The Tundra Biome

by Benjamin Hanon

What is a Tundra?

The tundra biome is at the top of the world around the North Pole.

It is the coldest of all the biomes It has permafrost which is a permanently frozen

layer of ground below a thin layer of tundra soil. It covers 1/5 of the Earths surface Tundra comes from the Finnish word Tunturi

which means treeless plain

Two Types of Tundra

Arctic (and Antarctic) Tundra: Located in the Far Northern Hemisphere which includes North Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Northern Europe, and Northern Asia.

Alpine Tundra is at a high altitude in the mountains all over the world and does not have permafrost which makes for a better soil.

Climate

The Arctic Tundra has a dark and frigid winter. During the short summer months the sun shines 24/7 The average inter temperature is -30 degrees

Fahrenheit. When the seas freezes the salt rises making ice flowers Winds can blow 30-60 miles per hour White outs are common due to strong winds blowing the

snow The average summer temperature is 37-54 degrees

Fahrenheit Precipitation is 6-10 inches

Animals

Adaptations

Thick fur which turns white in the winter (camouflage)

Hibernation Short legs Short tails Large furry feet Fat used for insulation Breed and raise young quickly during summer

Arctic Tundra Animals

Arctic Tundra animals include 48 land mammals and thousands of insects and birds which migrate.

Musk OxLemmings

Arctic Hare Snowy Owl Arctic Fox Caribou

Alpine Tundra Animals

Pika

Marmot

Kea ParrotChinchilla

Mountain Goat

Antarctic Tundra Animals

Penguin

Seal

Rabbit

Plants

Both arctic and alpine Tundra have small plants.

Arctic has about 1,700 kinds of plants Many plants have dark red leaves which

absorb more heat from the sun. Cushion plants are common in the

tundra because their cushions protect them from the cold.

The only tree that grows in the tundra is the dwarf willow.

Low growing plants include moss, lichen, and heath. Lichen is the favorite food of caribou and musk ox.

Cushion Plant

LichenHeath

Dwarf

Willow

Thanks for Watching

Now enjoy this picture of a snowy owl questioning if your for real