By Alex Bowman

Emma Chaney

And Bree McElrath

Taiga CharacteristicsTaiga Characteristics

Coniferous Forests

Taiga CharacteristicsTaiga Characteristics

Extreme Low Temperatures

Taiga CharacteristicsTaiga Characteristics

Diverse Wildlife

The snow may remain on the taiga floor for as long as nine months in the northernmost regions.

The taiga spans across large areas of Europe, Asia and North America, making it the world’s largest terrestrial biome.

Lichen WoodlandLichen Woodland

The lichen woodland is composed of closely spaced trees and a lichen ground cover

Closed ForestClosed Forest

The closed forest contains trees spaced more evenly with mossy ground cover

ForestsForests

The taiga forests have mainly spruce, pine, larch, and fir trees.

The cone-like shape and downward slanting branches aid the taiga trees in shedding snow as it falls on their branches

WildlifeWildlife

Animals such as the grizzly bear have adapted to forage during the summer so that they are able to hibernate during the winter and avoid the harsh climate.

WildlifeWildlife

Some other examples of species present in the taiga biomes include owls, eagles, foxes, weasels, lynxes, wolves, and raccoons

WildlifeWildlife

A number of birds including the Siberian thrush, white-throated sparrow, and black throated green warbler migrate to the taiga during the summer to feed on the abundance of insects around the bogs and lakes of the taiga.

WildlifeWildlife

Some of the birds that are present year round are the golden eagle and the buzzard.

If enough effort is made by enough people, the taiga biome could continue to house a wide variety of wildlife and trees.