The higher altitudes wildlife in the Western Himalayas from Kashmir including ladakh to Himachal.
Fauna of high altitudinal region of western Himalayas
At a high altitudinal zone with a belt of coniferous alpine forests this area is rich in Rhododendron , dwarf hill , Bamboo and Birch forest mixed with the alpine pastures this area extends upto the snow line .Above this area lies alpine zone .The pine belt acts as a transition belt for the rich fauna of the alpine zone .The typical fauna of the high altitude cold region include - The wild ass which is mostly found in the cold desert regions . The largest bovid ,the yak- They are black with long black horns and a little white on the muzzle .Three species of wild goats are found in this region -Highetst coniferous forests are roamed by the Thar , a typical goat with rather short horns set close together on the top of the head . Markhor, the finest of all goats with its long horns shaped like thick heavy cork screws , roams over the rockey slopes and cliffs above the tree line .The third is ibex .It is not only confined to Himalayas but found throughout the mountanious regions of Central Asia extending upto Spain .It lives mainly above tree lines , grazing between rockey cracks and on meadows just below the snow line .
The three species of sheep found here are Nayan the larest sheep , extends from Laddakh to Tibet .Bharal or blue sheep extending from Western Himalayas to Sikkim and Nepal . They have a salty blue colour which mingles with the rock colours and hence it is difficult to see them if they are motionless .The Shapu or Urial is the smallest of the wild sheep and inhabits grassy mountain slopes usually below treeline.
Two kinds of Antelopes The chiru and the Tibetian Gazelle .The deer species characteristic of western Himalayan Alpine Zone -Hangul or Kashmir Stag which is the local representative of the European Red Deer .This deer is mostly confined to the Dachingam Sanctuary in Jammu and kashmir near Srinagar .Other is the Show or the Sikkim Stag which is much larger than the hangul , occurs in the Chumbi valley in the Tibet and Sikkim .
The Musk deer is another deer which inhabits the high altitude in Western Himalayas .These are much valued for their musk pods and due to high poaching scale they have now become threatened .
The smaller mammals include marmots .The Himalayan or Bobak marmot is a stoutly built animal with a short bushy tail and very small ears .
Pikas or mouse hare are found at 2,500m to 4000 mts altitudes .
The snow leapord is one of the most beautiful animals found in Western Himalayas is now regarded as a threatend species .
The western himalayan birds - snow cocks , snow patridges ,monal pheasant , The Western tragopan , The satyr tragopan , the koklass , the whitecrested khalij and the cheer pheasant .The scavengers include Griffon vultures , lammergiers , coughs and ravens .
