What Animals Live In The Arctic Tundra

What Is the Tundra?

Tundra The tundra is one of the harshest biomes and it is definitely the coldest! Temperatures in the tundra tin can achieve as depression as minus 25 degrees Fahrenheit! Beneath the tundra is permafrost. Permafrost is a permanently frozen sublayer of soil. There is very little rain or snow in the tundra, ordinarily less than 15 inches a year.

Tundra There are 2 types of tundra, the arctic and the alpine tundra. The arctic tundra is the land around the North Pole. The alpine tundra is found to a higher place the tree line of alpine, cold mountains. Tundra covers 1 5th of the Earth's surface. Tundra comes from the Finnish word tunturia and ways barren or treeless state.

Defrosting the Tundra

Tundra The growing season in the tundra is very short, usually simply six to x weeks. In the summer, the top layer of soil may thaw out. When the ice melts, it can't drain into the soil because of the permafrost, so water collects in bogs and ponds. This makes up for the low rain and snow! Every bit the top layer of soil thaws out, plants and microorganisms accept a chance to grow. The sun is and so out for most of the the day and night, then the plants have actress sunlight and can grow faster.

Plants in the Tundra

Tundra At that place are thousands of species of plants in the Arctic tundra. The plants tend to exist small and close to the basis. This protects them from strong winds and cold temperatures. Some plants that grow in the tundra include lichen, short shrubs, sedges, grasses, flowers, birch trees and willow trees. Cushion plants, which, also grow in the tundra, are types of plants that abound low to the basis in tight places. They are called cushion plants considering they are soft and cushiony.

Living in the Tundra

Arctic Ground Squirrel Animals that alive on the tundra must be able to adapt to very cold temperatures. They must too be able to raise their young during the very short summer months.

Animals plant in the tundra include the musk ox, the Arctic hare, the polar bear, the Arctic fox, the caribou, and the snowy owl. Many animals that live in the tundra, like the caribou and the semipalmated plover, migrate to warmer climates during the winter. Others, like the arctic ground squirrel, hibernate during the winter months. There are very few reptiles and amphibians found in the tundra considering the temperatures are and so cold.