Zoo-Geography
Mongolia is unique in its unusual and varied life zones, especially compared to the other temperate zones of the Northern Hemisphere. Being in the very center of the Eurasian continent it is hard to get anywhere further from the oceans of the world.
The mean elevation of Mongolia is about 1500 meters above sea level (5000 ft) which enhances the sharp continental climate. For most of the year it is very cold, especially at night. Mongolia has the highest atmospheric pressure in the world. Hence, precipitation is generally low and the skies are usually clear during the wintertime. Summers, however, are very pleasant just as in the US and Europe. There is a short rainy season in July and August during which most of the yearly rain falls. This rain, however, may materialize as sudden heavy showers. The average is about the same monthly average as for Scandinavia. Occasional strong winds can come and go quickly. Spring and fall pass very quickly.
Mongolia is a vast place of unexpected and unlikely encounters. The northernmost desert zones in the world are found within Mongolia, and so are the southernmost taiga forests of Siberia. Hence, the habitats of camels and reindeer almost merge in the northern areas by Hövsgöl Lake. Mongolia is a transition zone, located between the Siberian taiga forests and the Central Asian steppes and deserts. Most of Mongolia is still in a pristine condition. You can usually photograph yaks and camels side by side. In Mongolia the high snowcapped Altai Mountains and the Gobi are also found.
There are three mountain areas namely the Altai, Hangai and Hentii (Khentei) where you find alpine flora. The Hangai Mountains, in the very center of Mongolia, is forming part of Asia's continental watershed divide.
Ibexes on the ridges of
Gurvansaikhan Mountains in South Gobi.
The flora is mostly related to Scandinavian species in the northwest areas and to East Asian species in the northeast. However, species are unusually large and bright in colors, probably due to the high elevation and bright sunshine which intensify the photosynthesis process. The high mountain systems in the northern and western parts are favorable to the distribution of high altitude animals like Ibex (Capra sibirica), Argali Sheep (Ovis ammon or moufflon) and its predator the Snow Leopard ( Panthera uncia uncia). Further Narrow-sculled Vole (Microtus gregalis), Pica (Ochotona hyperborea), Mountain Hare (Lepus timidus), Stone Marten (Martes foina) and avifauna such as Altai Snowcock, Rock Partridge, Alpine or Himalayan Dunnock, Willow Grouse, Rock Ptarmigan etc.
Mongolia shares its northern frontier with Siberia where the taiga and forest life zones are located. In the taiga zone around Lake Hövsgöl, Baikal's twin lake, you may encounter Moose (Alces alces), Forest Lemming (Myopus schisticolor), Brown Bear (Ursos arctos), Musk Deer (Moschus moschiferus), three species of Vole, Chipmunk (Tamias sibirica), Sable (Martes zibellina), Eurasian River Otter (Lutra lutra), Hazel-hen (Bonasia bonasia), Three-toed Woodpecker (Picoides tridactylus), Surd Cuckoo (Cuculus saturatus), etc. In the lake itself there are Black-necked Grebes (Podiceps nigricollis), Black-throated Loons (Gavia arctica) Common Oystercatcher, Great Cormorants, Scoters and several species of Gulls.
Trekking above Lake Hövsgöl
in 1993.
To the south of the taiga complex, around the Hangai and Altai mountain forests there are also Roe Deer, Lynx and Wolf while the broken forests are inhabited by Black Cock, Goshawk, Black Kite, Hoopoe, Long Legged Buzzard, Oriental Cuckoo, and Woodpeckers. Around the lakes we may find Osprey and Ruddy Shell-duck (Tadorna ferruginea). Moving a bit east to the Hentii wilderness we start finding East Asian species like Racoon Dog, White-naped Crane, Mandarin Duck and North China Wood Frog as well.
The main characteristic of Mongolia is usually thought of as vast steppe zones, which is also entirely true. The high elevation of the country gives unusually clear air - all the year round. It is an overwhelming visual experience of emptiness to visit the completely silent treeless steppes stretching away into the distance: not a fence, no trace of human activity, no tracks, no telegraph poles, no haze whatsoever and the horizon sharp.
The predatory animals of the steppes are Dog Fox (Vulpes corsac), Wild Cat which is common but nocturnal (Felis manul) and Pole-cat. Their prey are three species of Marmots, Hare and Field Vole etc. There are also Saiga Antelopes. Cranes are common all over and represented with several species, especially in the eastern Dornod province. In the steppes we also find Great Bustard, Steppe Falcon, Steppe Eagle, Mongolian and Horned Lark, Dancing Wheatear etc.
The Przewalski Horse (Equus przewalskii), the only remaining wild ancestor of the domestic horse became extinct in Mongolia in 1961. The Mongols call it the Takhi. As of July 1992, a unique conservation project is being implemented in the Hustain Nuruu Steppe Reserve by the Foundation for the Preservation and Protection of the Przewalski Horse and their local counterpart MACNE (Mongolian Association for the Conservation of Nature and the Environment). This steppe area is only 105 km from Ulaanbaatar. Sometimes, due to project needs, the reserve is closed off for visitors, but mostly we are able to visit and see the Takhi in wild surroundings.
The Gobi is a word describing one third of the Mongolian territory to the south. It extends into northern China (Inner Mongolia) and this life zone gradually start to emerge only some 140 km south of Ulaanbaatar. The Gobi has come to be translated as the Gobi desert by Westerners but in the Mongolian language it is a description of the entire south. It has very diverse habitats and for the most part semi-desert. Mongolian scientists argue that there are at least 3 different "Gobis".
There is water available and open streams have very fresh and cold water. The herdsmen dig wells which produce very cold water just one meter below the ground. The Gobi is said to contain 33 different ecosystems. The Altai Mountains stretch into the Gobi and extend as the Gurvansaikhan Mountains into the middle of the Gobi. In spite of the high summer temperatures all around, the ravines of the Yol Valley of the Gurvansaikhan Mountains have permanent ice and snow! At Yol Lammergeiers nest. Right here there is alpine flora and fauna. There are Ibexes, Argalis and quite a number of the elusive Snow Leopards in these mountains.. Herdsmen keep yaks here.
The desert fauna of the Gobi is biologically diverse. Only 3 percent of the Gobi is considered true desert. There are five species of Jerboas, Mongolian Hamster, Mongolian Jird and Przewalski Lemming. Among predatory species in the desert zones there is the only desert Bear in the world, the Gobi Bear (Ursos pruinosus) which the Mongols call the Maazalai. It is an extremely rare species, and threatened with extinction.
Camping at the Honguriin Els,
South Gobi.
There is also the rare Wild Ass (Hemionus hemionus or Khulan) which is found in places like the very arid plains of Bordzongobi (ca 2000) east of Dalanzadgad. In this plain there are also thousands of Gazelles. The last remaining true wild Camels in the world, the Havtagai (Camelus ferus) are found in the west Gobi. More common are the Gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa), and Saiga Antelopes often seen in small herds in the western Gobi steppes.
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