Childrens Illustrated Animal Atlas

66

The Himalayan wolf is a

rare type of gray wolf. Some

are almost white—like snow

on the Himalayas!

N Himalayan wolf

S

W E

Location

This region includes Tibet

and parts of southwest

China. Summers are dry

and warm, and winters

are often below freezing.

HABITAT KEY

Asiatic black bear

This bear is also called the

“moon bear” due to the pale,

crescent-shaped band on its

chest. It spends about half

of its life up in trees.

Snow leopard

These cats have a thick, spotted

coat that keeps them warm and

helps them blend in when hunting.

They keep their face warm when they

Himalayan marmots dig very deep sleep by covering it with their furry tail.

burrows to hibernate in.

Himalayan marmot

Nicknamed the “Tibetan snow pig,”

this ground squirrel is one of the

only mammals on Earth that lives

above 16,400 ft (5,000 m).

Many kinds of plants

grow on the plateau,

including this serratula,

a type of thistle.

Himalayan

alpine serratula

This little relative

of the rabbit is so suited

to rocky ground that it

often nests in a

pile of stones!

Himalayan

mouse hare

The tahr is a wild goat that

has hooves with rubberlike

cores. These help it grip

onto smooth rocks. Himalayan

tahr

This large, cowlike animal

has extra-big lungs that

help it to get enough

oxygen from the thin air.

Wild yak

INDIA

NEPAL

HI

MA

LA

YA

S

PAKISTAN

Tibetan

Plateau

This high, flat region of Asia is surrounded by

mountains. It’s so high that it’s often called the

“roof of the world.” The animals that live here

have to deal with thin air and bitter winters.

Tropical

forests

Tropical

grasslands

Mountains

Coniferous

forests

Deciduous

forests

Cold desert

Kathmandu

Thimphu

New Delhi

ALT

UN

MO

UN

TA

IN

S

Islamabad

US_066_067_Tibetan_plateau_Himalayas.indd 66 23/05/2017 16:34