Surviving extremes: altitude, cold and desert

Air too thin, biting cold, crushing heat, no water in sight: some mammals have made these conditions their home. Here is how they cope.

1
Snow leopardabove 5,000 m
It lives in the mountains of Central Asia, sometimes more than 5,000 metres up.
2
Vicuña3,500 to 5,000 m
This wild cousin of the llama grazes on the high Andean plateaus, where the air is very thin.
3
Guanacoblood built for altitude
Its blood, very rich in red cells, makes the most of the little oxygen up high.
4
Ethiopian wolfabove 3,000 m
It lives only on the Ethiopian highlands, where it mostly hunts rodents.
5
Arctic foxcold-proof ears
Its short, rounded ears lose little heat, and it finds prey under the snow by ear.
6
Black-tailed jackrabbitradiator ears
Its huge ears shed the desert heat… and help it hear well too.
7
Quokkararely needs to drink
It can go a long time without drinking, getting some of its water from the plants it eats.
8
North American river otterultra-dense fur
Its very dense fur keeps it warm in cold water, and it loves sliding down snow.

Quiz question

At what altitude does the vicuña live?

Collect these animals

224 wild mammals to collect as cards, free boosters every day and quiz duels in the arena.

Snow leopardabove 5,000 m