Image of the planet Earth

Source: Arctic Virtual Earth, NASA

The image above is that of the planet Earth. Have you ever wondered what makes the marvelous visible swirls of colors on the image? Biomes are partially responsible for the variations of the shapes and colors that are visible on the image of Earth. Biomes are made up of specific plant or animal life, geographical features, and climate.

You may be more familiar with biomes than you think. Below you will find a few examples of biomes. Click on each image to identify each biome.

Interactive popup. Assistance may be required.

Image of a desert landscape surrounded by a mountain range.

Desert BiomeClose Pop Up
Interactive popup. Assistance may be required.

Image of a tundra landscape of a mountain range covered in snow with a sunrise.

Tundra BiomeClose Pop Up
Interactive popup. Assistance may be required.

Image of rainforest with tall, lush trees flanking each side of the waterfall.

Rainforest BiomeClose Pop Up

In this lesson, you will examine different types of biomes, identify their locations, and learn more about the distribution of biomes.