Mountainous Animals

Mountain goat

In the high altitudes of the mountains the air is very thin so it can't retain the heat. Therefore it gets colder the higher up you get. The air is moister than usual as well.

The mountain goat has very sturdy hooves with two toes for balance and pads on each toe for grip so they can climb the jagged and steep rocks. They can also jump 12 feet in a single bound. They have curved horns to defend themselves from predators. In the winter they have a white woolly coats which provides them with camouflage and protection from the sharp winds and the cold, (as seen in picture).http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/staticfiles/NGS/Shared/StaticFiles/animals/images/primary/mountain-goat.jpg

Alpine salamander

The alpine salamander lives in very high altitudes of 4,600 feet on mountains. They live in the damp forrests and are completely black(pictured). They have adapted their gestation period so that it lasts 3 years and the babies are born alive so that there is no risk of the tadpoles freezing in a pond or eaten. They will often hibernate in the winter when it is really cold. http://www.club100.net/reports/reportimages/switzerland2004/040730_046.jpg

Panda

The pandas live the mountains of China. They did live on the lowlands as well but with farming they have retreated to the mountains. They live at about 5,000 to 10,000 feet in the mountains, they have thick woolly fur to keep them warm. They have a diet of bamboo shoots(pictured). They have strong jaws, teeth and claws to chew. Their digestive system has adapted as well so it can digest the hard, tough bamboo. To get the nutrients it needs each day the panda has to eat 20-40 pounds of bamboo and to get this they have to spend 10-16 hours eating. Unlike most bears pandas do not hibernate. http://iwmf04.ustc.edu.cn/images/giant%20panda.jpg