Animals
( 2005-10-27 )

Tibet's complex topography and widely varying climates result in an abundance of natural resources. The eastern and southern parts of the region are largely covered with primeval forests, home to rare plants and animals.

There are 142 species of mammals, 473 species of birds, 49 species of reptiles, 44 species of amphibians, 64 species of fish, and more than 2,300 species of insects in Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region.

Wild animals include Cercopithecus (monkeys), Assamese macaque (monkeys), rhesus monkeys, muntjak, head-haired deer, wild cattle, red-spotted antelopes, leopards, clouded leopards, black bears, wild cats, weasels, little pandas, red deer, river deer, white-lipped deer, wild yaks, Tibetan antelopes, wild donkeys, argalis (a kind of wild sheep), Mongolian gazelles, foxes, wolves, lynxes, brown bears, jackals, blue sheep, and snow leopards.

The Tibetan antelope, wild yak, wild donkey, and argali are all rare species particular to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and are under State protection. The white-lipped deer, found only in China, is of particular rarity. The black-necked crane and the Tibetan pheasant are under the first-class protection of the State.