Animals that live on the mountain.

Animals that live in Mountains
Andean CondorGenus: Vultur

The condor is the largest vulture in South America. It has a wing span of up to 10 feet and more. Male condors can weigh 24 to 33 pounds, and females from 18 to 24 pounds.
It has mostly black feathers, with white flight feathers on its wing. Head feathers would get dirty when they ate, so their heads and necks are naked like most vultures. The skin on the head and throat hang in lose folds, and is reddish-black, with a fleshy wattle over the beak, called a caruncle. Condors can soar to altitudes of 18,000 feet, and to keep their heads warm at that height they tuck them into a downy, white neck ruff.
Condors can live up to 50 years, and mate for life. The female will lay her egg on a cliff ledge. Because there aren't any trees or other materials to build a nest with where they live they lay their egg on bare rock. Both parents take turns incubating the egg. They have one chick every other year. Their young take a lot of time and effort to raised. They can't fly until they are 6 months old and then rely on their parents for two more years.
Andean condors roost on the face of a cliff, and use the thermal updraft of warm morning air to lift off. They spend most of the day soaring on the updrafts created by the mountains and valleys. They cover a large area while foraging. Andean condors can be found over the coasts of Peru and Chile, and the Patagonian steppe of Argentina. They can spot a carcass from several miles off. Usually they follow smaller scavenger birds to find a carcass. This helps both scavengers, because only the condor can tear through the tough hides of some carcasses. The older condors get to eat first, and then the younger ones take turns in order of age. Condors feed mostly on the remains of mammals such as sheep, llama, vicuna, cattle, seals and the eggs of seabirds. Sometimes they will take newborn animals.
The Andean condor has a long life, but breeds very slowly. It takes them 6 to 8 years before they become mature. Any interference from humans quickly disturbs their pattern of breeding. Hunters kill the condor for sport, and farmers kill them because they think condors kill their animals. Because they mate for life, the death of a mate is very hard on the other partner and their chick. Condors have also died recently from pesticides that have been carried through the food chains. The number of Andean condors has gone down rapidly in recent years, but they still aren't on the official endangered list. Rescue attempts have been made through breeding captive condors and habitat research. These efforts have been moderately successful.
ChinchillaGenus: ChinchillaSpecies: brevicaudasa

In the wild, chinchillas can be found in the Andes alpine regions, but because they are an endangered species, they are not easily found. The chinchilla has a silvery gray pelt, with black tipped hair which is very soft. There are usually 60 hairs growing from every follicle. Adult males weigh about 500 grams. The females are much larger, averaging between 600 and 800 grams. Chinchilla's have big round ears, andeyes. They have narrow hind feet that have four digits with stiff bristles around the weaker claws.
Their tails have long gray and black hairs on the dorsal or back surface. The chinchilla stands about an inch from the ground when on its four feet, and it is about half the size of a rabbit.
LlamaGenus: LlamaSpecies: glama

Most llamas today live in the high Andes Mountains of western South America. They can be found in Argentina, Bolivia, Chili, and especially Peru. It is believed that llamas may be the domesticated descendants of the wild guanaco. They live in grassy open spaces at very high altitudes of 7,400 - 12,800 feet, where the air is so thin there is only 40% oxygen. The Alpine plains are dry and cold and the soil is not very good. The grass is difficult for most animals to digest, but the llamas are able to adapt to these harsh conditions.
Llamas are part of the camel family. They are approximately 36-47 inches wide at the shoulder and measured from the head they are 4 feet tall at the shoulders. They can weigh up to 400 pounds when they are full-grown. They have 2 toes per foot and the bottoms of their feet are padded with tough leathery soles to protect them from sharp rocks. Their feet are slender and their limbs are long. They have an unusual way of moving; they pace, which means that both legs on the same side raise together so they can run very quickly. They have long, thick, coarse hair with spots of color that can protect them from being attacked by prey. They can be different shades of brown, black, peach, white, gray and roan. They are very intelligent and learn quickly.
Unlike other hoofed animals, camels and llamas have feet with 2 toes. The bottom part of the foot is divided in 2 and is covered by a tough leathery sole. Llamas are especially sure-footed. Because of these pads, they have a good foothold on rocky and slippery ground.
Llamas have unique blood that adapts well to the poor oxygen in the high altitudes where they live. Llamas have more red blood cells per unit volume of blood than any other mammal. The hemoglobin, which is the oxygen carrying substance of the cell, reacts faster with oxygen.
Also, llamas are able to travel long distances without water. They have 3 stomach compartments and they chew their cud. Cud is a mouthful of swallowed food that is regurgitated from the first stomach. Because of these special features the llama makes an excellent packing animal for the people that live in the remote areas of the Andes Mountains.
A female llama begins to breed when she's about a 1 year old. She's able to have 1 baby, or cria, a year until she's about 15 years old. Llamas can be bred at any time of the year. They don't have a heat cycle; they are what are called induced ovulators. This means ovulation happens 24-36 hours after breeding. She almost always gives birth to 1 baby at a time. A baby llama weighs 18 to 33 pounds when it's born. It's able to stand up on it's own one hour after it's born. The mother nurses the baby llama for 6 months. Male llamas are not used for breeding until they are about 2-3 years old.
Llamas were first domesticated by the Incas around 4,000 BC near Lake Titicaca. Their breeding was controlled by the government. The llamas were used in many ways. Male llamas were used as sacrifices. The wool from the llama was used to make coarse woolen blankets for the common people, and their meat was eaten. They were also used as beasts of burden. Llama caravans went to distant provinces to trade. They were so important to the prosperity of the Incas that llama herders were paid very well. After the Spanish conquistadors came in the 1500's, diseases killed many people as well as llamas. But the llamas were still valuable beasts of burden for several centuries and were called the "ships of the Andes".
Llamas are social animals and mainly live in herds in captivity. Most people who have llamas almost always keep the male and female in separate enclosures. This keeps the llamas from fighting and controls breeding. Young male llamas join the male herd at about a year old. In a group of male llamas, they fight each other to determine which one will be the leader of the herd. Most of the time the strongest and largest male llama will lead. The group is called a herd. The average life span of a llama is 15-20 years.
Llamas eat mainly grass, shrubs, and lichens. Lichens are moss-like plants that grow on rocks and wood. Llamas are herbivores, which means they are plant eaters. They chew their food just a little and swallow it, then bring up a wad of cud. They then finish chewing it and swallow it again and finally, digest it. Cud is partly digested food. Llamas eat mainly hay, grass, and grain when in captivity. For treats, llamas like cut-up apples, carrots, broccoli, and orange peels. Because the llamas have 3 stomach compartments, the food must pass through all the stomachs during digestion.
Enemies of the llamas are mountain lions, snow leopards, cougars, and also humans. Humans used to hunt them for their wool and meat. Most llamas now are kept in captivity, so they are protected from most predators. If they are attacked, the male llamas sound off a warning so that the rest of the herd can run away. Since llamas are herbivores, they don't prey on other animals.
There are many llamas in the world today. They are not an endangered species. They used to be hunted for their wool but there are now laws to protect them. Llamas are not found in the wild anymore. They are in family herds and they live in captivity.
VicuñaGenus: VicugnaSpecies: vicugna

The vicuña is a member of the camel family. It is the smallest of the six species of camel, and is thought to be the wild ancestor of the alpaca. It lives on the high, grassland plateaus of the Andes mountains which range from southern Peru to northern Chile and into parts of Bolivia and Argentina. Only tough bunch grasses and festuca grows here. The sun's ultraviolet rays burn through the thin atmosphere during the day. At night the heat of the day escapes into the atmosphere and the temperatures go down to freezing.
Although they look fragile, the vicuña is specially adapted to its high-altitude habitat. It has an incredibly thick, soft coat that traps layers of warm air close to its body and protects it from freezing temperatures.
The lower teeth of the vicuña grow constantly, like a rodent's, so they can eat the tough grasses. The vicuña also walks on the soles of its feet so it can flex its toes and grab on to the rocks and gravel-covered slopes. Vicuña milk is very rich so the babies grow quickly.
Vicuñas weigh between 75-140 pounds. They are about 4-6 feet long and stand 2-3 1/2 feet at the shoulders. They have very long necks, round heads, and large, forward facing eyes. Their ears are long and pointed and stand up on their heads. Their fur is a rust color, with white around the muzzle,the chest, belly, and the insides of the legs. The white hair on their chests is longer than their other hair.
Vicuñas graze mostly on grasses. Their teeth are large and grow constantly like those of a rodent. They chew their cud when resting getting more nutrients out of the nutrient poor grass.
Vicuñas are very shy animals and run away fery quickly. They have two territories that they defend from other herds; a feeding territory or about 45 acres, and a smaller sleeping area on higher ground where they are more protected. The vicuña live in herds of 5-10 members, which includes one dominant male and several females and their young. They mate in March and April and their young are born 11 months later. The young stay with their mother and the herd for another 10 months, when they are driven off by the herd. Young males will form bachelor groups and the young females try to find another group to join. This ensures that the herd stays the same size, which is important with their limited food supply.
The vicuña was almost hunted to extinction for its beautiful soft wool. The Incas used to round up the wild vicuñas and pen them in stone corrals, where they were sheared for their wool. In modern times they were almost wiped out for their meat and wool. By 1960 there were only 6,000 vicuñas left in the wild. Chile and Peru established protected national parks and put a halt to trade in vicuña wool. Now there are about 125,000 vicuñas, but they are still listed as threatened. The vicuña is classified as vulnerable by the IUCN, and as endangered by the USDI.
Mountain Goat -Genus: OreamnosSpecies: americanus

Mountain Goats can be found in the mountains of northwestern regions of North America, where they seem to cling and move around on the impossibly steep slopes. Mountain Goats have two beige colored horns that curl back and reach a length of about twelve inches. Mountain Goats weigh about 100 to 200 pounds. They are 4.5 feet long and their shoulder height is about 36 to 48 inches. The females are smaller than the males by almost 30%. They have very round bodies which protect them from the cold.
Their legs are about 20 inches long. Their hooves are adapted to the rugged slopes by being flexible, like rubber, so they can jump from rock to rock. Their coloring is white and their fur is very fluffy and every strand of hair is about 2 inches long. The Mountain Goat has eight teeth in front so it can easily grab big patches of grass.
The Mountain Goat breeds yearly between November and January. Gestation periods last at least 150 to 180 days and the babies are usually born in the spring. This is a beneficial time for the goat's babies, or kids, to be born because it is easier to survive in the warmer weather. Also, there is more food in the summer which the mother can make milk from. When she is ready to give birth, the mother hides in the cliffs in her home territory so that she is safe from predators. The kids are very independent a couple weeks of after birth. The babies stop getting milk from their mother after 3 to 4 months and they stay with her until she reproduces again. Both sexes reach sexual maturity after 30 months.
The Mountain Goat changes its social groupings seasonally. They live in big groups in the winter, and smaller groups, or alone in the summer. The male goats are dominant during breeding season. However during the non-breeding season, the adult females are dominant. Mountain Goat hierarchies are determined early by the kids' playing behavior. The stronger more dominant kids become the leaders of their group. The Mountain Goats' habitat also changes from season to season. They migrate between lowland winter areas, and high elevation summer ranges.
Some adaptations that help a Mountain Goat to survive are its horns, jumping ability, its hooves, and its teeth. Their horns help to defend them from predators. Mountain Goats have a lot of strength in their hind legs that allow them to jump great distances. Their hooves have a slit in the middle to make them more flexible. They have eight teeth on the top and bottom for an easier way to grab big patches of grass. Mountain Goats' diet is basically grass, woody plants, and moss. They get most of their water from their food.
Mountain Goats are prey to coyotes, mountain lions, and bobcats, so they have to be careful where they go. Mountain Goats help the environment by their droppings which add nutrients to the quality of the soil.
Mountain Goats are very close to being on the endangered species list. Biologists are trying to stop hunters from
Snow LeopardGenus: PantheraSpecies: uncia

The snow leopard is part of the cat family. It lives in the Himalayan alpine regions of central Asia. The snow leopard looks like a tiger. It has a gray coat with dark gray ringed spots. The snow leopard's coat is the thickest of any cat. It makes it look larger than it really is. The true length of an average snow leopard is 3-4 feet. Its shoulders are 24 inches off the ground. The thick tail of the snow leopard is 2.5 to 3 feet. When it is resting, it wraps its tail around itself like a blanket. Because of the size of the tail, it helps the snow leopard
balance when they are walking in the rugged terrain of the Himalayan mountains. The snow leopard is a strong animal, and can take down its prey with one swift pounce. The back legs are so powerful they allow it to pounce up to 20 feet.
The male snow leopard marks its territory of 4 to 40 square miles with several females inside .The snow leopard is a solitary animal. It mates from January to April. They have 2-3 young in a litter. During birth, the male brings food to the female. After birth, the male leaves the female. The babies are born blind and deaf and they cannot walk. At about three months, they follow their mother on a hunting trip. About two years later they leave their mother. They stay together for a short time and then they go their separate ways. They have babies every two years. The average snow leopard lives up to 20 years.
The snow leopard's coat allows it to blend in with the rocks. The thick fur on the soles of its feet insulate the paws against the snow in the winter. The enlarged nasal cavities help it to breathe in high altitudes.
The snow leopard eats wild sheep, wild boars, gazelles, hares, markhor, bobak, tahr, marmots, mice and deer. The snow leopard is a carnivore, which means that it eats meat. The snow leopard can eat an animal three times the size of itself. The male eats the prey it kills; if he sees his family, he will back off and leave as they eat. The snow leopard will drag the carcass of a large animal to its marked territory and eat it over several days.
The snow leopard is a predator. The snow leopard limits the population of animals so they are not over populated.
The snow leopard is endangered. There are only 4,000 to 7,000 left in the world. Hunting and the decline of its prey threaten the snow leopard's existence. There are 47 parks all over the world, which serve to protect them.
Wild YakGenus: BosSpecies: grunniens

Most domestic yaks of Tibet, and central Asia have black-brown, dense, woolly, and extremely shaggy coats. The wild yak of the Tibetan Plateau has a black-brown coat with patches of white. They have horns that grow up to 20 inches long in females, and 40 inches in males. The curved horns grow out from the sides of their heads and curve upwards. They use their horns to dig under the snow for food. Their bodies can grow up to 11 feet in length, their tails can grow up to 24 inches and are very bushy. The males' weight is usually 670-1,210 pounds. The females weigh about a third as much.
Yaks are wild undomesticated ox who live in Tibet and central Asia. The wild yak has adapted to living in harsh and barren areas of the Himalayan alpine region. They are one of the few animals that live at these high altitudes. Their coats have long outer hair and dense underfur to keep in their body heat. Even their digestive tract helps keep them warm. Food in the rumen ferments at 104°F, acting like an internal furnace. Their hooves are formed from two enlargedtoes and spread the yak's weight in deep snow and gives them a good grip on bare and rocky slopes.
They inhabit areas where there are lots of lichens, grasses, and tubers. The yak's stomach can't digest grains, so herdsman have to keep moving their domestic herds to fresh pastures.
Most of the year yak travel in single sex herds. A herd can consist of 20 to 200 animals. In the fall a bull will join a herd of females and stay with them through their breeding season. The cow will be pregnant for about eight months and give birth to one calf every other year. Their babies are born around June. Female calves stay with the herd, but the bulls move away after three years to join a bachelor herd. Their average life span is about 23 years.
They spend their summers on the high plateaus above the snow line to get away from the heat. Wild yak can easily live in temperatures of -40° F because of their dense coats, but will move to the lower plains before the freezing winter weather arives.
Yaks help to prevent grasslands from growing too tall by eating the grasses. They move around so they don't overgraze any area. Their dried dung is used as fuel, which is very important in the treeless regions where they live.
There are over 12 million yak in the world; most of them are domestic. The wild yak was domesticated about 2,000 years ago. Unfortunately, the number of wild yak is decreasing very quickly, due to uncontrolled hunting, and by their pastures being taken over by domestic yak. There are probably only a few hundred wild yak, and they have been categorized by the IUCN as endangered. Wild yak are now officially protected in China.