What species are in taiga?

Answer 1

The taiga is home to a number of large herbivorous mammals and smaller rodents. These animals have also adapted to survive the harsh climate. Some of the larger mammals, such as bears, eat during the summer in order to gain weight and then go into hibernation during the winter. Other animals have adapted layers of fur or feathers to insulate them from the cold. A number of wildlife species threatened or endangered with extinction can be found in the Canadian Boreal forest including woodland caribou, polar bear, grizzly bear and wolverine. Habitat loss due to destructive development, mostly in the form of logging, is the main cause of decline for these species. Due to the climate, carnivorous diets are an inefficient means of obtaining energy; energy is limited, and most energy is lost between tropic levels. However, predatory birds (owls and eagles) and other smaller carnivores, including foxes and weasels, feed on the rodents. Larger carnivores, such as lynxes and wolves, prey on the larger animals. Omnivores, such as bears and raccoons are fairly common, sometimes picking through human garbage. A considerable number of birds such as Siberian Thrush, White-throat Sparrow and Black-throat Green Warbler, migrate to this habitat to take advantage of the long summer days and abundance of insects found around the numerous bogs and lakes. Of the perhaps 300 species of birds that summer in the taiga, only 30 stay for the winter. These are either carrion-feeding or large raptors that can take live mammal prey, including Golden Eagle, Rough-legged Buzzard, and Raven, or else seed-eating birds, including several species of grouse and cross bills.