Location

• The taiga is technically the largest biome. Stretching across three continents in the same general latitude, the taiga exists between the tundras of the north and the large tropical forests near the equator. Much of Russia is covered by taiga; the word itself comes from the Russian language meaning "forest." Northern Canada and parts of Scandinavia also abound in the taiga landscape.
  
  

Extreme Winter Conditions

• Winters in the taiga are only slightly milder than those of the tundra. Typical temperatures range from 20 or 30 degrees below zero Fahrenheit to just around freezing. Snow fall is extreme throughout the taigas of Canada and Russia. Because there are many mountainous regions in this biome, snow drifts and avalanches are also common. Most areas of the taiga are sparsely inhabited because of the harsh winters that make travel difficult.
  
  

Mild Summer Conditions

• Generally, there are only two recognizable seasons in a taiga: the harsh winter and the wet and humid summer. The temperatures in the summer period are often mild by most standards, hovering around the 60s and 70s during the day time and dropping slightly at night. Although the summer conditions would be quite comfortable for many lifeforms, the summer lasts only a few months out of the year and is dwarfed by the winter conditions throughout the rest of the time. Rainy conditions during the summer make large forests a common sight.
  
  

Plant and Animal Life

• The winter months make many forms of life nearly impossible in the taiga. Most of the plant life is limited to evergreen trees that can survive the low temperature along with certain kinds of moss and hardy, smaller plants. Insects and birds are the most abundant wildlife. However, several types of large, furry animals call the taiga home. Those include bears, lynx and wolverines. In the forested areas you might also find several kinds of elk, deer and rabbits.