The Palearctic is the world's largest biogeographic realm, spanning from Europe to East Asia.
In short: Spanning across Europe, North Africa, and most of Asia, the Palearctic realm is a massive ecological theater. It is defined by its unique animal life and shared history with North America, linked by an ancient land bridge that once allowed species to migrate between the two continents.
First identified in 1858 by British zoologist Philip Sclater, the Palearctic realm remains a cornerstone of zoogeographic classification. Sclater’s original scheme, later adopted by Alfred Wallace in 1876, divided the world into six terrestrial realms based on geographic barriers to migration. Today, the Palearctic is often grouped with the Nearctic realm of North America to form the Holarctic, reflecting the deep evolutionary connections forged by the Bering land bridge.
The realm’s geography is vast and varied, stretching from the northern tundra of Russia and Scandinavia through the expansive taiga forests to the temperate zones of East Asia. This region is remarkably resilient; during the ice ages, East Asia lost fewer tree genera than other temperate regions, retaining 96 percent of the genera found in the Pliocene fossil record. In contrast, Europe retained only 27 percent. This biodiversity is further enriched by unique freshwater ecosystems, including Lake Baikal, the oldest and deepest lake on Earth.
Human impact has been profound, particularly in the Mediterranean Basin, which is now considered one of the world's most endangered biodiversity hotspots. Only 4 percent of the region's original vegetation remains, with much of the landscape converted into shrublands due to centuries of deforestation, overgrazing, and urban expansion. Despite these pressures, the Palearctic remains a vital home for endemic species, including the red panda and the accentor bird family, while serving as a living record of species that once roamed the continent before the end of the Pleistocene.
The boundaries of the Palearctic are often debated, particularly where it meets the Afrotropic realm across the great desert belt of the Sahara and Arabia. While some geographers include these deserts within the Palearctic, others draw the line at the transition zone near the Mediterranean. In the south, the boundary is largely defined by altitude, with the foothills of the Himalayas acting as a natural barrier between the Palearctic and the Indomalayan realm.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Palearctic realm
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