PLANET EARTH Seasonal Forests

One could live a lifetime in these woods and never see a lynx（猞猁）. The cat must roam hundreds of miles in search of prey and may never visit the same patch of seasonal forest twice. It's the very essence of wilderness. With so few prey animals here, life for a hunter is particularly hard. Creatures are scarce because few can eat conifer needles.



The moose is an exception. Growth is so difficult that conifers protect their precious leaves by filling them with resin（树脂，松香）. That reduces water loss, but it also makes them very distasteful. At least the conifer's seeds are edible but they're protected within armor plated cones and it takes a specialist to reach them. The crossbill's（交喙鸟） extraordinary beak can prise apart the scales, so that it's tongue can extract the seeds.



Birds are fortunate. When the seasonal crop is gathered, they can fly south, but one animal is so expert at survival in this frozen seasonal forest that it stays here and is active all year long. In local folklore（民间传说）, the wolverine（狼獾） is a link to the spirit world and a cross between a bear and a wolf. In reality, it's a huge weasel. It's bulk helps to conserve body heat and also broadens its menu.