Taiga also known as boreal forest or snow forest is a biome characterized by coniferous forests. It is the world’s largest terrestrial biome that covers approximately 17 million square kilometers (6.6 million square miles) or 11.5% of the Earth‘s land area. This biome is characterized by a limited number of conifer species of pines, spruces, and larches and to a lesser degree by some deciduous genera such as birch and poplar. It is important in maintaining the ecosystem of planet Earth and supporting a smaller range of animals due to the harshness of the climate. Here are the types of Taiga animals in the world,
Types Of Taiga Animals
1. Caribou
Caribou is one of the polar regions animals that have an ungulate which means it has hooves. These hooves are concave in shape and adapted to walking across the deep snow. These tundra animals are the only members of the deer family where both males and females wear antlers. The female species can be identified since it has shorter antlers and wears them a bit longer than males. These antlers in females symbolize dominance and they will shed after giving birth to a baby. Almost all subspecies of Caribou are migratory and can travel up to 3000 miles each year in the search for better sources of food hence listed as one of the animals that travel farthest in the world.
2. Bears
Bears are one of the common taiga animals found in North America and Asia. There are various types of bears but none are found in Africa, Australia, or Antarctica. Bear species are closely related to the dog family. These animal species can run upto forty miles per hour and have jaws strong enough to cut through a tree trunk. As of now, eight different kinds of bears are known to humans and the black bears are the most common in North America. The biggest bear is a polar bear which can weigh up to a ton and the sun bear is the smallest and is the size of a dog.
3. European Adders
The Common European adder is a venomous snake that is found throughout most of central and eastern Europe and as far as East Asia. There are various common names of the snake species such as Common adder and Common viper, however, they are not regarded as especially dangerous and nite only when provoked. The body length of snake species is between 60 to 90 cm in length and the average weight is between 50 to 180 grams. The avarage lifespan of the Common European adder is between 10 to 15 years in the wild.
Image Source: Wikipedia
4. Beavers
Beavers are a popular land and water animal because of thier natural trait of building dams on rivers and streams and even building thier homes on ponds. These freshwater animals have thick fur, webbed feet, flattened, scale-covered tails, and powerful strong teeth. This is the second largest rodent in the world followed by capybara and prefers to thrive around freshwater ponds, lakes, rivers, marshes, and swamps and hence listed as one of the animals that live in lakes. Beavers are very social and live in groups called colonies. These animals with small ears have an avarage lifespan of 24 years in the wild.
5. Gray Wolves
The gray wolf called by different names such as grey wolf, timber wolf, and western wolf is one of the best-known animals in the world. As of now two species have been recognized red and gray wolf and are native to the wilderness and remote areas of Eurasia and North America. These species prefer to thrive in tundra regions to woodlands, forests, grasslands, and deserts. The avarage lifespan of gray wolves is between 6 to 8 years and can of a maximum of thirteen years in the wild.
6. Boreal Chorus Frogs
The boreal chorus frog is native to eastern British Columbia north to the Northwest Territories and the southern portion of the Yukon. They are found across the USA throughout Montana, northwestern Wisconsin, northeastern Arizona, northern New Mexico, and southwestern Utah. Boreal chorus frogs can grow upto 30 mm in length and a dark band is present from the snout, across the eye, and continuing down the side. They prefer to stay near the permanent water bodies in cleared land and forest and make a “reeeek” call from grasses, vegetation, or ground around the water body from April through to September.
Image Source: Wikimedia
7. Great Gray Owls
The great Grau owl is a very large owl by length that can grow upto 61 to 84 cm with a total wingspan of 140-152 cm. Talking about their appearance, these owls of Washington state have rounded heads with grey faces and yellow eyes with darker circles around them. They do not have ear tufts and have the largest facial disc of any raptor. The dietary habit is carnivores and feeds on lemmings, pocket gophers, voles, hares, moles, shrews, weasels, thrushes, grouse, Canada jays, mountain quail, small hawks, and ducks.
Also Read: 10 Types Of Owls in Southern California
8. Burbot Fish
Burbot Fish is an unusual-looking fish native to the subarctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere. It is the only member of freshwater species of the order Gadiformes and is closely related to marine fish such as the common ling and cusk. These fish species are easily recognized by their single chin barbel. Burbot Fish are nocturnal and have an enthusiastic following among fishermen.
Image Source: USFWS Fish and Aquatic Conservation
9. Lynx
Lynx is one of the amazing taiga animals found in Europe, Asia, and North America. The whole body is covered with dark-colored dots and ears are covered with white patches that end with black tufts. They are very rarely seen in nature because it is nocturnal and it is very cautious when it comes to people and other predators. These forest animals are solitary creatures and gather only during the mating season which takes place late in the winter or early in the spring. The avarage lifespan is upto 14.5 years in the wild and over 25 years in captivity. Cananda lynx is one of the common winter animals in the world.
10. Arctic Graylings
The Arctic Graylings are one of the types of taiga animals that belong to the trout family Salmonidae. The species is native to northern North America. Talking about the apperance, they have a large, sail-like dorsal (back) fin and colorful body markings that come in a wide array of colors. Th dorsal fins are seen with fringed in red and dotted with large iridescent red, aqua, or purple spots and markings. The primary diet includes aquatic insects, but eat what is available to them.
Image Source: USFWS Mountain-Prairie
These are the 10 types of taiga animals in the world. Kindly share and post your comments.