These pages were constructed for a school project for Mrs. Morsette's sixth grade social studies class. I am just learning HTML and this is my first webpage, so sorry if the formatting is a little off! All pictures were taken by members of my family, except as noted in the links below. - Cori
The alpine tundra is home to many different species of animal. Mammals that live here include elk, bighorn sheep, mountain goats, yellow-bellied marmots, and american pikas. The only birds are grouse-like birds, such as the white-tailed ptarmigan. Insects also inhabit the alpine tundra, including grasshoppers, flies, butterflies, and ants.
Elk Elk migrate to the alpine tundra in the summer, but live at lower elevations in the winter months. In the wild, an elk can live to over twenty years. Male elk, called bulls, grow large antlers of bone every year (the antlers fall off in spring), which increase in size annually. Female elk, called cows, give birth to one or two baby elk (calves) every spring. Once these calves are able to keep up with the other elk, they and their mothers join together in one big group while the more solitary bulls go off on their own. Elk are herbivores, meaning they eat only plants. Some of the things they eat are leaves, roots, tubers, lichens, bark, and even pine needles!
Bighorn Sheep Like elk, bighorn sheep live in the alpine tundra. However, these animals stay here all year. The males of this species sport large, curling horns that give the species its name. These horns increase in size every year, and are used for fighting other males. Horns also are a sign of status: the more important or more dominant males have larger horns. Females give birth to one baby, called a kid, every year on almost inaccessible ledges high on the mountainside. Bighorn sheep can live up to nineteen years in the wild, but their average lifespan is ten and a half years. They are also herbivores, and eat leaves, grass, twigs, and shoots.
Mountain Goats Mountain goats are another species that inhabit the alpine tundra year-round. An interesting fact about their appearance is that both males and females have horns, although the horns on the males are larger. When male mountain goats compete for a female, they do not butt heads, but instead stab each other in the flanks. Typically, females have one baby, called a kid, though there can be up to three kids in a litter. The diet of a mountain goat consists predominantly of grasses, woody shrubs, mosses, and lichens. In the wild, mountain goats can live to an age of eighteen years, though the average is twelve to fifteen. Their main predator is the cougar.
Yellow-Bellied Marmots Yellow-bellied marmots make their burrows in the alpine tundra. These burrows have several entrances and are surprisingly large, reaching up to one meter in depth and having tunnels up to seventy meters long. Marmots live for thirteen to fifteen years, and spend most of that time in their burrows. They can hibernate for up to eight months, during which time they depend on the fat stored in their body. Female marmots have litters of one to nine babies, averaging four. They eat leaves, flowers, friut, grains, and even sometimes insects! The main predators of the yellow-bellied marmot include badgers, coyotes, eagles, owls, and wolverines.
American Pikas American pikas can be found in the rocky talus slopes of the alpine tundra. They have many predators, such as eagles, hawks, coyotes, bobcats, foxes, and weasels. These pikas will warn each other with a distinctive alarm call if they spot a threat. They do not hibernate, but hide from harsh weather in their burrows. Though american pikas look like rodents, they are more closely related to rabbits. In order to survive the long winter, pikas make stashes of plants in their dens. Many of these plants are poisonous, but the poison works as a natural preservative and keeps the plants fresh (it is no longer toxic by the time the pikas eat it). Pikas eat grasses, their haypiles, and, when those are used up, lichens.
White-Tailed Ptarmigans White-tailed ptarmigans are grouse-like birds that live in the alpine tundra all year. Their diet consists primarily of leaves, buds, berries, flowers, and insects. Ptarmigans are another species with well-developed alarm calls, which define what type of predator is being a threat. Males of the species will show off for females by defending a territory, and the female will then choose one to be her mate. They will have four to seven eggs. The average lifespan of a ptarmigan is three to five years. These amazing birds are usually completely camouflaged - they change their coat from a mottled brown and grey to a snowy white.
Elk
Bighorn Sheep
Mountain Goats
Yellow-Bellied Marmots
American Pikas
White-Tailed Ptarmigans