About any mountain animals and plants. Mountain animals. Siberian ibex

11.06.2019

As we already said in the article about the mountain climate, it is fundamentally different from the plain climate, therefore the living conditions of both plants and animals in the mountains and on the plain are different. Not every animal is able to survive in the mountains. This is due, first of all, to the rarefied air, and secondly, to the change of vegetation, which is necessary for feeding many lowland animals.

Despite the hard-to-reach rocky places, steep cliffs and descents, animal world mountains are very diverse. In the middle belt of mountains, where there are forests and the climate is milder, the number of animal species is much greater than on the plain. Above the subalpine edges, the number of animal species begins to noticeably decrease. And the tops of the mountains, covered with eternal snows, are almost devoid of life. On the top of Mont Blanc (4807 m) traces of chamois were seen; mountain goats, yaks and some types of sheep also go high into the mountains (up to 6000 m). Occasionally at such a height you can meet an irbis - a snow leopard.

Birds manage to climb above all mountain animals. On Everest, climbers observed alpine jackdaws, in the Nepalese Himalayas at an altitude of 5700 m, a nest of snow partridge was found. In the Andes they saw a condor, in the Himalayas (7500 m) - a bearded lamb.

Each mountain zone is characterized certain kind animals, based on commonality with the fauna living in the corresponding latitudinal zone.
For example, in the mountains of southern Siberia in the tundra belt, there is a reindeer, a horned lark, a tundra partridge, for which the native zone is the northern tundra. Homogeneous in in general terms the mountain belt of Europe, Asia, North America, since in the alpine belt of mountains the lifestyle of the fauna is similar and it is common center her appearance.

For many animals, for example: mountain goat, bighorn sheep, argali, goral and musk deer, rocks are the most comfortable habitat area, as you can escape from predators there. Rocks are also a shelter from bad weather for birds, and a convenient place for nesting. The red-winged wall-climber got its name because it moves along a sheer cliff, like a woodpecker on a tree. Pigeons and swifts familiar to us also nest in rocky niches with pleasure.

A mountain pika, also called a snow vole, scurries back and forth in stony screes. On stones she dries thin twigs, straws, blades of grass, leaves, and then takes them to stone shelters: she uses them as hay.

Summer in the mountains is cold, so you rarely see reptiles there (they are thermophilic), with the exception of viviparous - lizards and vipers, and in northern Africa - chameleons. Hummingbirds have adapted to endure the cold in a peculiar way: during the day they gather in groups in caves, thus warming each other, and at night they fall into a stupor, saving energy for heating the body.

Deer, roe deer, wild boars and other wild ungulates descend from the mountains to the forest in summer, where the snow has melted and it is easier to get food. They are followed by predators - wolves, snow leopards, foxes. The natural conditions in the mountains are so diverse that they allow animals to winter near those areas where they live in summer.

The insects of the mountainous regions are so diverse in their appearance and lifestyle that deserve a separate encyclopedic article and special attention inquisitive naturalists.

The nature of the mountains at all times amazed humanity with its beauty. It's amazing and beautiful world in every way. The relief has been created for many billions of years and during this time it has acquired bizarre and bewitching forms. What do mountains hide in themselves? What kind of plants and animals are there? You will find answers to these and other questions in the article.

Features of the nature of the mountains

The mountain climate is unique and it is he who influences the weather of the entire planet, both seasonal and daily. On the hills, a special interaction of the earth with air and rivers begins. Water, condensing and originating in the mountains, descends in thousands of streams down the slopes. Due to this movement, they form major rivers. On the hills, one can often observe how clouds and fogs are born. Sometimes these phenomena cannot be distinguished from each other.

The higher, the more rarefied the air, and the lower the temperature. Where there is cold, there eternal Frost. Even the mountains in Africa in their high points covered with snow and glaciers. But on the hills the air is the cleanest and freshest. With height, the amount of precipitation, the strength of the wind and the radiation of the sun increase. From ultraviolet radiation in the mountains, you can even get a burn to the eyes.

No less striking is the diversity of vegetation, which replaces each other as the height increases.

Altitudinal belts of mountains

When climbing in the mountains change climatic conditions: air temperature and pressure decrease, air pressure increases solar radiation. This phenomenon is called altitudinal zonality (or zonality). And each such area has its own special landscape.

Desert-steppe belt. This landscape zone is located at the foot of the mountains. A dry climate prevails here, so only steppes and deserts can be found. Often people use this belt for economic purposes.

Mountain forest zone. This is a belt with a very humid climate. There is simply amazing nature here: and Fresh air and beckon to go for a walk.

Mountain meadow belt. Represents woodlands, alternating with subalpine meadows. Lightened trees, low shrubs and tall grasses grow in this zone.

Alpine belt. This is an area of highlands, which is located above the forests. Here you can find only shrubs, which are replaced by stone screes.

Mountain tundra zone. Characterized by cool short summer and severe long winter. But this does not mean that there is sparse vegetation. This area grows different kinds shrubs, mosses and lichens.

Nival belt. This is the highest point, the area of eternal snows and glaciers. Despite the rather harsh climatic conditions, there are certain types lichens, algae and even some insects, rodents and birds.

Name and amazing on the planet

Huangshan and Denxia are the colored mountains in China. They are colored yellow and pink. You can often observe beautiful lighting effects.

Mount Roraima in South America always catches the eye. It is interesting because the channels of numerous rivers are covered with quartz crystals of various colors.

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

In Africa dragon mountains are 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 it used to be believed that it was the dragon that emits puffs of smoke.

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

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

Dangerous natural phenomena

The dangers lurking at every turn are the features of the nature of the mountains. It is 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 avalanche of boulders.

Mudflows are a mixture of water, loose soil, sand, stones and tree debris. This phenomenon begins suddenly and demolishes 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 on hills.

Perhaps the most common ixodid ticks. They are dangerous with the disease they carry - encephalitis, as a result of which you can even remain disabled. Ticks are found along trails and are most active in spring and summer.

The Vespa hornet is the largest representative of wasps, whose dimensions reach five centimeters. These insects live in hollows and do not attack for no reason. The bite is painful, but poses a threat to the attack of several hornets.

Scorpions 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 peaks. The bite of some species is known to be venomous and even fatal to humans. But without a reason, these creatures do not attack. Scorpions prey on insects, which often come to light near the fire and tents. During the day they hide under stones, bark of stumps and in rock crevices.

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

Mountain plants

As already mentioned, the mountains are characterized by different climatic conditions. Therefore, on the hills at a relatively short distance one can observe the diversity of the plant community.

The nature of the mountains is harsh, but incredibly beautiful. Plants are forced to adapt to local conditions: prickly wind, cruel cold and bright light. Therefore, most often at a height you can meet undersized representatives of the flora. They have a well-developed root system, which helps to extract 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 are replaced by tundras, which are a bit reminiscent of northern ones. Forests can be deciduous, coniferous and mixed. Here, trees and shrubs also grow in the form of dwarfs. Most often you can see larch, spruce, pine and fir. And only the highest ridges do not have 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 have risen to the heights in order to prepare useful herbs for the future. All the variety of these species cannot be listed, but there are several of the most popular medicinal plants:

hawthorn;
Siberian barberry;
badan thick-leaved;
valerian officinalis;
spring gentian;
highlander bird;
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 zone. When cold weather sets in, they sink into the warmer lower zone. These are deer, wild boars and roe deer. But representatives of the fauna with a warm cover 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 white hare.

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

Most of the 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 attention from a person.

Living conditions in the mountains are very different from the plains. As you climb the mountains, the climate changes: the temperature drops, the wind strength increases, the air becomes more rarefied, the winter is longer.
The nature of the vegetation is also different from the foot of the mountains to the peaks. In the mountains Central Asia desert and steppe foothills are usually replaced by forests, in which deciduous trees predominate at first, and then conifers. Higher up is a stunted, subalpine crooked forest, curved down the slope, and thickets of shrubs. Alpine stunted vegetation begins even higher, vaguely resembling the vegetation of the northern tundra. The Alpine belt of mountains directly borders on snow fields, glaciers and rocks; there among the stones there are only rare grass, moss and lichens.
The change of vegetation in the mountains occurs over a distance of only a few thousand meters, counting vertically. This phenomenon is called vertical zonality or zonality. Such a change of vegetation in the most general terms is similar to latitudinal zonality 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 areas 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 mountains is the richest. Highlands are much poorer than them. There, living conditions are too harsh: even in summer frosts are possible at night, there is little food. Therefore, the higher 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.
Mountain goats and sheep come very high into the mountains - almost up to 6 thousand meters; occasionally, after them, a mountain leopard rises here - an irbis. Of the vertebrates, only vultures, eagles and some other birds penetrate even higher. The bearded lamb was seen in the Himalayas at an altitude of almost 7 thousand meters, and the condor was seen in the Andes at an even higher altitude. When climbing Chomolungma (Everest), climbers observed at an altitude of 8100 m choughs - close relatives of our crows.
Some animals, in particular crows and hares, are found in almost all zones of the mountains, but most species live in only a few or even in one zone. For example, bullfinches and yellow-headed kinglets 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, to some extent similar to the fauna of the corresponding latitudinal zones of the Earth. Animals of the forest belt of mountains 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 those in the Arctic. Some other animals common in the Arctic also live in the Alpine belt of mountains: for example, in the mountains of Southern Siberia and East Asia reindeer lives. Deer habitats in Altai are located in most cases not lower than 1500 m above sea level, that is, mainly in the subalpine and alpine belts of mountains, where reindeer moss and other terrestrial lichens grow in abundance. AT winter time when in reindeer diet great importance moss and other lichens have an important role in the choice of habitat is played by the nature of the snow cover. 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 zone are most favorable for the life of deer, where the snow is blown away by the winds, and on clear days it melts in the sun.
The fauna of the Alpine belt is very peculiar, where many animals are found that are unknown on the plains: various types of mountain goats (in Western Europe- alpine ibex, in the Caucasus - tour, 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 due to 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, bighorn sheep chubuk, argali and goral antelope are saved in the rocks from predators. Birds - rock pigeon, swifts and red-winged wall-climbers - find convenient places for nesting there. The wall climber crawls along sheer cliffs like a woodpecker along a tree trunk. With its fluttering flight, this small bird with bright crimson wings resembles a butterfly. Keklik is often found in dry sunny areas of the mountains.
In many mountains, screes form; the life of such animals as the snow vole and the mountain pika is associated with them (otherwise it is called a haystack). Starting from the second half of summer, especially in autumn, these animals diligently collect blades of grass and twigs of shrubs with leaves, lay them out on stones to dry, and then take the hay under the shelter of stones.
The peculiar natural conditions of life in the mountains affected appearance animals constantly living there, on the forms of their bodies, lifestyle and habits. They have developed characteristic adaptations helping in the struggle for existence. For example, mountain goats, chamois, American bighorn goat large, mobile hooves, capable of spreading widely. Along the edges of the hooves - from the sides and in front - a protrusion (welt) is well defined, the pads of the fingers are relatively soft. All this allows animals to cling to barely noticeable bumps when moving along rocks and steep slopes and not to slip when running on icy snow. The horny substance of their hooves is very strong and grows back quickly, so the hooves never “wear out” from abrasion on sharp stones. The structure of the legs of mountain ungulates allows them to make big jumps on steep slopes and quickly reach rocks where they can hide from persecution.

Siberian mountain goat.

During the day, ascending currents of air prevail in the mountains. It favors soaring flight large birds- bearded lamb, eagles and vultures. Soaring in the air, they seek out 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.
It is cold in the summer high in the mountains, so there are almost no reptiles there: after all, for the most part they are thermophilic. Only viviparous species of reptiles penetrate above others: some lizards, vipers, in northern Africa - chameleons. In Tibet, at an altitude of more than 5 thousand meters, there is a viviparous round-headed lizard. Roundheads, living on the plains, where the climate is warmer, lay eggs.
Lush plumage of mountain birds and thick fur of animals protect them from the cold. The one who lives in high mountains The Asiatic snow leopard has unusually long and luxuriant fur, while its tropical cousin the leopard has short and sparse fur. Animals living in the mountains molt much later in spring than animals of the plains, and in autumn their hair begins to grow back earlier.
Hummingbirds in the Andean highlands of South America nest in caves in large communities, which helps keep the birds warm. On cold nights, hummingbirds fall into a stupor, thus minimizing the energy consumption for 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, food is difficult to obtain, many animals migrate down the slopes of the mountains.
A significant part of the birds that live in the mountains of the northern hemisphere fly south for this time. Most of the birds that remain to winter in the mountains descend to the lower zones, often to the very foothills and surrounding plains. On the high altitude very few birds hibernate, such as the mountain turkey. It usually stays near places where tours graze. The snow here is torn apart by their hooves, and it is easier for the bird to find food. The loud, alarming cry of a cautious snowcock warns the aurochs of danger.

Partridge partridges.

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

Bearded lamb.

Following wild ungulates, predators hunting 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 are, as a rule, much shorter than the migrations of animals and birds on the plains. In the mountains of Altai, Sayan and North-Eastern Siberia wild reindeer make seasonal migrations for only a few tens of kilometers, and their relatives living in the Far North, in order to reach the wintering place, sometimes make a journey of five hundred kilometers or more.
In the spring, as the snow melts, the animals that descend down migrate back to the upper zones of the mountains. Among wild ungulates, adult males are the first to rise, later - 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 snow avalanches buried a herd of chamois - about 70 heads.
When a lot of snow falls in the mountains, it is very difficult for wintering ungulates: snow prevents them from moving and foraging. In the mountains of the Western Caucasus in 1931-1932. was very snowy winter. The snow layer in some places exceeded 6 m. Many deer, roe deer and other animals migrated to the lower parts of the mountains, where snow cover was less. In this winter, roe deer ran into the villages and were easily given into hands. They were caught and kept in barns along with cattle until the snow melted in the mountains and the roe deer were no longer threatened with starvation. At the end of December 1936 in Caucasian Reserve The snowfall continued for four days. At the upper border of the forest, a layer of new loose snow reached a meter. Researchers of the reserve, being in the mountains, they noticed a deep path that went down the slope. They skied down this trail and soon overtook a large tur. 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 dense pubescence on the body - this reduces heat loss. The latter is also facilitated by the shortening of the appendages of the body - the antennae and legs.
Strong winds in the mountains make life difficult for flying insects. The wind often brings them to snow fields and glaciers, where they die. As a result of long natural selection in the mountains, species of insects arose with greatly shortened, underdeveloped wings, which had completely lost the ability to actively fly. Their closest relatives, living on the plains, are winged and can fly.
On the high altitudes insects are found only in places where living conditions are most favorable for them.

Tundra partridge.

Animals of the mountains have not yet been studied enough, a lot interesting pages from their life has not yet been read and is waiting for young inquisitive naturalists. Exceptional opportunities for observing the life of wild animals in the mountains are the reserves: Caucasian, Crimean, Teberdinsky, Aksu-Dzhabaglinsky (Western Tien Shan), Sikhote-Alinsky and others.

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 do not realize that someone props up their sky there. Hares jump on the ground and marmots sing their songs. Groundhogs in general, if only to sing songs.

Today, the nature of the Alps is extremely rich in all living creatures. But the realization that nature should be preserved did not come to the Europeans immediately. The facts of the monstrous "royal hunts" with the killing of hundreds and thousands of animals for fun are also known, and completely extinct species 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 relevant laws, it seems, in 1400 ... But from the first half of the 20th century, a movement for the conservation of nature began in the Alps. Remarkably, its first initiators and even the creators of the first national parks became the same persons of the type of the last kings of Italy, who quite recently decorated their castles with the horns of chamois and wild goats killed in the hunt. That is, the consciousness of Europeans has changed, and as a result, today we meet all kinds of animals on our path and politely make way for each other without fear of being eaten, bypassing any licenses and UN conventions.

Free-roaming animals are free to roam on their own. Which means - they are not at all obliged to come out to you and let themselves be stroked. Therefore, whether you meet someone on your morning run or not depends on the case. But if you want to be guaranteed to see the real wild creatures in the conditions of the real wild forest, and even stroke some of them, you should go to visit the local park 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 trekking, 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 are there, hand over to the cashier at the entrance the amount of about seven euros per person and enter the world of animals. By the way, there are all human conditions there - a conference hall and a restaurant.

Just don't be scared, - says the girl who sold the entrance tickets. We have very independent animals. Yesterday, a little goat went into a restaurant, walked around the hall and grabbed customers by the shirt flaps with his teeth, and invited them to play.

It's kind of touching...

Yes, our animals approach visitors wholeheartedly, and some ... not only are afraid, they are simply not used to it, and therefore they do not react quite adequately. Now you will go along the path, and llamas will surely come to you. They are the most sociable here. Do not drive them away, otherwise they will be offended. They love being stroked.

Is it necessary to say that the most grateful visitors to this world of animals are the smallest guests of the park? The objects of adoration squeak with pleasure at the hands of the subjects, and it is not clear for certain which of them squeaks louder.

In terms of population density of animal souls per square six acres, the park can be compared to a zoo. But no cages, aviaries, 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. In fact, what kind of competition can there be between an antelope and a marmot? Here, by the way, is the groundhog - dug himself underground palaces and went to the surface to see what was happening around. Nothing special happened around, except for the light rain that was already drizzling.

So that a walk through the reserve does not turn into a chaotic movement in an attempt to catch up and photograph this or that animal, it is recommended to follow the laid routes - one is “easy”, the other, relatively speaking, is “difficult”. The difficulty lies in the fact that there is a segment of the way to climb the natural mountainous terrain, which in the absence of asphalt, as it were, requires boots with a pronounced tread. At the entrance, you can take a map showing 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 in store, it’s good to sit on one of them, drink tea and watch how mountain goats and small deer frolic a little lower in the ravine. Drops of spring rain rustle on your hood. To merge with nature is to merge.

Living conditions in the mountains are very different from the plains. As you climb the mountains, the climate changes rapidly: the temperature drops, the amount of precipitation increases, the air becomes more rarefied. Changes from the foot of the mountains to the peaks and the nature of the vegetation.

On some mountains of Central Asia, desert and steppe foothills are gradually replaced by forests; at first it is dominated by deciduous, and then by coniferous species. Higher up, the forest gives way to stunted subalpine crooked forests and thickets of shrubs, curved down the slope. Alpine stunted vegetation begins even higher, vaguely resembling the vegetation of the northern tundra. The Alpine zone directly borders on snow fields, glaciers and rocks; there, among the stones, only rare grass and lichens are found (see Art. "").

The change of vegetation on the mountains occurs over a distance of only a few thousand meters. This phenomenon is called vertical zoning. Such a change of vegetation is similar to the latitudinal zonality of nature on Earth: deserts and steppes are replaced by forests, forests - by forest-tundra and tundra - but the latitudinal zones stretch for hundreds and thousands of kilometers.

Natural conditions in the mountains change not only with height, but also when moving from one slope to another, sometimes even to a neighboring section of the same slope, if it has a different position in relation to the cardinal points, a different steepness, or it is otherwise open to winds. All this creates an exceptional diversity of living conditions in close to each other parts of the mountains.

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 zone is the richest. Highlands are much poorer than them. There, the living conditions are too harsh: even in summer frosts are possible at night, the winds are stronger here, the winter is longer, there is less food, and at a very high altitude the air is rarefied and there is little oxygen in it. The higher up the mountains, the fewer species of animals - this is typical for most mountainous countries.

The most elevated parts of the high mountains are covered with eternal snow and are almost completely devoid of life. Only live there small insects- podura, also called glacial fleas and. They feed on pollen coniferous trees carried there by the wind.

Mountain goats and sheep can enter very high mountains - almost up to 6000 m. Of the vertebrates, only vultures and eagles penetrate above them, and occasionally other smaller birds fly in. In 1953, when climbing Chomolungma (Everest), climbers saw at an altitude of 7900 m cloves - close relatives of our crows.

Some animals, such as ravens and hares, are found in almost all zones of the mountains; most animals live in only a few or even in one zone. For example, bullfinches and yellow-headed beetles nest in the Caucasus Mountains only in the zone of dark coniferous forests formed by fir and spruce.

On the mountains, each vertical zone has its own fauna, to some extent similar to the fauna of the corresponding latitudinal zones of the Earth.

The tundra partridge lives on the northern coast of Siberia and on the Arctic islands, but is also found in the alpine zone of the mountains of Europe and Asia, where living conditions are most similar to those in the Arctic. In the alpine zone of the mountains, there are also some other animals common in the Arctic, for example, reindeer lives in the mountains of South Siberia and East Asia.

The fauna of the alpine zone is most peculiar, where many animals are found that are unknown on the plains: various types of mountain goats (in Western Europe - stone ibex, in the Caucasus - tour, in the mountains of Asia - Siberian ibex), chamois, Asian red wolf, some rodents, vulture , mountain turkey, or snowcock, alpine jackdaw, etc.

Interestingly, the fauna of the Alpine zone in Europe, Asia, North America and northern Africa is generally homogeneous. This is due to the fact that in the highlands of different parts of the world, living conditions are very similar.

Many mountain animals live only where there are rocks. Musk deer, mountain goats and goral antelope are saved in the rocks from predators. The red-winged wall-climber, the rock pigeon and the swift find suitable nesting places there. Now on many mountains you can meet in the rocks of argali and other wild sheep. This is apparently due to the long pursuit of them by hunters. Where wild sheep are of little concern, they prefer to live on relatively gentle slopes, and only the bighorn sheep, or chubuk, living in the mountains Northeast Asia, lifestyle is very similar to mountain goats.

In many mountains, screes form; the life of interesting animals is connected with them - snow voles and mountain pikas (otherwise it is called haystack). These rodents prepare small piles of hay for winter. Starting from the second half of summer, especially in autumn, the animals diligently collect blades of grass and twigs of shrubs with leaves, dry them and put them under a shelter of stones.

The peculiar conditions of life in the mountains affected the appearance of animals, the forms of their bodies, their way of life and habits. Many generations of these animals lived in the mountains, and therefore they developed characteristic adaptations that help in the struggle for existence. For example, mountain goats, chamois, American bighorn goats, bighorn sheep have large, mobile hooves that can move apart widely. Along the edges of the hooves - from the sides and in front - a protrusion (welt) is well defined, the pads of the fingers are relatively soft. All this allows animals to cling to barely noticeable bumps when moving along rocks and steep slopes, and not to slip when running on icy snow. The horny substance of their hooves is very strong and grows back quickly, so the hooves never “wear out” from abrasion on sharp stones. The legs of mountain ungulates allow them to make strong jumps on steep slopes and quickly reach rocks where they can hide from persecution.

During the day, ascending currents of air prevail in the mountains. This favors the soaring flight of large birds - bearded lamb, large eagles and vultures. Soaring in the air, they seek out carrion or live prey for a long time. The mountains are also characterized by birds with fast, swift flight: Caucasian mountain grouse, mountain turkey, swift.

The mountains are constantly blowing strong winds. They make life difficult for flying insects. The wind often brings them to snow fields and glaciers - places unsuitable for the life of insects, where they die. As a result of long-term natural selection, species of insects arose in the mountains with greatly shortened, underdeveloped wings, which have completely lost the ability to actively fly. The closest relatives of these insects, living on the plains, are winged and can fly.

It is cold in the summer high in the mountains, so there are almost no reptiles there: after all, for the most part they are thermophilic. Above others, viviparous species of reptiles penetrate the mountains: some lizards, vipers, in northern Africa - chameleons. In Tibet, at an altitude of more than 5000 m, a viviparous round-headed lizard is found. Roundheads, living on the plains, where the climate is warmer, lay eggs.

On the plains, night bats are active both at dusk and at night, in the highlands they lead a diurnal lifestyle: at night the air is too cold for them.

Some species of butterflies, bumblebees and wasps that live high in the mountains have dense pubescence on the body - this reduces heat loss. The magnificent plumage of mountain birds and the thick fur of animals also protect animals 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 rarer fur. Animals living in the mountains molt much later in spring than animals of the plains, and in autumn their hair begins to grow back earlier.

One of the remarkable adaptations caused by living conditions in the mountains is vertical migrations, or migrations.

In autumn, when it becomes cold high in the mountains, snowfalls begin and, most importantly, food is difficult to obtain, many animals migrate down the slopes of the mountains.

A significant part of the birds that live in the mountains of the Northern Hemisphere fly south for the winter. Of the birds that remain in the mountains for the winter, most descend to the lower zones, often to the very foothills and surrounding plains. Very few birds winter at high altitudes, such as the mountain turkey.

Deer, roe deer and wild boars are found in the mountains up to the alpine meadows; in autumn they descend into the forest. Most of the chamois go here for the winter. Mountain goats migrate to the forest part of the mountains and settle here on steep rocky slopes. Sometimes they move to the southern slopes, where snow melts in alpine meadows in the very first hours or days after a snowfall, or to steeper windward slopes, where the snow is simply blown away by the winds. Following wild ungulates, predators hunting them migrate - wolves, lynxes, snow leopards.

The variety of natural conditions in the mountains allows animals to find places for wintering near those areas where they live in summer. Therefore, the seasonal migrations of animals in the mountains are, as a rule, much shorter than the migrations of animals and birds on the plains. In the mountains of Altai, Sayan and North-Eastern Siberia, wild reindeer make seasonal migrations for only a few tens of kilometers, and deer living on far north to reach the wintering place, sometimes they make a journey of a thousand kilometers.

In the spring, as the snow melts, the animals that descend down migrate to the upper zones of the mountains. Among wild ungulates, adult males are the first to rise, later - 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 1905-1906. one of the snow avalanches buried a herd of chamois - about 70 goals.

In the Caucasus Reserve, it was possible to observe goat-turs during a heavy snowfall. From the opposite slope of the gorge fell snow avalanches. But the tours, usually very cautious, did not pay attention to this. Apparently, they are accustomed to the menacing sounds of a snow avalanche.

When a lot of snow falls in the mountains, it is very difficult for ungulates: it prevents them not only from moving around, but also from getting food. In the mountains of the Western Caucasus in 1931-1932. it was a very snowy winter. The snow layer 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. In this winter, roe deer ran into the villages and were easily given into hands. They were caught and kept in barns along with cattle until the snow melted in the mountains.

At the end of December 1936, snowfall continued for four days in the Caucasian Reserve. At the upper border of the forest, a layer of new loose snow reached a meter. The scientists of the reserve went out to explore the state of the snow and noticed a fresh deep path that went down the slope. They skied down this trail and soon overtook a large tur. Only a head with horns was visible from the snow.

The tour was so helpless that one of the employees could even afford to take liberties with him - he sat down on wild tour on horseback! Another employee photographed the scene. Tur was helped out of the snow and left. The next day, his tracks were found much lower - in the forest on a steep slope, where the tour could feed on lichens hanging from fir branches.

Some species of mountain animals have good wool and edible meat. They can be used to crossbreed with pets. Interesting experiments were carried out in the Soviet Union: aurochs and bezoar goats were crossed with domestic goats, argali and mouflons were crossed with domestic rams.

From mountain animals to different time and in different parts In the world, a man domesticated a goat, in Asia - a yak, in South America - a llama. Yak and llama are used in the mountains mainly for the transport of goods by pack; Yak females give very rich milk.

Mountain animals have not been studied enough, many interesting pages from their life have not yet been read by anyone and are waiting for young inquisitive naturalists. Exceptional opportunities for observing the life of wild animals in the mountains are the reserves: Caucasian, Crimean, Teberdinsky, Aksu-Dzhabaglinsky (Western Tien Shan), Sikhote-Alinsky and others (see article "").

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