Tundra Group E


Animals

 

1. Caribou

Kingdom: Animalia                 Order: Artiodactyla

Phylum: Chordata                   Family: Cervidae

Class: Mammalia                    Genus: Rangifer

Species: Tarandus                   Scientific Name: Rangifer tarandus

 

 

The caribou is usually 6-8 feet and weights about 500+ lbs. It's color is greyish and brown with white on the neck and back area. The antlers are the most distinctive physical feature of the caribou; the antlers can be 3-4 feet long.

 

The caribou usually lives in the arctic tundra rather than the alpine tundra.

 

Caribous live around Russia, Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Northern Europe, Scandinavia, and Siberia.

 

The caribou migrates about twice a year and lives in large herds.

 

Caribous are vegetarians. they eat sedges, barks from small trees, leaves, berries, twigs, shoots, fungi, grass, and lichens.

 

The Caribou usually breed in the fall (October) and gives birth in April and/or May. They usually only give birth to a single calf who weighs about 12 lbs. All the calves are born over a 5 day span.

  

 

Adaptations

Explanation

Type of Adaptation

 

Enhanced Smell 

- During winters caribou can smell lichens beneath the snow 

 

 

             Structural 

 

Enhanced Hearing 

- Caribou can hear from a quarter of a mile away. They can hear when wolves are coming near. 

 

 

              Structural 

 

Antler Growth for both Male & Female 

- Male caribou can have antlers up to three to four feet long. But female caribou can only have about a foot to two feet. They use it to fight off predators.

 

 

              Structural 

 

Strong/Acidic Stomach Acid 

- In the winter when food is scarce caribou can eat tree bark and digest it. 

 

 

            Physiological 

 

Travel in Large Packs 

- Caribou like to travel in large packs to avoid predators and feel safer from danger. 

 

 

               Behavioral 

 

Caribou's weight is about 500 lbs or more, their length is about four to six feet, and their life span is about eight to ten years.

 

Caribous help preserve forests on or around mountains.

 

There are many conservation projects for the caribou such as: Mountain Caribou Project, protecting forests on mountains from being destroyed.

 

-Caribou are ungulates (a mammal with hoofed feet)

- All calves in a herd are born over a five day span

- Breeding season is October

- Calves weigh about 12 lbs.

- May or April calves are born

 

2. Snowy Owl

 

Kingdom: Animalia                 Order: Strigiformes

Phylum: Chordata                   Family: Strigidae

Class: Aves                            Genus: Bubo

Species: Scandiacus                Scientific Name: Bubo scandiacus

 

 

The snowy owl has yellow eyes, and has white feathers, the males are pure white but the females and young snowy owls are with with black spots. It is 53-65 cm. long (20-26 inches), and the wing span is about 125-150 cm. (50-60 inches). Their feet is heavily feathered with long talons to grab their prey.

 

The snowy owl usually lives in the tundra, both alpine and arctic.

 

Snowy owls live throughout the Northern Hemisphere such as Russia, Canada, Scotland, Alaska, and Northern Eurasia.

 

The snowy owls are nomadic and nest on the ground since there are rarely trees in the tundra. They build their nest in areas with lack of snow.

 

Snowy owls like to eat rodents like lemmings. They also eat small birds such as ptarmigan.

 

The snowy owls lay from  one to nine eggs or more. The eggs are incubated for 31 to 33 days. After the eggs hatch the fledgling doesn't leave the nest for three to four weeks and the parents only care for them for four months.

 

 

              Adaptation                                             Explanation                                Type of adaptation

 

Color of their Feather 

 

 

 - The snowy owls feathers have no pigment in them so this leaves room for air which keeps the owl warm

 

          Structural

 

 Feathers on their Feet

 

 

 - Arctic regions can get very cold; feathers on the owls feet can keep it very warm.

 

          Structural

 

 Strong Acidic Stomach

 

 

 - The snowy owl eat a lot of rodents, which have a lot of bones, and for the owl to digest the bones it needs strong acidic stomach.

 

        Physiological

 

 Silence Flight

 

 

 - The wings of a snowy owl have the feathers fit together so that the wind goes over it making no sound.

 

        Structural

 

 Flying South

 

 

 - When food becomes scarce the owls fly down south and often rest at ariports. The airports wide open space reminds the owls of the tundra.

 

 

         Behavioral

 

 

 

The weight of a snowy owl is usually 4.25 lbs., the length is about 27 inches, the wingspan is from 45 to 60 inches, and the life span is usually about 15 years. 

 

The snowy owl keeps the population of the rodents in check not letting them go too scarces or let their population grow too big.

 

Organizations have made it illegal to kill snowy owls.

 

- There is a snowy owl in Harry Potter

- Female snowy owls are bigger than the males

- Snowy owls are one of the biggest owls

- When a snowy owl makes noise its called a bark

- Snowy owls hunt with their hearing not their sight

 

3. Beluga Whale

 

Kingdom: Animalia                 Order: Cetacea

Phylum: Chordata                   Family: Monodontidae

Class: Mammalia                    Genus: Delphinapterus

Species: Leucas                      Scientific Name: Delphinapterus leucas

 

 

The beluga whales color when it is an adult is white but the children are grey. They have round melon shaped heads, short broad beak, no dorsal fin, has dorsal ridges, a blow hole, and small tiny eyes.

 

Beluga whales usually live in arctic waters around or in the arctic cirlce.

 

The beluga whales live in the waters around Russia, Canada, nothern Europe, and Alaska.

 

Beluga whales live in groups called pods consisting from two to twenty-five individuals.

 

The beluga whales eat different kinds of fish, squid, crustaceans, octopi, and worms.

 

Beluga whales gestation period is about 14 to 15 months, calfs can be born head or tail fist, and are born in warm swallow waters.

 

            Adaptation                                       Explanation                               Type of adaptation

 

Echolocation

 

 

 - The beluga whales find their prey they don't use their sight they use sound to bounce off objects and know where they are.

 

         Physiological

 

 Birthing Place

 

 

 - When female beluga whales are prejnant they head toward warm shalow waters.

 

          Behavioral 

        

 

Melon Shaped Head 

 

 

-  The beluga whale's head is big so they can make different kinds of noise to communicate.

 

          Structural 

 

No Dorsal Fin 

 

 

- With no dorsal fin the beluga whale can swimming under ice and closer to the ice. 

 

        Structural 

 

A Small Beak 

 

 

- Since the beluga whale has a melon shaped forehead so it's mouth needs to come out farther to beable to get food.

 

        Structural 

 

The beluga whales average length is about 15 feet and weighs about 3,300 lbs., and they live up to 25 to 30 years.

 

The beluga whales keep the crustacean population in balance not too high or too low.

 

Some organizations have made killing a beluga whale illegal.

 

- The beluga whales melon head moves when they sing

- Beluga whales can mimic different kinds of sounds

- Beluga whales have very flexible necks

 

 Virtual Ecosystem Symbiotic Relationships

- Lichen, a mossy plant that mainly grows in the tundra, grows on rocks but does not harm the rock. Yet the lichen still benefits from being able to grow and live.

 

Cited Work

 

Plant (Book)

- Plant sciences. Vol. 4. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2001.

Beluga Whale & Snowy Owl (Book)

- Moore, Peter D. Tundra. New York NY: Facts on File, 2006.

Caribou (Book)

- U·X·L encyclopedia of biomes. Vol. 3. Detroit: U·X·L, 2000.

Tundra (Book)

- Life Science Glossary. 08 May 2009 http://www.everythingbio.com.

Caribou (Website)

- Zoo Animals - 425 Mammals, Wild Animals, Endangered Species - Animal Sound Clips - Kids' Zoo - Animal News. 08 May 2009 http://www.americazoo.com.

Snowy Owl (Website)

- 08 May 2009 http://www.peregrinefund.org.

Beluga Whale (Website)

- SeaWorld/Busch Gardens ANIMALS - HOME. 08 May 2009 http://www.seaworld.org.

 

Plants (Websites)

- Connecticut Botanical Society. 19 May 2009 http://www.ct-botanical-society.org.

- Blue Planet Biomes. 19 May 2009 http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org.

 

 

Blue is Kai Carl

 

Arctic Moss

Classification:

·         Scientific Name: Calliergon Gigateum

·         Common Name:  Arctic Moss

Physical Description:

·         Crowed branches

·         Brown

Adaptations:

·         When it is not growing it store nutrients so new leafs can be mad easily.

·         Adapted to the strong wind; grows close to the ground

Reproduction and Development:

·         Reproduces every year by growing shoots and releasing them into the wind

Native Continent:

·         Grows in the northern hemisphere

Bear Berry

Classification:

·         Scientific Name:  Arctostaphylos Uvaursi

·         Common Name:  Bear Berry

Physical Description:

·         Grows to be about 2-8”

Adaptations:

·         It generally grows close to the ground to survive in the harsh arctic environment

Reproduction and Development:

·         Every Year it produces spores

Native Continent:

·         Grows in the northern hemisphere

Northern Monkshood

Classification:

·         Scientific Name:  Aconitum noveboracense

·        

·         Common Name:  Northern Monkshood

 

Physical Description:

·         Blue hood-shaped flowers.

·         Flowers are about 1 inch in length

·         Stems range from about 1 to 4 feet in length

 

Adaptations:

·         It adapted it’s bright color flowers to attract bugs to pollinate

Reproduction and Development:

·         Northern monkshood is a perennial and reproduces from both seed and small tubers

 

Native Continent:

·         Grows  in northern hemisphere

Michael Harms -purple 

General info in the Tundra:

 

     The Tundra is the coldest biome of all biomes. The weather can reach below -30 degrees. The highest temperature that the Tundra gets is no higher than 60 degrees. In the tundra it has very poor nutrients. Two major nutrients are nirogen and phosphourous. The Tundra has all different types of animals. Their are also insects but not too many. The animals in the Tundra are mostly all animals.

 

Characteristics of the Tundra:

-Extremley cold temperatures

-Lichens

-Mountains

 

Locations of the Tundra:

-Mostly the Northern Hemisphere

-Antarctica

-North pole

-Asia

Temperature & Precipitation

- On an average The tundra gets about 5 inches of snow per month

-The weather get up to no more than 50 degrees

-In the winter the low temperature can get as low as -30 degrees

 

 

Environmental Profile

 

 

 

Discuss an environmental issue and explain why it is important to address:

 

 

 

 An   issue  that  is  in  the  tundra  is  global  warming. Scientist   feel  that  global  warming  may  eliminate  arctic  region, including the tundra forever. The global rise in temperature will affect the arctic and Antarctic than any other biome.

 

 

 

 Discuss efforts currently underway to address this issue:

 

 

 

 

Currently, People are trying to stop global warming to save animals in the arctic regions.

 

 

 

List the names of agencies or organizations that could be contacted for more information:

 

 

 Some agencies that help this tragedy in the Tundra are: Alaska center for climate and assessment, and Yellow knife services.

 

 

 

 

 

 Cite your sources:  www.Google.com, www.wikipedia.org

 

 

 

 

 

Jake Henrie