THE TUNDRA

WHAT IS IT?

• The Tundra is very cold.
• Snow covers the ground most of the year.
• The Tundra has no trees.
• The tundra has a short growing season and little rain.
• The word tundra means tunturia meaning treeless plain.

SOIL

• Under the snow is rocky soil.
• During short Tundra summers snow melts.
• But only the top layer is permafrost.
• This soil stays frozen all year.
• The soil lacks nutrients so there is little vegetation.

ANIMALS

• Musk and oxen have a layer of wooly fur to keep warm.
• In winter ,fur on the Arctic fox and hair turns white.
• Another animal that lives in the tundra is a pika which looks like a hamster.
• The lemming lives in the tundra which looks like a guinea pig.
• Big, white fluffy polar bears live in the tundra and can be up to 7-8 feet tall.

PLANTS

• Grasses and other small plants grow In Tundra soil.
• These plants have short roots.
• They stay close to the ground away from cold wind.
• Bearberry, Arctic moss, and Caribou moss are some of the plants.
• Some plants are useful for humans.

WHERE IS IT?

• Arctic animals find ways to live in the Tundra.
• Musk and oxen have a layer of wooly fur to keep warm.
• There is a lot of tall grass.
• The Tundra is located all over the world.

SOURCES

• www.pebblego.com