Animals of mountain regions. Mountains Report about animals in the mountains

Change vegetation zones from the foot to the top of the mountains is very similar to the change of vegetation on the way to the poles. The higher you go into the mountains, the colder it becomes: every 90 m the air temperature drops by about 0.55 C. Below the mountains are covered with deciduous forests.

They are followed coniferous forests, then alpine meadows and bushes, and on the peaks there is only ice and stones. Animals living in the mountains are forced to endure low temperatures, squally winds and very bright sun. Many species of mountain inhabitants move higher into the mountains in the spring and return to warmer valleys in the winter. Some have adapted well to the environment and all year round remain high in the mountains. Some insects, such as springtails, can survive in ice for up to three years.

mountain animals

Yaks

In the Himalayas, in the mountains and on the high plains at an altitude of about 4000 m, large, strong animals live - yaks. Thick fur protects them from the piercing cold. Yaks need a lot of water. In winter, they sometimes even eat snow. Since yaks were previously hunted very actively, wild yaks have practically disappeared. They are now kept as pets, providing milk, meat and hides. Herds of yaks graze in the high mountain meadows.

Mountain goats

On the border of snow high in the mountains, between the rocks, mountain goats feel at home. Here they are not threatened by any predators, such as wolves. Widely spread hooves with soft rims allow animals to hold on to bare rocks. Just a few days after birth, little kids can follow their mother up steep cliffs and jump from ledge to ledge.

Chamois, distant relatives of the American snow goats, live among the rocks in the mountains of Europe. Higher up the slope live bearded goats with long, curved back horns. Other mountain ungulates include the shaggy Himalayan tahr, a close relative of the bearded ibex, and mountain sheep: mouflon in Europe and bighorn sheep in North America.

Puma

The puma is one of the largest felines on the American continent. Cougars live between British Columbia and South America. They are found in regions with completely different conditions life - from coastal forests and swamps to peaks about 4500 m high. Since at one time they were hunted uncontrollably in North America, pumas now prefer to live solitary lives in the Andes and the area around the Rocky Mountains. Cougars are solitary animals. They mark their hunting territory, which is about 400 sq km, and protect it from their relatives.

Gorilla

The mountainous regions near the equator have a completely different climate and different vegetation. Below the high alpine meadows are bamboo forests - the homeland of gorillas. Gorilla is one of the most large mammals tropical montane forests of Western and Central Africa. There are only 500 to 1,000 free-living gorillas in the forests and the species is critically endangered. Many of the forests where these monkeys live are being uprooted for agricultural purposes, and the monkeys are also hunted illegally. Gorilla skulls, skins and hands are sold in African markets as souvenir trophies.

mountain birds

Some of the largest birds find shelter, roosts and nesting territories in the mountains. One of them, the Andean condor, whose wingspan reaches 3 m, breeds its chicks on inaccessible rocks from Venezuela to Tierra del Fuego. Condors are classified as American vultures. Feeding, like other vultures, on carrion, Andean condors often fly to the shores of the ocean, where they can find dead fish.

The California condor is only slightly smaller in size than the Andean condor. These days, this bird lives only in a nature reserve located in the coastal mountains of California. Poor reproduction (the female lays only one egg every two years), poachers and destruction of natural habitats have brought this species to the brink of extinction.

In inaccessible mountainous regions of Europe, Asia and Africa, the bearded vulture, or vulture, struggles to survive. This bird not only looks unusual (its head is decorated with a beard - hence the name), there is also a lot of surprise in the way it feeds. You can often see a bearded man carrying a bone in his paws, like an osprey catching a fish. The bird breaks the bone by dropping it from a height, and then descends to the ground to feast on the bone marrow.

Of course, American vultures are not the only birds that live in the mountains. The golden eagle, whose flight is a breathtaking spectacle, is common in temperate zone in the Northern Hemisphere. The mountains are also home to many smaller birds, including the mountain finch and white-tailed partridge in North America, the Andean mountain star hummingbird in South America, the Mongolian snow finch and red-winged wallcreeper in Eurasia, and the malachite sunbird in Africa.

Golden eagles live in the mountains and plains North America, Asia and Europe. These are the big ones birds of prey, whose wingspan reaches 2 m. They are excellent gliders and know how to use rising air currents, soaring for hours at a height without flapping their wings. Golden eagles nest on high rocks or separately standing trees. These birds have very keen eyes, which allows them to spot prey from afar.

Who lives in the mountains in winter

Some predators, including the Himalayan snow leopard, go down in winter, where it is warmer. Wapiti (the North American race of red deer) and many other large animals do the same. But not everyone makes such vertical migrations when winter comes. Voles, for example, remain in place and dig holes in deep snow. The temperature in such burrows is sometimes 40° higher than outside, and roots and other plant food provide the animals with food all winter. Hares are active almost throughout the cold season, as in summer. They feed on bark and branches and find shelter under snow-covered spruce or fir trees.

Where there are hot springs, animals take advantage of the benefits it provides. Bison in Yellowstone national park in the USA, mountain sheep And Japanese macaques with the approach of cold weather, they move to hot springs and heated areas of the earth around them. There they feed on green vegetation all winter and enjoy the surroundings. reminiscent of a steam room.

PEACE TO YOU, ANIMALS!

Flocks of chamois scurry up and down the slopes with equal ease. The tops of the rocky ridges are guarded by argali, propping up the sky with powerful horns. Eagles soar in the sky and have no idea that someone is propping up their sky. Hares jump on the ground and marmots sing their songs. Marmots generally just want to sing songs.

Today the nature of the Alps is extremely rich in all kinds of living creatures. But the realization that nature should be protected did not immediately come to Europeans. There are also known facts of monstrous “royal hunts” with the killing of hundreds and thousands of animals for fun, and completely exterminated species of animals, such as wild bull- a tour that lived in the middle latitudes of Eurasia. By the way, the Polish monarchs tried to save the tour by issuing, it seems, the corresponding laws in 1400... But from the first half of the 20th century, a movement for nature conservation began in the Alps. What is noteworthy is that its first initiators and even the creators of the first national parks became the same persons like the last kings of Italy, who recently decorated their castles with the horns of chamois and wild goats killed in hunting. That is, the consciousness of Europeans has changed, and as a result, today we meet all kinds of animals on our path and politely give way to each other without fear of being eaten, bypassing any licenses and UN conventions.

Free-roaming animals are free to roam on their own. What this means is that they are absolutely not obligated to come out to you and let you pet them. Therefore, whether you meet someone on your morning jog or not depends on the case. But if you want to be guaranteed to see the most real wild creatures in real conditions wild forest, and even pet some of them, you should go to visit the local Parc de Merlet (www.parcdemerlet.com), located on the mountain between Chamonix and Les Houches. You can go there by car, but if someone wants to combine business with pleasure, that is, the pleasure of learning environment with the benefit of deep penetration into it through hard tracking, then for true heroes from the center of Chamonix to the mountain, where the park is, a special path leads. An hour and a half, and you’re there, hand over the cashier at the entrance for about seven euros per person and enter the animal world. By the way, there are all human conditions - a conference room and a restaurant.

“Just don’t be scared,” says the girl who sold the entrance tickets. - Our animals are very independent. Yesterday, a little goat came into the restaurant, walked around the hall and grabbed customers by the tails of their shirts with his teeth, inviting them to play.

This is somehow very touching...

Yes, our animals treat visitors with all their hearts, and some... it’s not that they’re afraid, they’re just not used to it, and that’s why they don’t react quite adequately. Now you will walk along the path, and llamas will probably pester you. They are the most sociable ones here. Don't drive them away, otherwise they will be offended. They love to be petted.

Need I say that the most grateful visitors to this animal world are the youngest guests of the park? The objects of adoration squeal with pleasure under the hands of the subjects, and it is not for certain which of them squeaks louder.

In terms of the population density of animals per square six hundred square meters, the park can be compared to a zoo. But no cages, enclosures, or fences. It's like a nature reserve, only small. Animals share territory with each other in a natural way, as in nature, and do not compete for the right to influence. Indeed, what kind of competition can an antelope and a marmot have? Here, by the way, is the marmot - he dug himself underground palaces and came to the surface to see what was going on around him. Nothing special was happening around, except for the light rain that was already falling.

To prevent a walk through the reserve from turning into a chaotic movement trying to catch up and photograph this or that animal, it is recommended to follow the laid out routes - one “easy”, the other, relatively speaking, “difficult”. The difficulty lies in the fact that there is a section of the path to climb along a natural mountainous terrain, which, in the absence of asphalt, seems to require boots with a pronounced tread. At the entrance, you can take a diagram that shows the animals that are most likely to be encountered on specific sections of the route. There are even several benches on the upper terrace of the park, so if you have a thermos of hot tea, it’s good to sit on one of them, drink tea and watch how a little lower, in the gullies, they frolic mountain goats and small deer. Drops of spring rain rustle on your hood. To merge with nature is to merge.

Living conditions in the mountains are very different from those on the plains. As you rise into the mountains, the climate changes: the temperature drops, the wind strength increases, the air becomes thinner, and winter becomes longer.
The nature of the vegetation from the foot of the mountains to the peaks is also different. In the mountains Central Asia Desert and steppe foothills usually give way to forest, which is first dominated by deciduous and then coniferous species. Higher up there is low-growing, curved downslope subalpine forest and thickets of bushes. Alpine low-growing vegetation begins even higher, vaguely reminiscent of the vegetation of the northern tundra. The Alpine mountain belt is directly bordered by snow fields, glaciers and rocks; there, among the stones, only rare grass, moss and lichens are found.
The change of vegetation in the mountains occurs over just a few thousand meters, counting vertically. This phenomenon is called vertical zoning or zonation. Such a change in vegetation in the most general outline is similar to the latitudinal zonation of nature on Earth: deserts and steppes are replaced by forests, forests by forest-tundra and tundra.
Natural conditions in the mountains change not only with height, but also when moving from one slope to another. Sometimes even neighboring sections of the same slope have different natural conditions. It all depends on the position of the site in relation to the cardinal points, on its steepness and on how open it is to the winds.
Diversity living conditions contributes to the fact that the mountains are inhabited by many species of animals. In terms of the number of species of mountain animals, the forest belt of the mountains is the richest. The highlands are much poorer in them. The living conditions there are too harsh: even in summer, frosts are possible at night, and there is little food. Therefore, the higher you go in the mountains, the usually fewer species animals. The most elevated parts of the high mountains are covered with eternal snow and are almost completely devoid of life.
Very high in the mountains - almost up to 6 thousand m - mountain goats and sheep come; Occasionally, a mountain leopard, the snow leopard, comes up here after them. Of the vertebrate animals, only vultures, eagles and some other birds penetrate even higher. The bearded vulture was seen in the Himalayas at an altitude of almost 7 thousand m, and the condor was seen in the Andes at an even higher altitude. When climbing Chomolungma (Everest), climbers observed choughs - close relatives of our crows - at an altitude of 8100 m.
Some animals, particularly crows and hares, are found in almost all mountain zones, but most species live in only a few or even one zone. For example, bullfinches and yellow-headed wrens nest in the Caucasus Mountains only in the belt of dark coniferous forests formed by fir and spruce.

Irbis or snow leopard.

On the mountains, each vertical zone has its own fauna, somewhat similar to the fauna of the corresponding latitudinal zones Earth. Animals of the mountain forest belt resemble animals deciduous forests and taiga.

Argali.

The tundra partridge, living on the northern coast of Siberia and on the Arctic islands, is also found in the alpine belt of the mountains of Europe and Asia, where living conditions are similar to the Arctic. Some other animals common in the Arctic also live in the alpine belt of mountains: for example, in the mountains Southern Siberia And East Asia reindeer live. The habitats of deer in Altai are located in most cases not lower than 1500 m above sea level, that is, mainly in the subalpine and alpine mountain belts, where moss and other terrestrial lichens grow in abundance. IN winter time when in reindeer's diet great value have reindeer moss and other lichens; the nature of the snow cover plays an important role in the choice of habitat. If the snow is too deep and dense, then ground lichens are inaccessible to deer. In winter, the treeless slopes of the mountains of the Alpine belt are most favorable for the life of deer, where the snow is blown away by the winds, and in clear days melts in the sun.
The fauna of the alpine belt is very unique, where many animals unknown on the plains are found: various types mountain goats (in Western Europe- Alpine ibex, in the Caucasus - tur, in the mountains of Asia - Siberian mountain goat), chamois, Asian red wolf, some rodents, vultures, mountain turkey, or snowcock, alpine jackdaw, etc.
The fauna in the alpine belt of the mountains of Europe, Asia, North America and northern Africa is generally homogeneous. This is explained by the fact that in the highlands northern hemisphere living conditions are very similar.
Many mountain animals live only where there are rocks. Musk deer, mountain goats, bighorn sheep Chubuk, argali and goral antelope escape from predators in the rocks. Birds - rock pigeon, swifts and red-winged wallcreeper - find convenient nesting places there. The wall climber crawls along steep rocks like a woodpecker along a tree trunk. With its fluttering flight, this small bird with bright crimson wings resembles a butterfly. In dry, sunny areas of the mountains, chukar are often found.
Screes form in many mountains; The life of such animals as the snow vole and the mountain pika (otherwise known as hayfowl) is associated with them. Starting from the second half of summer, especially in autumn, these animals diligently collect blades of grass and twigs of bushes with leaves, lay them out on stones to dry, and then carry the hay under a shelter made of stones.
The peculiar natural conditions of life in the mountains affected appearance animals that constantly live there, on their body shapes, lifestyle and habits. They have developed characteristic adaptations that help in the struggle for existence. For example, in mountain goats, chamois, American snow goat large, mobile hooves, capable of spreading widely. Along the edges of the hooves - from the sides and in front - there is a well-defined protrusion (welt), and the pads of the toes are relatively soft. All this allows animals, when moving along rocks and steep slopes, to cling to barely noticeable irregularities and not slip when running on icy snow. The horny substance of their hooves is very strong and grows quickly, so the hooves never “wear out” from being abraded by sharp stones. The structure of the legs of mountain ungulates allows them to make large jumps on steep slopes and quickly reach rocks where they can hide from persecution.

Siberian mountain goat.

During the day, rising air currents predominate in the mountains. This favors the soaring flight of large birds - bearded vultures, eagles and vultures. Soaring in the air, they search for carrion or live prey for a long time. The mountains are also characterized by birds with fast, swift flight: Caucasian mountain grouse, mountain turkey, swifts.
In the summer it is cold high in the mountains, so there are almost no reptiles there: after all, most of them are heat-loving. They only penetrate higher than others viviparous species reptiles: some lizards, vipers, and in northern Africa - chameleons. In Tibet, at an altitude of more than 5 thousand m, the viviparous round-headed lizard is found. Roundheads living on the plains, where the climate is warmer, lay eggs.
The lush plumage of mountain birds and the thick fur of animals protect them from the cold. Living in high mountains The Asian snow leopard has unusually long and lush fur, while its tropical relative, the leopard, has short and sparse fur. Animals living in the mountains shed much later in the spring than animals on the plains, and in the fall their fur begins to grow earlier.
Hummingbirds in the Andean highlands South America They nest in caves in large groups, which helps keep the birds warm. On cold nights, hummingbirds fall into torpor, thus minimizing energy expenditure on heating the body, the temperature of which can drop to +14°.
One of the remarkable adaptations to life in the mountains is vertical migrations, or migrations. With the onset of autumn, when it becomes cold high in the mountains, snowfalls begin and, most importantly, it becomes difficult to obtain food, many animals migrate lower down the mountain slopes.
A significant part of the birds living in the mountains of the northern hemisphere fly south at this time. Most birds that remain to winter in the mountains descend to the lower zones, often to the very foothills and surrounding plains. Very few birds, such as the mountain turkey, winter at high altitudes. It usually stays near places where aurochs graze. The snow here is sometimes dug up by their hooves, and it is easier for the bird to find food. The loud, alarming cry of a wary snowcock warns the aurochs of danger.

Mountain partridge partridges.

Deer, roe deer and wild boar, found in the mountains up to the alpine meadows, descend into the forest in the fall. This is also where most chamois go for the winter. Mountain goats migrate to the forested part of the mountains and settle here on steep rocky slopes. Sometimes they move to the southern slopes, where alpine meadows the snow melts in the very first hours or days after a snowfall, or on steeper windward slopes, where the snow is blown away by the winds.

Bearded vulture.

Following the wild ungulates, the predators that hunt them migrate - wolves, lynxes, snow leopards.
Diversity natural conditions in the mountains allows animals to find places for wintering near the areas where they live in the summer. Therefore, the seasonal migrations of animals in the mountains, as a rule, are much shorter than the migrations of animals and birds on the plains. In the Altai, Sayan and North-Eastern Siberia wild reindeer make seasonal migrations of only a few tens of kilometers, and their relatives living in the Far North, in order to reach their wintering place, sometimes travel a distance of five thousand kilometers or more.
In the spring, as the snow melts, the animals that have descended migrate back to the upper zones of the mountains. Among wild ungulates, adult males are the first to rise, followed by females with recently born, not yet strong enough babies.
Chamois, mountain goats, wild sheep and other ungulates living in the mountains often die in winter and early spring during snow avalanches. In the Alps in the winter of 1905/06, one of snow avalanches A herd of chamois was buried - about 70 heads.
When there is a lot of snow in the mountains, it is very difficult for wintering ungulates: the snow prevents them from moving and getting food. In the mountains of the Western Caucasus in 1931-1932. It was a very snowy winter. The layer of snow in some places exceeded 6 m. Many deer, roe deer and other animals migrated to the lower parts of the mountains, where the snow cover was less. This winter, roe deer ran into villages and were easily captured. They were caught and kept in barns along with livestock until the snow in the mountains melted and the roe deer were no longer in danger of dying from starvation. At the end of December 1936, snowfall in the Caucasus Nature Reserve continued for four days. At the upper border of the forest, the layer of new loose snow reached a meter. The reserve's scientific staff, while in the mountains, noticed a deep path leading down the slope. They skied along this trail and soon overtook a large auroch. Only a head with horns was visible from the snow.

Lama.

Some species of butterflies, bumblebees and wasps that live high in the mountains have thick pubescence on their bodies - this reduces heat loss. The latter is also facilitated by the shortening of the body appendages - antennae and legs.
Strong winds in the mountains make life difficult for flying insects. The wind often blows them onto snow fields and glaciers, where they die. As a result of long-term natural selection in the mountains, species of insects arose with greatly shortened, underdeveloped wings, which completely lost the ability to actively fly. Their closest relatives, living on the plains, are winged and can fly.
At high altitudes, insects are found only in places, where living conditions are most favorable for them.

Tundra partridge.

The animals of the mountains have not yet been sufficiently studied; many interesting pages from their lives have not yet been read and await young, inquisitive naturalists. The following reserves provide exceptional opportunities for observing the life of wild animals in the mountains: Caucasian, Crimean, Teberdinsky, Aksu-Dzhabaglinsky (Western Tien Shan), Sikhote-Alinsky, etc.

The nature of the mountains has always amazed humanity with its beauty. This is amazing and beautiful world in all respects. The relief was created over many billions of years and during this time it acquired bizarre and fascinating forms. What do the mountains hide? What plants and animals are there? You will find answers to these and other questions in the article.

Peculiarities of mountain nature

The mountain climate is unique and it is it that influences the weather of the entire planet, both seasonal and daily. At higher elevations, a special interaction between the earth and the air and rivers begins. Water, condensing and originating in the mountains, descends in thousands of streams down the slopes. Thanks to this movement, they are formed largest rivers. At higher elevations you can often see clouds and fog forming. Sometimes these phenomena cannot be distinguished from each other.

The higher it is, the more rarefied the air is, and the lower the temperature. And where there is cold, there is permafrost. Even the mountains in Africa are covered with snow and glaciers at their highest points. But at higher elevations the air is the cleanest and freshest. With altitude, precipitation, wind strength and solar radiation increase. You can even get eye burns from ultraviolet radiation in the mountains.

No less striking is the variety of vegetation, which replaces each other as the altitude increases.

Altitudinal belts of mountains

As you climb the mountains they change climatic conditions: temperature and air pressure decrease, increase solar radiation. This phenomenon is called altitudinal zonation(or zonality). And each such area has its own special landscape.

Desert-steppe belt. This landscape area is located at the foot of the mountains. A dry climate prevails here, so you can only find steppes and deserts. People often use this belt for household purposes.

Mountain forest zone. This is a belt with a very humid climate. The nature here is simply amazing: and fresh air just beckons you to go for a walk.

Mountain meadow belt. It consists of open forests alternating with subalpine meadows. This zone contains bleached trees, low shrubs and tall grasses.

Alpine belt. This is an area of highlands that lies above forests. Here you can only find bushes, which give way to screes.

Mountain-tundra zone. Characterized by cool short summer and harsh, long winter. But this does not mean that there is sparse vegetation here. Various types of shrubs, mosses and lichens grow in this area.

Nival belt. This is the highest point, an area of eternal snow and glaciers. Despite the rather harsh climatic conditions, certain species of lichens, algae and even some insects, rodents and birds are found here.

Name and amazing on the planet

Huangshan and Danxia- these are the colored mountains in China. They are painted in yellow and pink shades. You can often see beautiful lighting effects.

Mount Roraima in South America always attracts attention. It is interesting because the beds of numerous rivers are covered with quartz crystals of various colors.

Grand Canyon- this is a whole complex of valleys, ravines, gorges, caves and waterfalls. Due to the multi-colored layers of rocks, as well as the play of light and shadow, the mountain changes its shades every time.

In Africa Drakensberg Mountains They present beautiful landscapes with canyons, valleys, cliffs and waterfalls. The name of the mountains has a mystical origin. Its peaks are always hidden by fog, but they used to believe that it was a dragon releasing clouds of smoke.

Altai- these are mountains that Russia can be proud of. They are truly beautiful, especially in the autumn-winter period, when the waters become bottomlessly blue.

Hanging Rock is a mountain in Australia, better known as Hanging Rock. It rises one hundred meters above the surrounding terrain. This creates the impression that the mountain is hanging in the air.

Natural hazards

The dangers that lurk at every step are the features of the nature of the mountains. It’s worth remembering this when planning to conquer the peaks.

Rockfalls are most common in the mountains. Even the collapse of one boulder can cause an entire avalanche of boulders.

Mudflows are a mixture of water, loose soil, sand, stones and tree debris. This phenomenon begins suddenly and destroys everything in its path.

Icefalls are a beautiful, but no less dangerous sight. The frozen blocks never stop and almost reach the foot of the mountains.

Dangerous insects in the mountains

The nature of the mountains is dangerous not only for its formidable natural phenomena, but also insects, which are often found at higher elevations.

Perhaps the most common are ixodid ticks. They are dangerous because of the disease they carry - encephalitis, which can even leave them disabled. Ticks are found along trails and are most active in spring and summer.

The Vespa hornet is the largest representative of wasps, reaching five centimeters in size. These insects live in hollows and do not attack without reason. The bite is painful, but poses a threat of attack by several hornets.

Scorpios most often inhabit deserts, but they can also choose mountains in Africa or Australia. Since they tolerate cold and temperature fluctuations well, they can be found not only at the foot, but also at the tops. It is known that the bite of some species is poisonous and even fatal to humans. But these creatures do not attack without a reason. Scorpions hunt insects, which often fly into the light near fires and tents. During the day they hide under stones, stump bark and in rock cracks.

Scolopendra is dangerous only in hot climates, especially in autumn period. At this time, its bite becomes poisonous and can even lead to death. The female karakurt also poses a threat. The males of these spiders are not at all poisonous.

Mountain plants

As already mentioned, the mountains are characterized by different climatic conditions. Therefore, at higher elevations, a diverse plant community can be observed over a relatively short distance.

The nature of the mountains is harsh, but incredibly beautiful. Plants are forced to adapt to local conditions: biting wind, severe cold and bright light. Therefore, most often at altitude you can find low-growing representatives of the flora. They have a well-developed root system, which helps them obtain water and stay in the soil. Cushion-shaped vegetation is widespread; there are specimens in the form of rosettes that spread along the surface.

Meadows with alpine grasses give way to tundras, which are a bit reminiscent of the northern ones. Forests can be deciduous, coniferous or mixed. Here trees and shrubs also grow in the form of dwarf trees. Most often you can see larches, spruce, pine and fir. And only the highest ridges have no vegetation, but are covered with eternal glaciers and snow caps.

Healing mountain herbs

Very famous for their life-giving properties medicinal plants mountains People at all times climbed to high places to store useful herbs for future use. It is impossible to list all the diversity of these species, but there are several of the most popular medicinal plants:

hawthorn;
Siberian barberry;
bergenia thick-leaved;
valerian officinalis;
spring gentian;
knotweed;
golden root;
St. John's wort;
fireweed;
maral root;
alpine poppy;
dandelion;
rose hip;
edelweiss.

mountain animals

A lot of animals live in the forest area. When cold weather sets in, they descend into the warmer lower zone. These are deer, wild boar and roe deer. But representatives of the fauna with a warm coat and long hair only sometimes descend from a height in search of food and warmth. These include mountain goats, sheep, argali, tundra partridge, horned lark, snowcock and mountain hare.

Animals living in the mountains have adapted very well to harsh conditions. They tolerate cold well and move deftly along rocks and steep slopes. This is not only but also snow leopards, foxes, wolves, hares, gophers and marmots.

Most birds come here for the summer, and only live here permanently. large predators: golden eagles and eagles. Mountain reptiles also like to bask in the sun: lizards, snakes, salamanders and chameleons.

The nature of the mountains is so amazing and diverse that it certainly deserves human attention.

Living conditions in the mountains are very different from those on the plains. As you rise into the mountains, the climate changes: the temperature drops, the wind strength increases, the air becomes thinner, and winter becomes longer.
The nature of the vegetation from the foot of the mountains to the peaks is also different. In the mountains of Central Asia, desert and steppe foothills usually give way to forest, which is first dominated by deciduous and then coniferous species. Higher up there is low-growing, curved downslope subalpine forest and thickets of bushes. Alpine low-growing vegetation begins even higher, vaguely reminiscent of the vegetation of the northern tundra. The Alpine mountain belt is directly bordered by snow fields, glaciers and rocks; there, among the stones, only rare grass, moss and lichens are found.
The change of vegetation in the mountains occurs over just a few thousand meters, counting vertically. This phenomenon is called vertical zoning or zonation. This change in vegetation is in the most general terms similar to the latitudinal zonation of nature on Earth: deserts and steppes are replaced by forests, forests by forest-tundra and tundra.
Natural conditions in the mountains change not only with height, but also when moving from one slope to another. Sometimes even neighboring sections of the same slope have different natural conditions. It all depends on the position of the site in relation to the cardinal points, on its steepness and on how open it is to the winds.
The diversity of living conditions contributes to the fact that the mountains are inhabited by many species of animals. In terms of the number of species of mountain animals, the forest belt of the mountains is the richest. The highlands are much poorer in them. The living conditions there are too harsh: even in summer, frosts are possible at night, and there is little food. Therefore, the higher you go in the mountains, the fewer animal species there are usually. The most elevated parts of the high mountains are covered with eternal snow and are almost completely devoid of life.
Very high in the mountains - almost up to 6 thousand m - mountain goats and sheep come; Occasionally, a mountain leopard, the snow leopard, comes up here after them. Of the vertebrate animals, only vultures, eagles and some other birds penetrate even higher. The bearded vulture was seen in the Himalayas at an altitude of almost 7 thousand m, and the condor was seen in the Andes at an even higher altitude. When climbing Chomolungma (Everest), climbers observed choughs - close relatives of our crows - at an altitude of 8100 m.
Some animals, particularly crows and hares, are found in almost all mountain zones, but most species live in only a few or even one zone. For example, bullfinches and yellow-headed wrens nest in the Caucasus Mountains only in the belt of dark coniferous forests formed by fir and spruce.

Irbis or snow leopard.

On the mountains, each vertical zone has its own fauna, which is to some extent similar to the fauna of the corresponding latitudinal zones of the Earth. Animals of the mountain forest belt resemble animals of broad-leaved forests and taiga.

Argali.

The tundra partridge, living on the northern coast of Siberia and on the Arctic islands, is also found in the alpine belt of the mountains of Europe and Asia, where living conditions are similar to the Arctic. Some other animals common in the Arctic also live in the alpine mountain belt: for example, reindeer live in the mountains of Southern Siberia and East Asia. The habitats of deer in Altai are located in most cases not lower than 1500 m above sea level, that is, mainly in the subalpine and alpine mountain belts, where moss and other terrestrial lichens grow in abundance. In winter, when moss and other lichens are of great importance in the diet of reindeer, the nature of the snow cover plays an important role in the choice of habitat. If the snow is too deep and dense, then ground lichens are inaccessible to deer. In winter, the treeless slopes of the mountains of the Alpine belt are most favorable for the life of deer, where snow is blown away by the winds and melts in the sun on clear days.
The fauna of the Alpine belt is very peculiar, where many animals unknown on the plains are found: various species of mountain goats (in Western Europe - the Alpine ibex, in the Caucasus - the tur, in the mountains of Asia - the Siberian mountain goat), chamois, Asian red wolf, some rodents, vultures, mountain turkey, or snowcock, alpine jackdaw, etc.
The fauna in the alpine belt of the mountains of Europe, Asia, North America and northern Africa is generally homogeneous. This is explained by the fact that in the highlands of the northern hemisphere, living conditions are very similar.
Many mountain animals live only where there are rocks. Musk deer, mountain goats, Chubuk bighorn sheep, argali and goral antelope escape from predators in the rocks. Birds - rock pigeon, swifts and red-winged wallcreeper - find convenient nesting places there. The wall climber crawls along steep rocks like a woodpecker along a tree trunk. With its fluttering flight, this small bird with bright crimson wings resembles a butterfly. In dry, sunny areas of the mountains, chukar are often found.
Screes form in many mountains; The life of such animals as the snow vole and the mountain pika (otherwise known as hayfowl) is associated with them. Starting from the second half of summer, especially in autumn, these animals diligently collect blades of grass and twigs of bushes with leaves, lay them out on stones to dry, and then carry the hay under a shelter made of stones.
The peculiar natural conditions of life in the mountains affected the appearance of the animals that constantly live there, their body shapes, lifestyle and habits. They have developed characteristic adaptations that help in the struggle for existence. For example, mountain goats, chamois, and American snow goats have large, mobile hooves that can move widely apart. Along the edges of the hooves - from the sides and in front - there is a well-defined protrusion (welt), and the pads of the toes are relatively soft. All this allows animals, when moving along rocks and steep slopes, to cling to barely noticeable irregularities and not slip when running on icy snow. The horny substance of their hooves is very strong and grows quickly, so the hooves never “wear out” from being abraded by sharp stones. The structure of the legs of mountain ungulates allows them to make large jumps on steep slopes and quickly reach rocks where they can hide from persecution.

Siberian mountain goat.

During the day, rising air currents predominate in the mountains. This favors the soaring flight of large birds - bearded vultures, eagles and vultures. Soaring in the air, they search for carrion or live prey for a long time. The mountains are also characterized by birds with fast, swift flight: Caucasian mountain grouse, mountain turkey, swifts.
In the summer it is cold high in the mountains, so there are almost no reptiles there: after all, most of them are heat-loving. Only viviparous species of reptiles penetrate higher than others: some lizards, vipers, and in northern Africa - chameleons. In Tibet, at an altitude of more than 5 thousand m, the viviparous round-headed lizard is found. Roundheads living on the plains, where the climate is warmer, lay eggs.
The lush plumage of mountain birds and the thick fur of animals protect them from the cold. The snow leopard, which lives in the high mountains of Asia, has unusually long and lush fur, while its tropical relative, the leopard, has short and sparse fur. Animals living in the mountains shed much later in the spring than animals on the plains, and in the fall their fur begins to grow earlier.
Hummingbirds in the Andean highlands of South America nest in caves in large groups, which helps keep the birds warm. On cold nights, hummingbirds fall into torpor, thus minimizing energy expenditure on heating the body, the temperature of which can drop to +14°.
One of the remarkable adaptations to life in the mountains is vertical migrations, or migrations. With the onset of autumn, when it becomes cold high in the mountains, snowfalls begin and, most importantly, it becomes difficult to obtain food, many animals migrate lower down the mountain slopes.
A significant part of the birds living in the mountains of the northern hemisphere fly south at this time. Most birds that remain to winter in the mountains descend to the lower zones, often to the very foothills and surrounding plains. Very few birds, such as the mountain turkey, winter at high altitudes. It usually stays near places where aurochs graze. The snow here is sometimes dug up by their hooves, and it is easier for the bird to find food. The loud, alarming cry of a wary snowcock warns the aurochs of danger.

Mountain partridge partridges.

Deer, roe deer and wild boar, found in the mountains up to the alpine meadows, descend into the forest in the fall. This is also where most chamois go for the winter. Mountain goats migrate to the forested part of the mountains and settle here on steep rocky slopes. Sometimes they move to the southern slopes, where the snow melts on alpine meadows in the very first hours or days after a snowfall, or to steeper windward slopes, where the snow is blown away by the winds.

Bearded vulture.

Following the wild ungulates, the predators that hunt them migrate - wolves, lynxes, snow leopards.
The diversity of natural conditions in the mountains allows animals to find places to winter near the areas where they live in the summer. Therefore, the seasonal migrations of animals in the mountains, as a rule, are much shorter than the migrations of animals and birds on the plains. In the Altai, Sayan and North-Eastern Siberia mountains, wild reindeer make seasonal migrations of only a few tens of kilometers, while their relatives living in the Far North sometimes travel half a thousand kilometers or more in order to reach their wintering grounds.
In the spring, as the snow melts, the animals that have descended migrate back to the upper zones of the mountains. Among wild ungulates, adult males are the first to rise, followed by females with recently born, not yet strong enough babies.
Chamois, mountain goats, wild sheep and other ungulates living in the mountains often die in winter and early spring during snowfalls. In the Alps in the winter of 1905/06, one of the avalanches buried a herd of chamois - about 70 heads.
When there is a lot of snow in the mountains, it is very difficult for wintering ungulates: the snow prevents them from moving and getting food. In the mountains of the Western Caucasus in 1931-1932. It was a very snowy winter. The layer of snow in some places exceeded 6 m. Many deer, roe deer and other animals migrated to the lower parts of the mountains, where the snow cover was less. This winter, roe deer ran into villages and were easily captured. They were caught and kept in barns along with livestock until the snow in the mountains melted and the roe deer were no longer in danger of dying from starvation. At the end of December 1936, snowfall in the Caucasus Nature Reserve continued for four days. At the upper border of the forest, the layer of new loose snow reached a meter. The reserve's scientific staff, while in the mountains, noticed a deep path leading down the slope. They skied along this trail and soon overtook a large auroch. Only a head with horns was visible from the snow.

Lama.

Tundra partridge.