Aug 29, 2023
The Alpine chough is a bird that lives really high, up to 21,300 feet above the sea. It builds nests even higher than any other bird. It's got wide strong wings and a strong tail that help it handle strong winds. Plus, its wing tips are designed for agile movement in high places.
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Yaks thrive at extreme heights up to 20,000 feet. Their strong tongue aids in eating moss from rugged surfaces. With an extra-long intestine, yaks absorb more nutrients from food due to slower digestion. They possess bigger hearts, lungs, and more blood cells than typical cows.
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Tibetan gazelles inhabit heights up to 18,900 feet above sea level. They utilise juvenile globin, not adult haemoglobin, for efficient oxygen intake in thin air. Special air sacs aid oxygen uptake. They boast double coats—wool for warmth, adapting remarkably.
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Chirus, or Tibetan antelopes, thrive at 18,000 feet. Migrating to lower zones in winter and staying high in summer, some stay year-round. Their woolly coat insulates. They create 45-inch wide, 12-inch deep ground depressions for resting, likely evading flies.
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Kiangs, the largest wild asses on Earth, inhabit areas as high as 17,700 feet. Their only threat comes from wolves. In groups of up to 400, they store up to 90 lbs. of food during the abundant months of July and August.
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Himalayan marmots thrive at 17,100 feet elevation. They use low alarm calls to communicate when they sense danger, repeating them every 5 to 20 seconds. They possess unique genes for high-altitude life, aiding breathing and temperature control in thin air, per researchers.
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Tibetan sand fox thrives at 17,100 feet. They can be found in India, Nepal, Tibet, China. There they hunt their favorite foods, hares, marmots, pikas, and lizards. Survival sometimes means a sand fox partnering with a brown bear. Their keen hearing helps catch rodents on the run.
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The lammergeier (Gypaetus barbatus), known as the bone-eating vulture, lives up to 16,400 feet high. Despite its vulture name and Egyptian vulture kin, it's closer to hawks and eagles. Feeding on around 80% bones, it drops them from heights to break before eating.
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Himalayan tahr, found up to 16,400 feet high, boasts a dual-layered coat for winter. Their agility allows them to easily shift to higher ground for daytime feeding. As night falls, they descend to lower areas, enjoying the warmth there.
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Brown bears are found worldwide up to 16,400 feet high. They have strong claws to dig food from ice. Bears lower body temps by 8-12 degrees and use stored fat for energy. This lets them survive 7 months without food or drink, even in snow.
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