The Palearctic ("Old World Arctic")  reaches from Europe to the Pacific and includes many habitats. The most important of which are probably the Steppe - similar to the North American central prairies, and the boreal forest, or Taiga. The Steppe is a wide expanse of grassland. The Taiga is northern coniferous forest and it actually circles the arctic and appears in northern Europe and Northern North America as well. This circumpolar forest shares many plant and animal species, and lies just south of the treeless region of permafrost.

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Original content copyright 1995-2007 Robert B. Hole, Jr. All Rights Reserved