Grades 6–8 · Read the climate, plant and animal clues on each card, then flip to see which biome it describes.

Earth's Biomes

Desert. Many desert animals rest in the day and come out at night.

Very little precipitation, often under 10 inches (25 cm) a year; plants like cactuses store water.

Tropical rainforest. It has more kinds of plants and animals than any other land biome.

Hot and wet all year; tall trees form a thick canopy.

Tundra. Caribou and Arctic foxes live here.

Very cold, with a layer of frozen ground called permafrost; no trees, only mosses, lichens and low shrubs.

Taiga (boreal forest). It is the largest land biome.

Long, snowy winters and forests of evergreen cone-bearing trees like spruce and fir.

Temperate deciduous forest. Deer, squirrels and oak trees live here.

Four seasons; most trees drop their leaves in the fall.

Temperate grassland (prairie). Much of it is now farmland.

Mostly grasses and very few trees; hot summers, cold winters and rich soil.

Savanna. Zebras, elephants and lions live here.

Tropical grassland with scattered trees and a long dry season.

Ocean (marine biome). It makes much of the oxygen we breathe.

Salt water that covers about 71% of Earth's surface.