And as the winter arrives, the mama bear and baby bear prepare to migrate to Tundra. It's Tundra, little kitty. Haven't you heard of it before?
No worries. So in today's episode... Let me take you and our beloved friends out there on a breathtaking journey of this chilly, freezy and breezy place we call Tundra Region.
Zoom in! This world is divided into different regions where some are covered with lustrous green grass while others are engulfed in golden deserts. And these large naturally occurring community of flora and fauna Occupying a major habitat is called a biome. And tundra is one such biome of this diverse environmental community. But the vital question is, how do we exactly identify a tundra region from its counterparts?
Well, let me give you a quick tour. You see, one way to quickly identify the Tanra region lies within its name, my friends. Yes, it gets its name from a Finnish word, Tantaria, which literally means a treeless plain.
And with its long and extreme seasons of dark, freezing winter times and short summers that aren't much warmer, it's easy to see. why few species of plants and animals can survive here. The tundras are of two types, namely the Alpine and the Arctic. The Alpine tundra covers approximately 3% of Earth's land surface and it is mostly found in the Northern Hemisphere.
This region exists at very high elevations atop mountains, where overnight temperatures fall below freezing. Whereas the Arctic tundra is located in the higher altitudes in the polar regions in the northern hemisphere and covers almost 20% of the earth's surface. And believe it or not, despite being in such harsh conditions, the Arctic tundra is blessed with many living organisms including plants, animals and humans who need some special adaptation techniques to survive.
And what is adaptation? Well, to learn about this essential evolutionary skill, watch our videos on the topic of adaptation. The link is in the description below.
Now, let us learn how living beings can survive in the Tundra region. You see, being a windy region, it takes a lot to survive here in the tundras. Also, the subsoil layer over here is permafrost, meaning the ground is completely frozen, making it impossible for the trees to grow, because of which the tundra has patchy, low-to-ground vegetation.
This includes grasses, mosses and lichens. All of which are better adapted to withstand tundra's cold conditions. And not only plants but animals in the tundra such as polar bears, grey bulls, snow geese, etc. are also adapted to its extreme conditions. For example, the Caribou, also known as reindeers, build up stores of fat to sustain and insulate them through the winter.
They also have thick coats of fur for further insulation and save energy by hibernating during the long winter months, waiting for the summer to arrive. Yes, the summer brings a short relief. and acts as a growing season that lasts 6 to 10 weeks. And during this period, the sun shines for 24 hours and hence it is also known as the land of the midnight sun.
But unfortunately, this isolated land is increasingly threatened due to human activities such as oil drilling. Yes, my dear friends, perhaps... The greatest danger, however, comes from climate change.
Warming temperatures could upset the cold tundra biome and the life in it and melt its underlying permafrost, releasing greenhouse gases. that would further accelerate global warming. So, it's essential to limit human encroachment in this region, if we want to save the world. Did you know, tundra insects have also developed adaptations for the cold?
Yes, mosquitoes for example, have a chemical compound that acts as antifreeze, lowering the freezing temperature in their bodily fluids. Also, animals in the tundra biome tend to have small ears and tails, which helps them to store more heat in the cold. While some of them tend to have huge feet, which help them to walk on top of the snow. Hope you learned something new in today's episode.
Until next time, it's me, Dr. Binox, zooming out! Aww, never mind.