Page 63 - World of Animals - Issue #29

W i l d l i f e o f t he A l p s
Golden eagle
Golden eagles leave their nests in the tall
trees and cliff edges to circle high above the
mountains, looking for mammals and other
birds to feed on. They have even been known
to take on adult chamois. As they are too
heavy to carry away, they cunningly kill the
chamois by pushing them over cliff edges.
Roe deer
One of the smaller deer species, roe deer are
far more cautious than their red deer cousins.
When they are frightened they can be seen
puffi ng up their hair, making them appear
larger in size, and making a barking sound to
try and scare off predators.
Alpine plants
These hardy flora species can thrive at high altitudes
Black grouse
The black grouse eats a varied diet, foraging
in the grasses for bilberries, cranberries,
buds and catkins. Males are black with red
wattles, while females are more neutral in
colour. The birds engage in unusual mating
rituals called lekking, where males make
noise and put on a show to attract females.
Wildlife of the Alps
Chamois
The chamois is almost the perfect mix of
goat and antelope, making it highly adapted
to life in the mountains, with the ability
to roam over uneven ground and sprint
with agility. They spend most of their time
grazing on leaves from the alpine meadows.
Edelweiss
The edelweiss is perhaps one of
the most iconic alpine flowers. Aer
the release of The Sound of Music,
it almost went extinct because of
tourists picking it. It has a mutualistic
relationship with muscidae flies; the
flies drink the flower’s nectar and in
return, pollinate the plant.
Alpine milkvetch
The purple and white alpine milkvetch
is a favourite snack for marmots.
The plant is rich in polyunsaturated
fatty acids, which help the marmots
to build up essential fat stores that
will sustain them through the winter,
when they settle down to hibernate
from October to April.
Arnica montana
Arnica is used in lots of modern
homeopathic remedies for its pain
relieving properties. Folklore has it,
the plant was used as a treatment
aer people of the Alps noticed
mountain goats were eating arnica
and rolling around in it aer injury as a
method of self-medication.
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