Lives in the mountains. mountain animals

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 is permafrost. Even the mountains in Africa are covered with snow and glaciers at their high points. 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, solar radiation increases. 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. The nature here is simply amazing: and the fresh air beckons you 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. It is characterized by cool short summers and severe long winters. But this does not mean that there is sparse vegetation. Various types of shrubs, mosses and lichens grow in this area.

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 is a whole complex of 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.

Scolopendra is dangerous only in hot climates, especially in autumn period. 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 for the future useful herbs. 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.

Mountains are an area often inaccessible to humans, but this does not mean that mountains are inaccessible to various species of animals and plants. The nature of the mountains differs significantly from the nature of the plains for the reasons that at a height the air is thinner and the water is less accessible - all this leads to the fact that the mountains have a special flora and fauna.

Animal world

Mountain animals are forced to have a dense skin and strong limbs - this is necessary in order to endure the temperature falling with height, climb up and feel comfortable on hard surfaces. Ungulates, felines, monkeys, various reptiles and insects - these are the most often found in the mountains. The inhabitants of the mountains are unpretentious and hardy. Bighorn sheep, yaks and mountain goats can feed on lichens and dry grass, thanks to which they survive in harsh mountains. Asian snow leopards and cougars living in the highlands of America can easily move through rocky areas and live in solitude. Golden eagles, mountain eagles notice their prey from afar - and strong air currents at the height of the mountains do not create obstacles for them. In the mountainous equatorial regions, gorillas are found, whose strong limbs help to move. Also, a wide variety of lizards feel comfortable in mountainous areas.

Vegetable world

The delicate edelweiss flower is considered the main decoration of the mountains of Europe and Asia - the leaves of an amazing flower prevent the evaporation of moisture from the plant. Blue spruce- a tree most often found in the mountains of America. This tree can grow at astonishing heights of up to 3,000 meters above sea level. Basically, the mountainous areas are covered with lichens and thorns, since the sun located nearby dries everything, however, a wide variety of plants can be found in the tropical mountains, since the forests there are filled with moisture. As a rule, vegetation is dense at the foot of the mountains, but vegetation is rare at high altitudes.

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, which are dominated first by deciduous and then coniferous species. 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 in vegetation in the most general terms is similar to the latitudinal zonality 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 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 in the mountains, the usually fewer species animals. The most elevated parts high mountains covered with eternal snow and 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 belt are most favorable for the life of deer, where snow is blown away by winds, and in clear days 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.
Animal world 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 that help in the struggle for existence. For example, mountain goats, chamois, American bighorn goats 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 on 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. This favors the soaring flight of 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 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.
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. Very few birds winter at high altitudes, 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 on Far North, in order to reach the wintering place, they 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 snow avalanches a herd of chamois was buried - about 70 goals.
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 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 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. The researchers of the reserve, being in the mountains, 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.
At high altitudes, insects are found only in places where living conditions are most favorable for them.

Tundra partridge.

Mountain animals have not yet been studied enough, many interesting pages from their life have not yet been read 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.

Living conditions in the mountains are very different from the plains. As you climb the mountains, the climate changes: the air temperature drops, the wind strength increases, and often the amount of precipitation, the winter becomes longer. High in the mountains, the air is rarefied, it is difficult to breathe. The nature of the vegetation from the foot of the mountains to the peaks is replaced over a distance of only a few thousand meters, counting vertically (see the article "Vegetation of high mountains").

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 differ in climate and vegetation. It all depends on the position of the site in relation to the cardinal points, the steepness of the slopes and their openness to wet or dry winds.

Dagestan tour.

Living conditions in the mountains are varied, their animal world is rich and diverse. In the middle belt of mountains, where the climate is not yet too severe and there are forests, as a rule, there are significantly more species animals than in the same area of ​​the adjacent plain. The animal world is rich in a relatively narrow strip of the upper limit of the forest, especially on the subalpine edges. Above, the number of animal species begins to noticeably decrease. The tops of high mountains, where eternal snows lie, are almost devoid of life.

In the Alps, traces of chamois were seen on the top of Mont Blanc (4807 m). Mountain goats, some species of sheep and yaks come very high into the mountains - almost up to 6 thousand meters. Occasionally, after them, a snow leopard rises here, a snow leopard - an irbis. Of the vertebrates, only vultures, eagles, and a few other birds penetrate even higher. The bearded lamb was seen in the Himalayas at an altitude of 7.5 thousand meters, and the condor was seen in the Andes at an even higher altitude. When climbing Chomolungma (Everest), climbers observed alpine jackdaws at an altitude of 8100 m. A nest of a snow partridge with a laying of eggs was found in the Nepalese Himalayas at an altitude of almost 5.7 thousand meters.

Often the same animals are found in several mountain zones, but, as a rule, their numbers are significant only in one of them, the most suitable for the life of this species. Big number species outside one or two of their most characteristic zones are rare or not found at all, and only a few can be seen in different zones of the mountains. Therefore, in each mountain zone your animal world. It consists, as a rule, of a number of species close or identical to those found in the fauna of the corresponding latitudinal zone of the Earth. For example, in the tundra belt of mountains southern Siberia, called loaches here, you can observe reindeer, tundra partridge and horned lark, characteristic of the northern tundra.

Snow goat.

The fauna of the Alpine belt of the mountains of Europe, Asia, North America and, to a lesser extent, North Africa is generally homogeneous. This is due to the fact that in the highlands northern hemisphere living conditions are similar, and the core of the mountain fauna comes from common centers of speciation - the mountains of Central Asia and some other mountainous regions.

Many mountain animals live only where there are rocks. Mountain goats, bighorn sheep, argali, as well as goral and musk deer are saved in the rocks from predators. Birds - rock pigeon, swifts and red-winged wall-climbers - find convenient places for nesting there, hiding from bad weather. 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.

In many mountains, screes form; the life of the mountain pika, also called the haystack, snow voles, and some other rodents is associated with them. In the second half of summer, they all 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 shelters of the stones.

Alpine goats.

The peculiar natural conditions of life in the mountains were reflected in the appearance of the animals constantly living there, in the shape of their body, lifestyle and habits. They have developed characteristic adaptations that help in the struggle for existence. Mountain goats, chamois and the American bighorn goat have large mobile hooves that can move widely apart. 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 on 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.

During the day, ascending currents of air prevail in the mountains. This favors the soaring flight of large birds - bearded lamb, eagles and vultures. Soaring in the air, they can notice carrion or live prey from afar. The mountains are also characterized by birds with fast, swift flight: Caucasian mountain grouse, mountain turkey, or snowcock, swifts.

Yak. Long and thick hair on the belly and sides serves as a kind of bedding for him.

In summer it is cold high in the mountains, so there are almost no reptiles there: 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. What has been said about reptiles is also true to a large extent for amphibians, although they penetrate the mountains a little higher - up to 5.5 thousand m. Of the amphibians common in our country, the Asia Minor frog and the gray, or common, toad penetrate the mountains higher than others . The upper limit of the vertical distribution of fish is about 5 thousand m.

Snow leopard, or irbis.

Lush plumage of mountain littsi and thick fur of animals protect them from the cold. The snow leopard living in the highlands of Asia has unusually long and fluffy 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.

Vultures.

Hummingbirds in the Andean highlands nest in caves in large communities, which helps keep the birds warm. On cold nights, they go into a stupor, thus minimizing the expenditure of energy 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 - migrations. With the onset of autumn, when it becomes cold high in the mountains, snowfalls begin and, most importantly, it becomes more difficult to get food, many animals migrate down the slopes of the mountains.

Condor.

A significant part of the birds that live in the mountains of the Northern Hemisphere fly south for the winter. Most of the birds remaining to winter in the mountainous areas descend to the lower zones, often to the very foothills and surrounding plains. Very few birds spend the winter at high altitudes, such as the mountain turkey. In the Caucasus, it usually stays near the places where tours graze - the closest relatives of mountain goats. 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.

Deer, roe deer and wild boars, found in the mountains up to alpine meadows in summer, descend into the forest in autumn. Many chamois also go here for the winter. Tours and other mountain goats migrate closer to the upper border of the forest, settling on steep rocky slopes. Some of them descend into the forest. Sometimes they move to the southern slopes, where snow melts on alpine meadows in the very first hours or days after a snowfall, as happens in the Caucasus Mountains, or go to steeper windward slopes, where the snow is blown away by the winds. In the mountains of Siberia along the "blowing" reindeer often winter, rising here from the forest. If the snow is too deep and dense and the ground lichens in the loaches are inaccessible to reindeer, they go back to the forest and feed on tree lichens there.

Mountain turkey, or ular.

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 northeastern Siberia wild reindeer make seasonal migrations within 10-20 km, and their relatives living in the Far North, in order to reach the wintering place, make a journey of several hundred kilometers. In the spring, as the snow melts, the animals that descend down migrate back to the upper zones of the mountains. Chamois, mountain goats and other ungulates living in the mountains often die in winter and early spring during snowfalls.

Alpine insects: on the left - a glacial flea; on the right - springtail.

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 and an alpaca. Yak and llama are used in the mountains mainly for the transport of goods by pack; Yak females give very rich milk. The alpaca, like the llama, belongs to the group of New World camels (American calluses); it gives a fine wool, superior in quality to sheep.

We have not yet said anything about invertebrates - insects and spiders, meanwhile, it is they, and not animals and birds, that are permanent inhabitants of high altitudes. Scientists from India and other countries discovered in the Himalayas at an altitude of 3500 to 6000 m above sea level several hundred species of arthropods settled here - flies, springtails, beetles, aphids, butterflies, mayflies, locusts, ticks, centipedes, etc. In 1924 when trying to climb Chomolungma, the expedition members found active jumping spiders at an altitude of 6600 m. This is still the highest limit at which live invertebrates were found in the mountains.

Strong ascending currents of air bring from the lower zones of the mountains and from the plains masses of plant pollen, especially juniper and other conifers, spores, seeds, as well as aphids, winged ants, midges, mosquitoes, butterflies, etc. There are known cases of aphids being carried by wind to a distance of up to 1280 km. According to the Indian entomologist Mani in spring-summer months on the Pir-Pind-jal mountain in the Himalayas at an altitude of 3.5-4 km, at least 400 dead arthropods were deposited in 20 minutes on a snow field area of ​​\u200b\u200babout 10 m 2 different types. Especially a lot of organic remains accumulate at the foot and in the cracks of the rocks. Due to them, many high-altitude insects and spiders live. Coniferous pollen feeds, in particular, on small insects, podura, or glacial fleas, living directly on snow and firn fields.

Groupings of invertebrates that exist due to organic remains brought by mountain breezes are called aeolian (Eol is the god of the winds in ancient Greek mythology). In terms of the nature and origin of their food coming from other vertical zones, they are similar to deep-sea animal groups, which ultimately exist due to organic residues that sink to the bottom of the oceans from the upper layers of water (see Art. "Animal world of the seas and oceans") .

Insects in the mountains often live under rocks; in summer, during sunny hours, the stones become very hot, and the air temperature near them is higher than in other places. As shelters, insects also use cracks in the earth and crevices in rocks, rare spots of carpets of alpine plants, soil, small reservoirs and even snow. Majority mountain insects they are small in size, living under stones - a flat body shape, due to which they can successfully find shelter. Especially a lot of insects are found near the edge of melting snow, where the air and soil are more humid and where it is easiest to find food - organic remains carried out by melt water. The low density of the atmosphere and the associated low oxygen content in it do not have a noticeable negative effect on insects.

Insects spend a long winter under a thick layer of snow. In summer, they are usually active during the hours when the sun is shining brightly; therefore, their periods of intense life and rest often alternate several times during the day. But some insects were observed in an active state even when snow began to fall in the mountains and the thermometer showed several degrees of frost. Podura are unusually resistant to cold. On the plains, night bats are active at dusk and at night, in the highlands they lead a diurnal lifestyle: at night the air is too cold for them.

Many insects in the mountains are dark in color and highly pigmented (spotted). This better protects insects from excessive exposure to ultraviolet rays, which are very intense in the mountains. In some species of butterflies, bumblebees and wasps that live high in the mountains, the body is densely pubescent - this reduces heat loss. The shortening of the antennae and legs also contributes to the latter. High in the mountains, bees and bumblebees are extremely rare, and here the main role in the pollination of flowers is played by flies and other Diptera and butterflies.

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-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.

The living conditions in the equatorial highlands of Africa are very peculiar - on the mountains Kilimanjaro (5895 m), Rwenzori (5119 m), etc. If seasonal differences in air temperature in these mountains at an altitude of 4-4.5 km above sea level are insignificant, then its daily fluctuations are extremely large. In the alpine desert zone, the air temperature at night almost always drops below zero, while during the day, at an air temperature of about 6 °, the soil surface, illuminated by the sun, heats up to 70 ° and above. Therefore, almost all animals are active here only early in the morning and late in the evening, for a total of no more than 2-3 hours. For the rest of the day, all living things hide and hide in burrows, cracks in the ground, under stones, and only in cloudy days active life lasts longer.

The coloration of mountain equatorial insects is usually dominated by faded, desert tones; in some insects, on the contrary, the chitinous surface of the body is shiny, silvery, conducive to reflection sun rays. Beetles are characterized by bright colors and roundness of the elytra, forming, as it were, a vault over the abdomen; the air gap under the arch of the elytra protects the beetle from overheating.

Thus, in insects of the equatorial highlands, adaptations are combined for protection both from very low temperatures, and from excessively high. Many interesting pages from the life of animal mountains have not yet been read and are waiting for young inquisitive naturalists.