The Animals of the Tundra

Tundra is the area where levels of the sub soil beneath the earth surface is earth is permanently frozen. The soil is referred to as permafrost. During the hot simmer the soil above the permafrost will thaw allowing plants to grow. Tundra appears barren and treeless because permafrost makes it difficult for trees to root down into the ground. Tundra also receives little precipitation like deserts and temperature at times gets very low temperatures especially during winter when it receives little or no sunlight.

Due to these difficult characteristics of the Tundra, animals that live in the tundra have special adaptations that allow them to survive in these extreme conditions. Arctic Fox is a perfect example of animals with special adaptations to survive in tundra. Arctic Fox has short ears and a short round body that minimizes the amount of skin exposed to the frigid air. Other animals that that survive in tundra are Lemmings and Snowy Owls. There is a very low level of biodiversity and thus if there is fluctuations in one animal population it will affect the populations of another animal. Example if there gets an increase in the number of Lemmings in a certain region; this will lead to reduction in the number of Snowy Owls.

There is however a threat of the animals living in tundra. Their population is bound to be affected by man activities and some of the animals in tundra might be at the risk of getting extinct. Some of the common man activities that happen in tundra are mining and oil drilling. This causes loss of habitats and at times pushes the animals further north and thus changing their habits and they are not adapted to those areas. Global warming is however the largest threat that the animals living in tundra face. Global warming is a threat to the ecosystem. Global warming melts most of the frozen permafrost and this destroys the balance between the plant life and the animal life in the tundra.

Animals in tundra are the beauty of the world and it is greatly important that the animals there be protected to avoid extinction of these animal species. Human activities that threaten the life of these animals should be discouraged. The ecosystem should also be saved by trying to reduce emissions that lead to changes in the weather as this may change the conditions in tundra and thus lead to extinction of animals that live in tundra.