Where is the Tundra Located?

The tundra is located at the top of the world, near the

North Pole. This enormous biome, extremely uniform in
appearance, covers a fifth of the earth's surface.
The most distinctive characteristic of tundra soil is its
permafrost, a permanently frozen layer of ground. During
the brief summers, the top section of the soil may thaw out
allowing plants and microorganisms to grow and reproduce.
However, these plants and microorganisms become dormant
during the cold winter months.
There is another region called alpine tundra, which is found
on the tops of tall, cold mountains.

Tundra Facts

The arctic tundra is at the top of the world -- around the

North Pole.
Animals are adapted to handle cold winters and to breed
and raise young quickly in the very short and cool summers.
Temperatures during the arctic winter can dip to -60 F (-51
C)! The average temperature of the warmest month is
between 50 F (10 C) and 32 F (0 C). Sometimes as few as
55 days per year have a mean temperature higher than 32 F
(0 C). The average annual temperature is only 10 to 20F (12C to -6C).
The soil is often frozen. Permafrost, or permanent ice,
usually exists within a meter of the surface. Water is
unavailable during most of the year.
Annual precipitation is very low, usually less than 10 inches
(25 centimeters).

During

the short-growing season in the summer, the

tundra blooms with a variety of low-growing plants. So what
plant life is found there?

A Stark and Barren Place

The

tundra landscape is a stark and

barren place. The plants growing in the
tundra are often small and grow close to
the ground.

In Between Rocks

Where soil accumulates in pockets or cracks in

rocks, small shrubs may grow.

Lichen

The tundra landscape is often covered with

rocks, such as in this picture. The constant
freezing and thawing in the tundra helps to
break the rocks into smaller pieces.

Growing on the surface of this rock is a lichen.

Lichens are unusual organisms that often grow
on exposed rock surfaces. They are composed of
a fungus and an algae living and growing
together. There are several varieties of lichen,
and in the autumn lichen turn various colors.
Lichen is the favorite food of caribou and musk oxen.

Dark Red Leaves

Many

plants, such as this one, have

leaves that are dark red. Dark leaves allow
the plant to absorb more heat from the sun
in the cold tundra climate.

Seeds

Tundra birds help distribute seeds. When

they eat brightly colored berries, the birds
carry seeds to other places and leave the
seeds to grow.

Cotton Grass

Cotton grass has seeds that are dispersed across the

tundra when they are caught by the wind.

The frigid cold and deep snow makes life in the tundra very
difficult.
Every animal must adapt in order to survive. Some have
grown thick fur which turns white in the winter. Others find a
place to hibernate during the winter months.

Gyrfalcon
Class: Aves: Birds

Diet: Birds

Order: Falconiformes: Birds of Prey

Size: 51 - 63 cm (20 - 25 in)
Family: Falconidae: Falcons

Conservation Status: Nonthreatened

Scientific Name: Falco

rusticolus

Habitat: mountains, tundra

Range: Arctic Europe, Asia, North America, Greenland,

Iceland

An impressive bird and the largest of the falcons, the

gyrfalcon has a stockier build than the peregrine. Plumage

can be dark, white or gray. Most breed north of the

timberline and remain in the Arctic all year, but some
populations migrate south for the winter. When hunting, the
gyrfalcon flies swiftly near the ground. It can make rapid
dives on prey, like the peregrine, but this is less
characteristic. Birds are its main prey, although it feeds on
some mammals, particularly in winter. Rock ptarmigan and
willow grouse make up the bulk of the gyrfalcon's diet, and
their numbers can affect its breeding rate. In years when
these birds are abundant, gyrfalcons produce large clutches,
but in years of scarcity they lay only a couple of eggs or do
not breed at all. Gyrfalcons perform display flights when
courting. The female lays 2 to 7 eggs on a ledge or in an old
cliff nest. She incubates the clutch for 27 to 29 days, during
which her mate brings her food. When the young hatch,
both parents bring food to them.

Ruddy Turnstone
Class: Aves: Birds

Diet:
Insects,
crustaceans, mollusks

plants,

Order: Charadriiformes: Auks, Waders, Laris

Size: body:18 - 23 cm (7 - 9 in)
Family:
Sandpipers

Scolopacidae: Conservation
threatened

Status:

Non-

Scientific Name: Arenaria

Habitat: tundra
interpres
Range: breeds in arctic coast marshes; winters on rocky
shores south of breeding range

In the breeding season, the turnstone has bold black,

white, and reddish-brown markings, which become duller in
winter. Insects, particularly midges, and some plant material
are its main food in summer, but in winter it forages on
seashores, turning over stones and other debris with its bill

to find mollusks, crustaceans, and even carrion. Breeding

birds arrive from wintering areas in late May or early June.
The 4 eggs are laid in a grass-lined hollow on the ground
and incubated by both parents for 21 to.

Snow Bunting

In breeding plumage, the male snow bunting is almost pure

white, except for his black back, central tail and primary
wing feathers. In winter, his white plumage becomes
mottled with rusty brown. The female has a gray-brown
head and back in summer and is simply paler and duller in
winter. The snow bunting spends much of its time feeding on
seeds and insects on the ground, where it can run quickly
and hop. The nest is made from dead grass, moss and
lichen and is concealed among stones. The female lays 4 to
6 eggs, which she incubates for 10 to 15 days. The male
bird feeds his mate during the incubation period and helps
to feed the young

Snowy Owl

Class: Aves: Birds

Diet: Small mammals

Order: Strigiformes: Owls

Size: 52 - 65 cm (20 1/2 - 25 1/2 in)
Family: Strigidae: Owls

Conservation Status: Nonthreatened

Scientific Name: Nyctea

scandiaca

Habitat: tundra, marshes,

coasts

Range: Circumpolar: arctic Canada, Greenland, Northern

Eurasia

The snowy owl is a large species with distinctive,

mainly white plumage; females have more dark, barred
markings than males. It usually hunts during the day and
takes prey up to the size of arctic hares and lemmings, as
well as smaller rodents and birds such as ducks and gulls.
The snowy owl begins nesting in mid-May. It makes a
shallow scrape in the ground or on a rock, lines it with moss
and feathers and lays 4 to 10 eggs. Up to 15 eggs may be
laid if food supplies are particularly good. The male brings
food to the female while she incubates the eggs for 32 or 33
days

Tundra Swan
Class: Aves: Birds

Diet: Aquatic plants

Order: Anseriformes: Ducks,Geese,Swans

Size: 114 - 140 cm (45 - 55 in)
Family: Anatidae: Ducks,
Geese, Swans

Conservation Status: Nonthreatened

Scientific Name: Cygnus

columbianus

Habitat: tundra, swamps and

marshes

Range: Holarctic

Bewick's swan and the whistling swan are sometimes

treated as 2 separate species, but are so alike that they are
now generally regarded as conspecific. Both breed in the far
north of their range and migrate enormous distances to
winter in Europe, China, Japan and the USA. Males and
females look alike -- the female is sometimes slightly
smaller -- and juveniles have mottled grayish plumage. The
swans feed in shallow water on aquatic vegetation. The
bonds between mates are strong and permanent and are
formed and maintained by mutual displays. The female lays
her clutch of 3 to 5 eggs in a nest of sedge and moss lined

with down, usually near water. She incubates them for 35 to

40 days. The cygnets must make the long migration south
when only 80 to 90 days old.

Arctic Fox

Class:
Mammals

Mammalia:

Diet: Birds, rodents

Order: Carnivora: Carnivores

Size: body:46 - 68 cm (18 - 26 3/4 in), tail: up to 35 cm
(13 3/4 in)
Family:
Foxes
Scientific
lagopus

Canidae:
Name:

Dogs, Conservation
threatened
Alopex

Status:

Non-

Habitat: tundra, open woodland

Range: Arctic regions of Europe, Asia and North America

One of the few truly arctic mammals, the arctic fox has
well-furred feet and small, rounded ears. It feeds on
ground-dwelling birds, lemmings and other small rodents
and also eats the leftovers from polar bear kills and carrion,
such as stranded marine animals.
Burrows, usually in the side of a hill or cliff, provide shelter,
but arctic foxes do not hibernate and can withstand
temperatures as low as -50 degrees C (-58 degrees F). A
litter of 4 to 11 young is born in May or June after a
gestation of 51 to 57 days. They are cared for by both
parents.

Caribou
Class: Mammalia:
Mammals

Diet: Lichen

Order: Artiodactyla: Even-toed Ungulates

Size: body:1.2 - 2.2 m (4 - 7 1/4 ft), tail: 10 - 21 cm (4 8 1/4 in)
Family: Cervidae: Deer

Conservation Status: Nonthreatened

Scientific Name: Rangifer

Habitat: tundra
tarandus
Range: Northern Europe and Asia: Scandinavia to Siberia;
Alaska, Canada, Greenland

Once divided into several species, all caribou and reindeer,

including the domesticated reindeer, are now considered
races of a single species. The races vary in coloration from
almost black to brown, gray and almost white.
The caribou is the only deer in
which both sexes have antlers,
although those of the female are
smaller.The antlers are unique in
that the lowest, forward-pointing
tine is itself branched.
Females are gregarious and gather
in herds with their young, but adult
males are often solitary. In autumn,
males fight to gather harems of 5 to
40 or so females. The female
produces 1, occasionally 2, young
after a gestation of about 240 days.
Young caribou are able to run with the herd within a few
hours of birth.

Some populations migrate

hundreds of miles between
their breeding grounds on the tundra
and winter feeding grounds farther
south. Grass and other tundra plants
are their main food in summer, but in
winter caribou feed mainly on lichens, scraping away the
snow with their hoofs to expose the plants.

Musk Ox
Class: Mammalia: Mammals

Diet: Grass,
leaves

moss,

lichen,

Order: Artiodactyla: Even-toed Ungulates

Size: body:1.9 - 2.3 m (6 1/4 - 7 1/2 ft), tail: 9 - 10 cm (3
1/2 - 4 in)
Family: Bovidae: Bovids

Conservation
threatened

Scientific
moschatus

Habitat: tundra

Name:

Ovibos

Status:

Non-

Range: Northern Canada, Greenland

In prehistoric times, the musk ox was found throughout

northern Europe, Siberia, and North America. It was largely
exterminated, surviving only in northern Canada and
Greenland; however, it has now been successfully
reintroduced in Norway and Alaska. It is the only species in
its genus.
The musk ox is superbly equipped for life in harsh arctic
conditions, for it has a dense undercoat which neither cold
nor water can penetrate and an outer coat of long, coarse
hair that reaches almost to the ground and protects it from
snow and rain. The broad hoofs prevent it from sinking in
soft snow. Both sexes have heavy horns that almost meet at
the base, forming a broad frontal plate. Facial glands in the

bull emit a strong, musky odor in the rutting season, hence

the animal's name.
Musk oxen are gregarious,
living in herds of as many as
100. In the mating season,
young bulls are driven out by
old, master bulls and form
small bachelor groups or
remain solitary. The female
produces 1 young after a
gestation of 8 months. When
threatened, musk oxen form a circle, facing outward with
horns lowered, with the young in the middle; this is an
effective defense against wolves, their natural enemies, but
not against humans with guns. Musk oxen feed mainly on
grass, but they also eat mosses, lichens, and
leaves and will dig through snow for food.

Norway Lemming

Class: Mammalia: Mammals

Diet: Grass

Order: Rodentia: Rodents

Size: body:13 - 15 cm (5 - 6 in), tail: 2 cm (3/4 in)
Family: Microtinae: Voles and Conservation Status: NonLemmings
threatened
Scientific
lemmus

Name:

Lemmus

Habitat: tundra, grassland

Range: Scandinavia

The boldly patterned Norway lemming is active day and

night, alternating periods of activity with short spells of rest.
Grasses, shrubs and particularly mosses make up its diet; in
winter it clears runways under the snow on the ground

surface in its search for food. These lemmings start to breed

in spring, under the snow, and may produce as many as
eight litters of 6 young each throughout the summer.
Lemmings are fabled for their dramatic population
explosions, which occur approximately every three or four
years. It is still not known what causes these, but a fine,
warm spring following two or three years of low population
usually triggers an explosion that year or the next. As local
populations swell, lemmings are forced into surrounding
areas. Gradually more and more are driven out, down the
mountains and into the valleys. Many are eaten by
predators, and more lose their lives crossing rivers and
lakes. Lemmings do not deliberately commit suicide.

Polar Bear
Class:
Mammals

Mammalia: Diet: Large and small mammals,

fish, birds, berries, leaves

Order: Carnivora: Carnivores

Size: body:12.2 - 2.5 m (7 1/4 - 8 1/4 ft), tail: 7.5 - 12.5
cm (3 - 5 in)
Family: Ursidae: Bears Conservation Status: Vulnerable
Scientific
Name:
Habitat: coasts, ice floes
Thalarctos maritimus
Range: Arctic Ocean to southern limits of ice floes

A huge bear with an unmistakable creamy-white

coat, the polar bear is surprisingly fast and can
easily outrun a caribou over a short distance. It wanders
over a larger area than any other bear and, of course,
swims well.
Seals, fish, seabirds, arctic hares,
caribou, and musk oxen are the
polar bear's main prey, and in the
summer it also eats berries and

leaves of tundra plants.

Normally solitary animals outside the
breeding season, polar bears mate in
midsummer. A litter of 1 to 4 young is
born after a gestation of about 9 months,
and the young bears remain with their
mother for about a year. Thus females
breed only every other year.

Sled Dogs

Sled dogs are a hearty breed of animals. They have very

thick fur and amazing stamina.
A team of dogs can pull a sled and a person for hundreds of
miles.
The Iditarod (external link!) is
the most popular sled dog
race. Taking place in early
spring, the Iditarod starts in
downtown Anchorage, which
is in the taiga. The race end
and ends 1049 miles later in
the tundra of Nome, Alaska.
Can you imagine traveling
1049 miles powered only by dogs! The race takes one to two
weeks to complete.
These smart dogs know how to
adapt to the frigid conditions in
the taiga and tundra. Here the
dogs curl themselves up to
protect from the harsh wind.
The dogs must mush and work
as a team in order to survive.

What Does the Tundra Look Like?

These pictures were taken in northern Finland, in an area

known as Lapland. All these photographs were taken by
Janne Sinkkonen. We thank him for letting us use his
pictures.