Posted on
May 22, 2025
in
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As much as we love a good skyline and museum, there is something to be said about the beauty of the world we live in. Today marks International Day for Biodiversity, celebrating the amazing creatures that surround us every day. It is easy to take them for granted and for them to go unseen, but without these plants and animals, humans would not be able to sustain their existence throughout history.
International Biodiversity Day was created to increase the visibility of the problems plaguing many species today. The UN created this event, and moved it to its current day in 2000. With themes each year (this year is Marine Biology), the UN hopes to raise awareness and appreciation of all beings.
Many of our members have spanned the globe and trekked through every type f habitat imaginable, crossing paths with many different types of flora and fauna. Luckily for us, they are always armed with a camera, and ready to snap a shot of many of these incredible creatures. International Biodiversity Day may only be celebrated once a year, but IgoUgo travelers appreciate nature whenever they travel.
Polar RegionsThe Arctic and Antarctic regions are the coldest points on the planet. It is hard to believe that life can survive here, but it can and does. With all the ice and rock, few plants survive; more animals have found ways to adapt to the harsh climate. The tundra is usually classified in this habitat.
TaigaThe Taiga is located in the northern extremes of Canada and Russia. Techinically the northern part of the Boreal Biome, this habitat is generally too cold for large trees but contains small bushes and trees.
Boreal ForestAlso called the Conifer Forests, it is characterized by evergreens. These trees can withstand very cold temperatures. This region has short summers and long winters.
Temperate ForestsThis broad term covers any forests that are not tropical and below the extreme north. Many National Parks fall in this habitat, and it covers much of Europe and the United States.
GrasslandMany regional names are derived from the grasslands- Pampas, Praries, Steppes, and Veld are all grassland on different continents. Since these areas are fairly dry, large trees are scarce, but small bushes and shrubs are prolific.
DesertsLike the polar regions, deserts are extremely harsh to both plant and animal life. Located in the hottest parts of the world, flora and fauna contain many adaptations to live in these environments.
Wetlands
Where the land meets the water, wetlands support a huge amount f animal
and plant life. Birds, fish, amphibians, reptiles, insects and mammals
all coexists with plants in these regions.
Tropical Forests
Located in areas of extreme rainfall near the equator, Tropical Forests
are biological hotspots. They contain great diversity of both plants and
animals; rain forests contain more diversity of trees than all other
forests in the world combined!
Mountains
While not linked to certain latitudes as the other habitats, mountains
puncture the Earth's surface along fault lines. Life on mountains is
very diverse due to the fact that they cross many continents and
temperature zones.
Oceanic IslandsIsolated from nearby landmasses, islands take a long time to develop plant and animal life. They do not experience many extremes or extreme fluctuation as other habitats.
Ocean Covering the majority of the Earth, the oceans are chock-full of creatures. The contain tiny diatoms as well as massive whales, and everything in between.
Check out our Mother Earth board on pinterest for more great nature photos!
For more information on International Day for Biodiversity, click here!
Posted by jhartmann13 (JJ Hartmann)