by Luke Bamforth

Created on: January 25, 2010   Last Updated: January 26, 2010

The Arctic Tundra is one of the most inhospitable regions on Earth. Located in the margin between the vast boreal forest and the Arctic polar ice caps, it is an environment of sparse vegetation that consists of lichens, mosses, some hardy grasses and a few species of dwarf tree, that grow close to the ground to escape the biting cold winds of this landscape. With less than 25cm of precipitation a year the tundra is akin to a desert. What is more, never further than a metre under the surface of the ground is the ever present permafrost, permanently frozen earth. Due to the inhospitable nature of this biome there are few animals that live there and even less of those live their entire lifecycle within its boundaries. From the above description of it, it is not surprising that the name ‘Tundra’ is Finnish for ‘Barren Land.’

One of the most widely spread mammals in the tundra regions is the Caribou (Rangifer taraudus) or reindeer as they are known in Europe. Caribou are a large species of deer and, apart from Moose, grow the largest antlers of any living deer and unlike other deer both male and female specimens grow them. They are herbivores and eat mostly mosses and lichens during the winter and leaves from dwarf willow and birch trees, as well as grasses and sedges during the summer. To aid them in the cold climate they have developed specialised nose canals that have a large internal surface area allowing cold air to be warmed by their body temperature before it reaches their lungs.

Another large herbivore present in the tundra, though not as widely spread, is the Musk Ox (Ovibos moschatus), so called because of its distinctive musky odour. Resembling a type of buffalo it has a dense under coat of short, interwoven hairs that is impervious to the cold, over this is a shaggy overcoat that consists of long coarse hairs that almost reaches the ground and traps air to insulate its body. This combination of coats means the Musk Ox is perfectly equipped to survive the tundra’s climate. With a diet similar to that of the Caribou, Musk Ox spend their time grazing in herds of up to a hundred, though usually made up of a couple of dozen individuals.

The Arctic Hare (Lepus articus) can be found in the tundra of North America, Newfoundland dense under coat of short, interwoven and Greenland and live in groups of up to two hundred individuals, Though similar in appearance and sharing similar habitats they should not be confused with the

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