Tibet is home to an astonishing array of creatures, many of which seem like copies of animals from other countries in the world, dropped into harsh and unforgiving landscapes.
A species of snake inhabits the areas around hot springs generated by the massive underground activity of the Chinese and Indian continental plates smashing together. Similar to Utah's garter snake, it seems surprising for the cold-blooded creature to inhabit Tibet, one of the coldest and and highest climates on earth, but its living there is made possible by warmth radiating from the hot springs.
The Plateau, or Black-lipped Pika, related to the rabbit and belonging to a genus found all over the world, inhabits Tibet's plains, moving vast amounts of earth tiny hole by tiny hole while hunted by the Tibetan brown bear and Tibetan sand fox. The Tibetan brown bear, also known as the Tibetan blue bear, horse bear, and Himalayan snow bear among other monikers, is related to the Americas grizzly, with a similar hump on its back. The Sand fox is lightly dun colored, has a wide face with eyes set far apart, and isn't particularly territorial. The bear and fox sometimes share a commensal relationship hunting pikas.
Another inhabitant of Tibet's plains is the Tibetan Antelope, or Chiru; a snub-nosed creature with long, slender legs. The males of the species sport long, tapered horns used in the seasonal battles for females. Males guard varying numbers of females, usually two to nine, and will fiercely defend their herd from other marauding male antelope.
The animals native to Tibet are at once familiar and surprising, as if various animals from the US were scattered across the steppe. However, this comparison may be rather unfair; as familiar as the Tibetan Brown bear, Pika, and Sand fox might seem, they evolved in Tibet, filling specific niches and developing physical characteristics and behaviors very unique and well suited to them and their surrounding environment.
(Sources: http://www.bioone.org/doi/full/10.1644/817.1
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tibetan_antelope and "Wild China: Tibet" (we watched the documentary, but you can find info about it online at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0884762/))
A species of snake inhabits the areas around hot springs generated by the massive underground activity of the Chinese and Indian continental plates smashing together. Similar to Utah's garter snake, it seems surprising for the cold-blooded creature to inhabit Tibet, one of the coldest and and highest climates on earth, but its living there is made possible by warmth radiating from the hot springs.
The Plateau, or Black-lipped Pika, related to the rabbit and belonging to a genus found all over the world, inhabits Tibet's plains, moving vast amounts of earth tiny hole by tiny hole while hunted by the Tibetan brown bear and Tibetan sand fox. The Tibetan brown bear, also known as the Tibetan blue bear, horse bear, and Himalayan snow bear among other monikers, is related to the Americas grizzly, with a similar hump on its back. The Sand fox is lightly dun colored, has a wide face with eyes set far apart, and isn't particularly territorial. The bear and fox sometimes share a commensal relationship hunting pikas.
Another inhabitant of Tibet's plains is the Tibetan Antelope, or Chiru; a snub-nosed creature with long, slender legs. The males of the species sport long, tapered horns used in the seasonal battles for females. Males guard varying numbers of females, usually two to nine, and will fiercely defend their herd from other marauding male antelope.
The animals native to Tibet are at once familiar and surprising, as if various animals from the US were scattered across the steppe. However, this comparison may be rather unfair; as familiar as the Tibetan Brown bear, Pika, and Sand fox might seem, they evolved in Tibet, filling specific niches and developing physical characteristics and behaviors very unique and well suited to them and their surrounding environment.
(Sources: http://www.bioone.org/doi/full/10.1644/817.1
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tibetan_antelope and "Wild China: Tibet" (we watched the documentary, but you can find info about it online at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0884762/))
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