Arctic Moss (Noun)
Meaning
An erect greyish branching lichen of Arctic and even some north temperate regions constituting the chief food for reindeer and caribou and sometimes being eaten by humans.
Classification
Nouns denoting plants.
Examples
- Reindeer herders rely heavily on arctic moss as a vital winter food source for their animals in the harsh, subzero climate.
- Arctic moss is often found in dense, velvety growths across the tundra's rocky outcroppings and low-lying areas.
- In northern Alaska, caribou may eat significant quantities of arctic moss to supplement their usual diet of grasses and other vegetation.
- For centuries, indigenous Arctic communities have used arctic moss as a nutritious emergency food source during the long winter months.
- Scientists have been studying the remarkable adaptability of arctic moss, which manages to thrive in extreme cold, wind, and sun exposure in the frozen north.