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Beaver, Canadian lynx, bobcat, wolverine, and snowshoe hare are all keystone species in the taiga area. These species are keystone because they have learned to adapt to the cold climate of the area and are able to survive year-round. These species survive year-round in taiga by changing fur color and growing extra fur.
Small mammals of the taiga biome include rodent species such as the beaver, squirrel, chipmunk, marmot, lemming, North American porcupine and vole, as well as a small number of lagomorph species, such as the pika, snowshoe hare and mountain hare. These species have adapted to survive the harsh winters in their native ranges.
The snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus), also called the varying hare or snowshoe rabbit, is a species of hare found in North America. It has the name "snowshoe" because of the large size of its hind feet. The animal's feet prevent it from sinking into the snow when it hops and walks.
Hare species are native to Africa, Eurasia and North America. A hare less than one year old is called a "leveret". A group of hares is called a "husk", a "down", or a "drove". Members of the Lepus genus are considered true hares, distinguishing them from rabbits which make up the rest of the Leporidae family.
Although less than half of the following birds' North American populations nest in the boreal forests, a major portion of their species is reliant on this habitat. Many of these birds are more often aquatic and woodland generalist than species more dependent on the taiga. Greater white-fronted goose Anser albifrons; Snow goose Chen caerulescens
Representative species include the snow goose, Canada goose, king eider, swan, loon, gyrfalcon, and peregrine falcon. [11] [13] Belonging to the circumboreal floristic region, the Southern Hudson Bay taiga contains a total of 1178 different plant species – none of which are considered endemic to the area. [15]
European hare (above) compared with a mountain hare Stuffed mountain hare, showing the winter pelage The mountain hare is a large species, though it is slightly smaller than the European hare . It grows to a length of 45–65 cm (18–26 in), with a tail of 4–8 cm ( 1 + 1 ⁄ 2 –3 in), and a mass of 2–5.3 kg ( 4 + 1 ⁄ 2 – 11 + 3 ⁄ 4 ...
The loss of the species would have been the first feline extinction since the Smilodon 10,000 years ago. [25] The species used to be classified as a subspecies of the Eurasian lynx, but is now considered a separate species. Both species occurred together in central Europe in the Pleistocene epoch, being separated by habitat choice. [26]