Astonishing Facts about the Himalayas
- The word Himalayas is from Sanskrit meaning ‘Abode of snow’.
- There are three parallel mountain ranges in the Himalayas.
- The Himalayas contain fifty mountain peaks out of which fourteen are eight-thousanders.
- Five eight-thousanders peaks are in Pakistan.
- World’s two largest peaks the Mount Everest and The K2 are in the Himalayas.
- The Himalayas cover about 0.4% of Earth.
- Due to its climate, it is home to unique animals and plants.
Wildlife in the Himalayas
The Himalayan mountain range stretches over 1,500 miles and spread across the regions of Nepal and Bhutan, South Tibet, Pakistan, and north of India. These huge ice-mountains were produced about 70 million years back when 2 continental plates clashed, forming the spectacular Himalayan range.
These terrific mountains have 4 types of vegetation naming tropical, subtropical, temperate, and alpine with over 300 species of mammals, near to 1000 types of birds, and hundreds and thousands of reptiles, amphibians, and fish species. For a wildlife lover, this location is nothing but paradise. Nevertheless, the sad part is that as numerous as 163 varieties of animals here are on verge of extinction due to deforestation and global warming.
This list will inform you about the wildlife of the Himalayan ranges.
1.Snow Leopard
The snow leopard is most likely the most remarkable animal found in the Himalayas. This beautiful gray leopard can be found in the Indian Himalayas and other rocky mountains of Central Asia. The snow leopards are specially adjusted to life in severe environments of the Himalayas.
In summer, the snow leopards can be found at an elevation between 2500-6000 meters. In winter, they will descend to the lower level of the mountains. The snow leopards are powerful predators. In the Himalayan region, they mainly prey on blue sheep, marmots, and hares.
2.Himalayan Wild Yak
Wild Yak is among the most popular and widely seen animals found in the Himalayan region of India and you can’t get enough of this hairy animal which is thought about as domestic by the natives. It is a type of Ox with reasonably long hair and huge built with a drooping head that might stand about 6 feet tall at the shoulder.
Unlike other furious animals in this mountain range, Himalayan Wild Yak is useful as it provides meat, fiber, and milk to the natives. They are also one of the favorites of tourists who often take pleasure in Yak safari on the hilly areas of the Himalayas.
3.Himalayan Monal (Danphe)
Although frequently called a pheasant in English, that word does not rather conjure the ideal images for this splendid bird. The danphe is Nepal’s national bird, and the male is spectacularly colorful and iridescent, practically like a peacock. It can be found across the Himalayas, and it’s likely that you’ll find one in the Sagarmatha National forest if undertaking the Everest Base Camp trek.
4.Red Panda
The red panda is a domestic feline sized mammal with a big bushy tail. They are found in temperate forests of the Himalayas. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red panda is a threatened species. Just less than 10000 red pandas left worldwide due to habitat loss, fragmentation, and poaching.
The red pandas are nocturnal animals. They invest the day hours in sleeping on the tree branches and just come down during the night for finding the food. This night-time foraging aid the red pandas to avoid risks from possible predators like snow leopards. Unlike the giant pandas, the red pandas eat a variety of food, consisting of berries, plant leaves, roots, bird eggs, and acorns.
5.Himalayan Thar
It is yet another habitat of a terrific Himalayan area and is a family member of wild goats who survives on rugged woody hills and mountain slopes. There are three types of Thar discovered in the cold desert (Himalayas), Thar, Arabian Thar, and Nilgiri Thar and all of these species eat vegetation like turf, herbs, shrubs, leaves, and trees.
If you think there isn’t much to witness in this animal then let us inform you that it is among the most gorgeous animal which looks like a goat but has longer hair in deep brown and red color.
6.Himalayan Black Bear
This subspecies of the Asian Black Bear is found in the Mountain range of Pakistan, Tibet, Nepal, China and India. In the summer they remain around the timberline (around 3000 meters), however in the winter come down to the more tropical forests, as low as 1500 meters.
They are omnivorous animals and will consume almost anything. Their diet plan consists of acorns, nuts, fruit, honey, roots, and different insects such as termites and beetle larvae. It’s a medium-sized bear, so not quite as formidable as The United States and Canada’s Grizzly.
7.Musk Deer
The Musk Deer in the Himalayas are of excellent value for the fragrance manufacturers as the musk found in the scent gland of male deer is used to made perfumes. Nevertheless, this has actually brought the stunning Musk deer into the list of threatened Himalayan species.
The Himalaya Musk Deer comes from the family of Moschidae and lives in uneven and forested environments. It likes to eat just leaves, flowers, and grasses. The Indian Musk Deer is a highly poached animal and it will be a tough trek for you to find this fragrant animal as it likes to stay far from human habitation.
8.Himalayan Blue Sheep
The Himalayan blue sheep is a high mountain sheep found in the Himalayan ranges of India, Nepal, China, and Pakistan. In India, they called ‘Bharal’ and in Nepal their name is Naur. The Himalayan blue sheep prefer to live in rocky hills at an altitude of 4000-6000 feet above sea level.
The Himalayan blue sheep have a body length between 3.8-5.5 feet and weigh up to 75 kg. They have a short, dense coat that comes in greyish color with a blue tint. This distinct coat color lets them hide against the Himalayan rocks. On facing a hazard from predators like snow leopard, the Himalayan blue sheep usage this camouflage trick. They stay still to mix with the rocky environments. therefore, it becomes hard for the predator to find the sheep.
9.Himalayan Marmot
Found in the Himalayan regions of India, Nepal, and Pakistan, Marmot is among the greatest elevation-dwelling mammals worldwide which are regular of living in dry alpine meadows with little rains around. Though tiny in contrast to other ground animals, but Himalayan Marmots are referred to as big ground squirrels which is comparable in size to an average home cat. They are herbivores in nature and choose blooming plants such as leaves, roots, bulbs, seeds, grains, nuts, and fruits.
11.Black Necked Tibetan Crane
The black Necked Tibetan Crane as the name recommends has the upper part of the neck and head black, except for a little white patch beside the eyes and a red bald patch between the eyes. This medium-sized crane is present in parts of the Tibetan Plateau throughout summer times and in remote parts of India and Bhutan throughout the winter seasons.
Tourists are encouraged to prepare for their trip to great mountains throughout the winter seasons as these birds look their best during this time of the year. Black-Necked Tibetan Crane is the only Alpine Crane present worldwide and they use barley and wheat fields to arrange their food throughout summers.