Animals in the Himalayas

It is worth mentioning upfront, that the animals in the Himalayas are under great threat due to extensive deforestation and the subsequent loss of their homes and habitat. It seems that measures to prevent the threat to these beautiful animals in the Himalayas are not proving terribly effective and that their numbers are still dwindling.

The Himalayas is a very harsh environment and as such animals have to be well equipped to survive.

Clearly, the Himalayas become less inhabitable with altitude. This is due to the increasingly harsh conditions and also to an increasing lack of oxygen. It is almost unheard of for animals to be found above 1,800 feet as this is where the snow and ice become almost permanent features.

Animals living at higher altitudes usually have very thick skins and hibernate during the winter months when food is scarce.

As with plants which grow in the Himalayas, growth is usually very close to the ground and as such it is also the case that animals living in the higher climatic zones have shorter limbs and are smaller in height.

Examples of Animals in the Himalayas

Examples of some of the animals living in the Himalayas are black bears, musk, snow leopards, foxes, wolves, langur monkeys, red pandas, Himalayan tahrs and martens.

The snow leopard is a member of the large cat family and is a predator of other animals living in the Himalayas. The Himalayan tahr is just one of it’s many animals of prey.

The Himalayan tahr is a beautiful animal which resembles a goat, but which has far longer hair and is a deep brown and red in colour. This animal typically lives on the rocky hillsides of the Himalayas.

The Himalayan Yak is a type of ox; characterised by long shaggy hair and living in areas in which there is much grass and lichen. People living in the Himalayas depend considerably on the yak for both food (meat and diary products) and transportation. For this reason, the Yak is usually farmed in herds.

Not only are the Himalayas home to animals such as those mentioned above, they are also home to the golden eagle and vultures.