What are some types of animals living in the
Taiga?(By: Katlin)
1. Animals that live in the taiga are built for the cold.
2. Most of the mammals there have a coat of thick fur to keep them warm and insulated.
3. When summer arrives, migrating birds return to their summer homes.
4. Animals in summer with thick coats get very hot.
5. When winter begins, bears hibernate in the coniferous forests of the taiga.
6. Some examples of animals living in the taiga are: river otter, Canadian lynx, bobcat, and grizzly bear.
7. I will tell you about each of those animals.
8. First, I will tell you about the river otter.
9.River otters live in areas that have thick woods, lakes, ponds, rocks, swamps, streams, and mostly fresh water in the taiga.
10. They have a long, narrow, and sleek body with a tapered tail.
11. They weigh 10 to 33 pounds, and 25 to 30 inches long from head to body.
12. The river otter has a dark brown back and can be either light brown or gray on the stomach.
13. A river otter’s muzzle is rounded with very long whiskers.
14. Did you know that a river otter’s eyes are located near the top of the skull to give them the ability to see above water while swimming underwater?
15. “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” (www.blueplanetbiomes.org).
16. The female usually bears two kits (kits are baby river otters).
17. Once a river otter is born, it is blind and toothless which makes it useless. The ability that they have is they take their first steps at seven weeks.
18. Most of the time, the female raises her young.
19. Kits normally have to ride on their mother’s back while swimming, but later they are taught how to swim. Soon the young ones will get used to the water and become great swimming hunters.
20. The river otter is mainly a social animal, and it doesn't migrate.
21. The river otter is an omnivore, and its normal diet is fish, shellfish, snails, beetles, amphibians, crustaceans, and other small mammals.
22. The river otter is endangered in the U.S., but is common in Canada.
23. Second, I will tell you about the Canadian lynx. The Canadian Lynx is not a very common animal.
24. It is almost identical to a regular house cat, but larger.
25. Its fur is spotted and yellowish-brown to grey. It has a collar of fur around its face, giving a triangular shape.
26. The Canadian Lynx has a powerful body on short, furry legs which are attached to hefty feet.
27. It can grow up to 2-4 feet as an adult, and weighs 11-45 pounds.
28. This mammal has wonderful vision that is very useful during the night.
29. Its feet have fur covered pads and are silent in the snow so it can sneak up on small prey.
30. Since it isn't very fast, it has to ambush an animal instead of chasing it down.
31. The lynx mainly hunts snowshoe rabbits, but also eat meadow voles, small deer, caribou and sheep.
32. In the spring the female will have a litter of four kittens under a log or bush. The kittens are born blind and helpless, so they grow slowly. They stay with their mother for about a year or so.
33. “There aren’t as many lynxes because their habitats are being destroyed. They are also hunted for their fur and meat. In Europe the lynx has almost been wiped out because farmers think it is a pest and that it kills sheep, goats and other livestock. It is waiting to be put on the endangered list in the United States” (www.blueplanetbiomes.org).
34. Third, I will tell you about the bobcat.
35. A bobcat's body is about two feet, and its tail is about four to eight inches long.
36. This animal weighs about 13-23 pounds.
37. It stands 20-24 inches tall.
38. The bobcat's head is small, and its ears are big.
39. Its face looks a lot like a house cat, except the body is slimmer and taller.
40. This mammal can run very fast, up to 30 miles per hour.
41. However, it prefers to walk. You see, it has a special technique for running fast to catch its prey. It puts its back feet into the front feet's spot.
42. Two adaptations of the bobcat are sharp teeth and claws. Both of these parts help it to hunt.
43. Its fur changes color with the seasons, which helps it to blend in with the vivid colors of the seasons.
44. The bobcat is very common in North America, but it's rarely seen due to its camouflage.
45. About one million live in North America. This is true because they are so adaptable to different habitats and prey.
46. To illustrate, they can live in forests, swamps, mountains, and deserts.
47. The bobcat's hearing help it to hear the softest sound of prey by swiveling front to back.
48. This mammal is a carnivore. It eats mice, squirrels, rabbits, and grouse.
49. It feeds on animals most people think of as vermin.
50. Fifth, I will tell you about the grizzly bear.
51. The grizzly bear has a sliver shine to its fur, and a odd shoulder hump that all other bears don't have.
52. Their body is heavy and stout.
53. In addition, they have very muscular legs which allows them to reach speeds up to 35 miles per hour for a short distance.
54. A Grizzly Bear's coat has many color phases that include the following: black, cinnamon, red, blonde, brown or mixes of these colors. 55. Their coat is very shaggy which helps get it through the winter.
56. It weighs from 330 pounds to 885 pounds and its common length is 4.9 to 8.3 feet.
57. It is usually 3 to 3.5 feet high.
58. Like all bears, it is an omnivore.
59. The Grizzly Bear is endangered in all the U.S. except in Alaska. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are making bear sanctuaries such as Yellowstone State Park.
What types of plants are in the taiga biome?
(By: Sara)
1. First, I will tell you about the Balsam Fir:
. It can grow to be 200 years old.
. In addition, it can grow to be 40 to 80 feet tall.
. It has needles that are 1.5 inches long.
. It produces seeds when it is 20 yeas old or 15 feet tall.
2. Second, I will tell you about the Black Spruce:
. Deer, moose, and elk don't eat this plant.
.Birds eat the seeds.
. It likes cold climate.
.It likes poorly drained soil.
3. Third, I will tell you about the Eastern Red Cedar:
.It can be 10 to 50 feet high.
.Older leaves are 1/16 inches.
. Young leaves are 3/4 inches.
.The male and female flowers grow on different trees.
4. Fourth, I will tell you about the Jack Pine:
. It is 27 meters high.
. They like flat of hilly areas with sandy soil.
. The wax on the needles protects the needles and so does the wax on the stem /bark.
. It's bark is used to make houses and pulp for paper.
Dangerous Element:
There is a plant called a Blue Bead Lily. It has small yellow flowers and round blue fruits. The fruit is mildly toxic. So it is a plant with poisons. It tastes bad and bears like the smell. This is just an example, which means that there are other plants that can be poisonous.
*******Look at all of the pictures below of the animals and plants!!!!!!
2. Most of the mammals there have a coat of thick fur to keep them warm and insulated.
3. When summer arrives, migrating birds return to their summer homes.
4. Animals in summer with thick coats get very hot.
5. When winter begins, bears hibernate in the coniferous forests of the taiga.
6. Some examples of animals living in the taiga are: river otter, Canadian lynx, bobcat, and grizzly bear.
7. I will tell you about each of those animals.
8. First, I will tell you about the river otter.
9.River otters live in areas that have thick woods, lakes, ponds, rocks, swamps, streams, and mostly fresh water in the taiga.
10. They have a long, narrow, and sleek body with a tapered tail.
11. They weigh 10 to 33 pounds, and 25 to 30 inches long from head to body.
12. The river otter has a dark brown back and can be either light brown or gray on the stomach.
13. A river otter’s muzzle is rounded with very long whiskers.
14. Did you know that a river otter’s eyes are located near the top of the skull to give them the ability to see above water while swimming underwater?
15. “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” (www.blueplanetbiomes.org).
16. The female usually bears two kits (kits are baby river otters).
17. Once a river otter is born, it is blind and toothless which makes it useless. The ability that they have is they take their first steps at seven weeks.
18. Most of the time, the female raises her young.
19. Kits normally have to ride on their mother’s back while swimming, but later they are taught how to swim. Soon the young ones will get used to the water and become great swimming hunters.
20. The river otter is mainly a social animal, and it doesn't migrate.
21. The river otter is an omnivore, and its normal diet is fish, shellfish, snails, beetles, amphibians, crustaceans, and other small mammals.
22. The river otter is endangered in the U.S., but is common in Canada.
23. Second, I will tell you about the Canadian lynx. The Canadian Lynx is not a very common animal.
24. It is almost identical to a regular house cat, but larger.
25. Its fur is spotted and yellowish-brown to grey. It has a collar of fur around its face, giving a triangular shape.
26. The Canadian Lynx has a powerful body on short, furry legs which are attached to hefty feet.
27. It can grow up to 2-4 feet as an adult, and weighs 11-45 pounds.
28. This mammal has wonderful vision that is very useful during the night.
29. Its feet have fur covered pads and are silent in the snow so it can sneak up on small prey.
30. Since it isn't very fast, it has to ambush an animal instead of chasing it down.
31. The lynx mainly hunts snowshoe rabbits, but also eat meadow voles, small deer, caribou and sheep.
32. In the spring the female will have a litter of four kittens under a log or bush. The kittens are born blind and helpless, so they grow slowly. They stay with their mother for about a year or so.
33. “There aren’t as many lynxes because their habitats are being destroyed. They are also hunted for their fur and meat. In Europe the lynx has almost been wiped out because farmers think it is a pest and that it kills sheep, goats and other livestock. It is waiting to be put on the endangered list in the United States” (www.blueplanetbiomes.org).
34. Third, I will tell you about the bobcat.
35. A bobcat's body is about two feet, and its tail is about four to eight inches long.
36. This animal weighs about 13-23 pounds.
37. It stands 20-24 inches tall.
38. The bobcat's head is small, and its ears are big.
39. Its face looks a lot like a house cat, except the body is slimmer and taller.
40. This mammal can run very fast, up to 30 miles per hour.
41. However, it prefers to walk. You see, it has a special technique for running fast to catch its prey. It puts its back feet into the front feet's spot.
42. Two adaptations of the bobcat are sharp teeth and claws. Both of these parts help it to hunt.
43. Its fur changes color with the seasons, which helps it to blend in with the vivid colors of the seasons.
44. The bobcat is very common in North America, but it's rarely seen due to its camouflage.
45. About one million live in North America. This is true because they are so adaptable to different habitats and prey.
46. To illustrate, they can live in forests, swamps, mountains, and deserts.
47. The bobcat's hearing help it to hear the softest sound of prey by swiveling front to back.
48. This mammal is a carnivore. It eats mice, squirrels, rabbits, and grouse.
49. It feeds on animals most people think of as vermin.
50. Fifth, I will tell you about the grizzly bear.
51. The grizzly bear has a sliver shine to its fur, and a odd shoulder hump that all other bears don't have.
52. Their body is heavy and stout.
53. In addition, they have very muscular legs which allows them to reach speeds up to 35 miles per hour for a short distance.
54. A Grizzly Bear's coat has many color phases that include the following: black, cinnamon, red, blonde, brown or mixes of these colors. 55. Their coat is very shaggy which helps get it through the winter.
56. It weighs from 330 pounds to 885 pounds and its common length is 4.9 to 8.3 feet.
57. It is usually 3 to 3.5 feet high.
58. Like all bears, it is an omnivore.
59. The Grizzly Bear is endangered in all the U.S. except in Alaska. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are making bear sanctuaries such as Yellowstone State Park.
What types of plants are in the taiga biome?
(By: Sara)
1. First, I will tell you about the Balsam Fir:
. It can grow to be 200 years old.
. In addition, it can grow to be 40 to 80 feet tall.
. It has needles that are 1.5 inches long.
. It produces seeds when it is 20 yeas old or 15 feet tall.
2. Second, I will tell you about the Black Spruce:
. Deer, moose, and elk don't eat this plant.
.Birds eat the seeds.
. It likes cold climate.
.It likes poorly drained soil.
3. Third, I will tell you about the Eastern Red Cedar:
.It can be 10 to 50 feet high.
.Older leaves are 1/16 inches.
. Young leaves are 3/4 inches.
.The male and female flowers grow on different trees.
4. Fourth, I will tell you about the Jack Pine:
. It is 27 meters high.
. They like flat of hilly areas with sandy soil.
. The wax on the needles protects the needles and so does the wax on the stem /bark.
. It's bark is used to make houses and pulp for paper.
Dangerous Element:
There is a plant called a Blue Bead Lily. It has small yellow flowers and round blue fruits. The fruit is mildly toxic. So it is a plant with poisons. It tastes bad and bears like the smell. This is just an example, which means that there are other plants that can be poisonous.
*******Look at all of the pictures below of the animals and plants!!!!!!