The Tundra

The Climate

Located: top of the world, near the North Pole 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. Very little precipitation; average of 10 inches a year The average annual temperature is only 10 to 20F (- 12C to -6C).

Rocks 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.

The Plants

Lichen 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.

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.

Cushion Plants Many tundra plants, such as this one, are called cushion plants. That means they grow in a low, tight clump and look like a little cushion and helps protect them from the cold.

The Animals

Polar Bears Diet: Large and small mammals, fish, birds, berries, leaves Size: 7 1/ /4 ft Swims well and runs surprisingly fast Large sharp claws to dig in the ice and snow Thick white fur and black skin to absorb the sun’s heat

Snowy Owl Diet: Small mammals Size: 20 1/ /2 in 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.

Caribou Diet: Lichen Size: /4 ft Also called Reindeer Coloration varies from almost black to brown, gray and almost white Females gather in herds with their young, but adult males are often solitary. Young caribou are able to run with the herd within a few hours of birth.

Musk Ox Diet: Grass, moss, lichen, leaves Size: 6 1/ /2 ft 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.

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