| Northern Tallgrass Prairie | |
|---|---|
 Tall grasses ofManitoba Tall Grass Prairie Preserve | |
 | |
| Ecology | |
| Realm | Nearctic |
| Biome | Temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands |
| Borders | |
| Bird species | 212[1] |
| Mammal species | 63[1] |
| Geography | |
| Area | 76,000 km2 (29,000 mi2) |
| Countries |
|
| States/Provinces | |
| Climate type | Humid continental (Dfb) |
| Conservation | |
| Conservation status | Critical/Endangered[2] |
| Global 200 | Yes |
| Habitat loss | 88.245%[1] |
| Protected | 4.21%[1] |
TheNorthern Tallgrass Prairie is one of 844 terrestrialecoregions defined by One Earth.[3] This ecoregion largely follows theRed River Valley in theCanadianprovince ofManitoba and theAmerican states ofNorth Dakota andMinnesota.[2]
The Northern Tallgrass Prairie has ahumid continental climate with moderateprecipitation, usually between 450-700mm.Winters here are very cold, with a mean winter temperature of −12.5 °C (9.5 °F), andsummers are warm, with a mean temperature of 16 °C (61 °F). The ecoregion's mean annual temperature is 2.5 °C (36 °F).[2]
Dominantgrasses include big bluestem (Andropogon gerardi), switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) and Indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans). In wetter areas, trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides) and bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa) can be found.[2]
Like other North American prairie ecoregions, the Northern tall grasslands once supported large herds ofbison (Bison bison) andelk (Cervus canadensis), which were hunted by thegray wolf (Canis lupus) and coyote (Canis latrans). All of these save for the coyote have been largely eliminated from the region, though the bison and wolf are recovering. Other, more common species in the ecoregion includewhite-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus),rabbit (Sylvilagus spp.),ground squirrel (Spermophilus spp.) and large populations of waterfowl.
Some protected areas of this ecoregion include:
Media related toNorthern Tallgrass Prairie Ecoregion at Wikimedia Commons