A biogeographic region comprising the landmasses of the Northern Hemisphere, used in classifying animals by their geographic distribution.
From Greek 'arktos' (bear, but here meaning northern) combined with 'gaia' (earth). Created as a zoogeographic term in the 19th century to describe northern fauna.
Biologists realized that animals in the north share surprising similarities across continents—bears, wolves, and moose are found in North America, Europe, and Asia. This ancient landmass connection explains why these species show up together.
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