Wildlife of Pakistan

Wildlife of Pakistan: flora and fauna and their natural habitats. Wildlife can also be termed as a series of non-domesticated plant and animal life.

Habitats of flora and fauna

Northern highlands and plains

The northern highlands include lower elevation areas of Potohar and Kashmir regions and higher elevation areas embracing the foothills of Himalayan, Karakorumand Hindukush mountain ranges. These areas provide an excellent habitat for wildlife in the form of alpine grazing lands, sub-alpine scrub and temperate forests. The areas are difficult for human beings to access, hence, most wildlife is present in reasonable numbers though some are endangered for other reasons. The northern highlands of Pakistan are covered with conifer and scrub forests, which have been reduced to scanty growth in most places. the biome is defined asnorthwestern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows.

Some of the wildlife species found on northern mountainous areas and Pothohar Plateau include the non-threatened mammal species of bharal, Eurasian lynx,Himalayan goral, Indian leopard, Marco Polo sheep, marmot (in Deosai National Park) and yellow-throated marten and birds species of chukar partridge, Eurasian eagle-owl, Himalayan monal and Himalayan snowcock and amphibian species of Himalayan toad and Muree Hills frog. The threatened ones include Asiatic black bear, Himalayan brown bear, Indian wolf, Kashmir gray langur, Kashmir red deer, markhor, rhesus macaque, Siberian ibex, smooth-coated otter, snow leopard andwhite-bellied musk deer, bird species of cheer pheasant, peregrine falcon, western tragopan.^[1] and reptile species of mugger crocodile.