eBook Viraj

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ALTAI WEASEL 1 Mustela altaica The Altai Weasel is found in India (across the Himalayas from Kashmir to Sikkim), Nepal, Bhutan, west and north China, east Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Mongolia, and small parts of Russia (south and south-east Siberia. The most common area for this species, however, is Ladakh, India. The species is in significant decline and considered threatened for extinction. The male body measures about 8.5–11 in (220–280 mm) from head to base of the tail weighing around 230–340 g while the females are slightly smaller. This species undergoes seasonal molts during the spring and autumn. The summer coat consists of gray to gray-brown fur with some light yellow, while the winter fur is more of a dark yellow with some brown. They are solitary animals except when mating. The mating system for these animals is unknown, but thought to be polygamous consisting of one male and multiple females. It breeds once a year with males fighting vigorously for access to females. Mating usually occurs in February or March, and the young are usually born in May. Their long bodies and short legs allow them to be very agile. Altai weasels are generally nocturnal, but may hunt during daylight. This animal has extremely good vision. They are strict carnivores feeding primarily on Muskrats, rabbits, ground squirrels, small birds, lizards, frogs, fish, and insects are also found in their diet. They have an important ecological role in reducing or limiting the population numbers of these rodents. 54

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WOOLLY HARE Lepus oiostolus It is a species of mammal in the family Leporidae. It is native to Central Asia from northern Nepal, and Jammu and Kashmir and Sikkim in India, to western and central China, where it is present in the provinces of Gansu, Qinghai, Sichuan, Tibet, Xinjiang and Yunnan. The habitat of this hare is mainly high altitude grasslands of several types; Alpine meadows, shrubby meadows and upland cold deserts, but it also occurs in coniferous or mixed montane woodland. Its altitude range is from 3,000 to 5,300 m (9,800 to 17,400 ft) above sea level. It grows to a length of 40 to 58 cm (16 to 23 in). The coat is molted just once a year. A shy and usually solitary animal, and although sometimes active by day, it is mostly nocturnal. It feeds on grasses and herbs, with individual animals returning regularly at night to the same foraging areas. 57

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DOMESTIC YAK Bos grunniens It is found throughout the Himalayan region of the Indian subcontinent, the Tibetan Plateau, Northern Myanmar, Yunnan, Sichuan and as far north as Mongolia and Siberia. Except where the wild yak is considered as a subspecies of Bos grunniens, there are no recognised subspecies of yak. They are heavily built animals with bulky frames with extremely dense, long fur that hangs down lower than the belly. They typically range from 48 to 99 cm. Males weigh 350 to 585 kg while females weigh 225 to 255 kg. Wild yaks can be substantially heavier, bulls reaching weights of up to 1,000 kilograms. Yak physiology is adapted to high altitudes, having larger lungs and heart than cattle found at lower altitudes, as well as greater capacity for transporting oxygen through their blood. They have trouble thriving at lower altitudes and are prone to suffering from heat exhaustion above about 15 °C. Domesticated yaks have been kept for thousands of years, primarily for their milk, fibre and meat, and as beasts of burden. Their dried droppings are an important fuel, used all over Tibet, and are often the only fuel available on the high treeless Tibetan Plateau. In parts of Tibet and Karakorum, yak racing is a form of entertainment at traditional festivals and is considered an important part of their culture. 611

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GRIFFON VULTURE Gyps himalayensis Found mainly in the higher regions of the Himalayas, the Pamirs, Kazakhstan and on the Tibetan Plateau, with northwestern limits of the breeding range being in Afghanistan and southern limits in Bhutan. Juvenile birds may however disperse further south and vagrants have been recorded in Thailand, Burma, Singapore and Cambodia. It is one of the two largest Old World vultures and true raptors. Is perhaps the largest and heaviest bird found in the Himalayas. Adults have a ruff that is long and pale brown with white streaks. The ruff feathers are long and spiky. The head is covered in down which is yellowish in adults but whitish in immature vultures. They tend to not range below an elevation of 1,215 m (3,986 ft). Himalayan vultures often bask in the sun on rocks. They soar in thermals and are not capable of sustained flapping flight. Flocks may follow grazers up the mountains in their search for dead animals. On the Tibetan Plateau 64% of their diet is obtained from dead domestic yak (Bos grunniens). They feed on old carcasses sometimes waiting a couple of days near a dead animal. This species is fairly contentious around other scavengers and typically dominates other meat- eaters at carrion, though is subservient to gray wolves (Canis lupus), snow leopards (Panthera uncia) and cinereous vultures at carcasses. In a large party, these vultures can reportedly strip a human or sheep carcass of all meat in 30 minutes and do the same to a yak carcass in roughly 120 minutes. 65

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RUDDY SHELDUCK Tadorna ferruginea Also known as Brahminy duck, the Ruddy Shelduck is a common winter visitor in India where it arrives by October and departs by April. It’s typical breeding habitat is large wetlands and rivers with mud flats and shingle banks, and it is found in large numbers on lakes and reservoirs. It breeds in high altitude lakes and swamps in Jammu and Kashmir. Outside the breeding season it prefers lowland streams, sluggish rivers, ponds, flooded grassland, marshes and brackish lagoons. Though more common in the lowlands, it also inhabits higher altitudes and in central Asia is one of the few waterbirds, along with the bar headed goose (Anser indicus), to be found on lakes at 5,000 m (16,400 ft). it is a distinctive waterfowl, 58 to 70 cm (23 to 28 in) in length with a wingspan of 110 to 135 cm (43 to 53 in). It has orange-brown body plumage with a paler head, while the tail and the flight feathers in the wings are black, contrasting with the white wing-coverts. The male and female form a lasting pair bond and the nest may be well away from water, in a crevice or hole in a cliff, tree or similar site. A clutch of about eight eggs is laid and is incubated solely by the female for about four weeks. The young are cared for by both parents and fledge about eight weeks after hatching. 73

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BAR-HEADED GOOSE Anser indicus The summer habitat is high-altitude lakes where the bird grazes on short grass. The species has been reported as migrating south from Tibet, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and Russia before crossing the Himalaya. It breeds in Central Asia in colonies of thousands near mountain lakes and winters in South Asia. It lays three to eight eggs at a time in a ground nest. Easily distinguished from any of the other grey geese of the genus Anser by the black bars on its head. A mid-sized goose, it measures 71–76 cm in total length and weighs 1.87–3.2 kg. The bird has come to the attention of medical science in recent years as having been an early victim of the H5N1 virus, HPAI (highly pathogenic avian influenza), at Qinghai. The bar-headed goose is one of the world's highest-flying birds, having been heard flying across Mount Makalu – the fifth highest mountain on earth at 8,481 m (27,825 ft) – and apparently seen over Mount Everest – 8,848 m (29,029 ft) – although this is a second-hand report with no verification. The challenging northward migration from lowland India to breed in the summer on the Tibetan Plateau is undertaken in stages, with the flight across the Himalaya (from sea-level) being undertaken non-stop in as little as seven hours. 81

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TIBETAN PARTRIDGE Perdix hodgsoniae It is found widely across in often inaccessible ranges of the Tibetan Plateau on mountain slopes and high meadows with some Rhododendron bushes, dwarf Juniper or other scrubs for cover, typically between 3,600-4,250 m (11,800–14,000 ft). It is a gamebird in the pheasant family Phasianidae of the order Gallifomes. It measures 28–31 cm in length and has a brown back, blackish belly patch and chestnut flanks of its relatives, but has a striking black and white face pattern, which contrasts with the rufous collar. The male has black belly patch which is barred in female. The female is otherwise similar to the male but duller. It breeds on the Tibetan Plateau in Tibet itself, Northern Pakistan, via Kashmir into northwestern India, northern parts of Nepal, Sikkim and Bhutan, and western China. They forage on the ground in the sparsely vegetated high-altitude regions, moving in pairs during the summer and in larger groups during the non-breeding season. 87



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TIBETAN SNOWFINCH Montifringilla henrici Also called as Henri's snowfinch, it is a species of bird in the sparrow family. It is found in Tibet and adjacent areas of central China; it winters South to Uttarakhand, Nepal, Sikkim and Bhutan. Its natural habitat is temperate grassland. Its natural habitat is high altitude dry shrubland. It is hardy, and rarely descends below 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) even in hard winter weather. It is sometimes considered a subspecies of the white-winged snowfinch. It is a large stocky at 16.5–19 centimetres (6.5–7.5 in) in length. It has brown upperparts, white underparts and a grey head. In summer, the bill is black, and there is a black bib. The bib is lost in winter and the bill becomes yellow. Sexes are similar. In flight, it shows black wings with huge white wing panels, and a white edged black tail. This bird has a chattering song with many trills, and variety of rolling or creaky calls. The white-winged Snowfinch's food is mainly seeds with some insects. It is fearless, and will forage around ski resorts. 911

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FLORA

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