When the young are born, they are blind and helpless. After 6 weeks, their eyesight gains. They get their adult weight after 3 months. || [[image:http://www.superiorbroadcast.org/images/Issues/marten%20forest/thumbs/Marten.jpg]] ||

=Plants=

Some of the plants in the Taiga are conifers. Other __non__-conifer plants are the birch, aspen and poplar tree.
http://www.2020site.org/trees/poplar.html ||
 * [[image:http://www.dkimages.com/discover/previews/931/50373567.JPG width="213" height="289" caption="Conifer tree"]] || There are many types of conifer trees. Spruce, hemlock, and fir trees are all in the conifer family, plus more! Conifer means a tree with cones. Birds eat the seeds in the cones and squirrels eat and store the seeds for winter. Most conifers are evergreens, but some aren't. ||
 * [[image:http://plants.usda.gov/gallery/standard/bepa_002_svp.jpg caption="Birch tree"]] || A birch tree is normally forty to fifty feet tall, but it can be as tall as eighty feet! The birch tree trunk is a foot in diameter and its bark constantly flakes off, leaving silvery-white skin. The smooth skin is noticeably interrupted with dark ridges called "lenticels." To find out more about the birch, check out... http://www.2020site.org/trees/birch.html ||
 * [[image:http://www.carto.net/neumann/mountaineering/mono_lake_sierra_nevada_2003_10/075_aspen_tree.jpg width="235" height="363" caption="Aspen tree"]] || One aspen tree grew up to 130 feet tall with a diameter of three and a half feet, and other trees had a diameter of four feet! Wow! That's about as big as a 4th grader! The aspen leaves, when they fall, kill the grass. You can see why you don't see aspen trees everywhere. They're too powerful!!!! One place the aspen tree does live is the boreal forest a.k.a. the Taiga. To find out more about the aspen tree check out...[| http://www.2020site.org/trees/aspen.html] ||
 * [[image:http://www.hort.purdue.edu/ext/senior/fruits/images/large/peach_tree.jpg width="331" height="404" caption="Poplar tree"]] || The White-poplar tree can grow up to 50 feet tall. But the Lombardy-poplar tree can grow up to 100 feet. There are many poplar trees, and to make you think, try to find out what this poplar tree is. Poplar trees are very large trees that have very large leaves that, unlike the aspen tree, //__don't__// kill the grass. These poplar trees can be found on a farm and can even be found in your backyard. To find out more about the poplar tree, check out...


 * = [[image:foodchain2 align="center" caption="The arrows show where the energy goes."]] ||

Books
__A Walk In The Boreal Forest__ Rebecca L.Johnson Carolhoda Books (August 2000)