A look at the flora and fauna of the Himalayas.

Flora and Fauna of the Himalayas

A sample of various history, geography and other social science books made by students around the world.

Social studies books

Contents <a href="bookcreator://page/homYhoCLSyegiuLhS4AeOg">3-7. Snow Leopard</a> <a href="bookcreator://page/xH238aN0RjqxwceXmQe9jw">9-10. Cicada</a> <a href="bookcreator://page/-Vlyc00ZTDSKvEEaPyIjVg">11. Cedar Tree</a> <a href="bookcreator://page/357zTGLjS66w9s0mBehwAA">12-13. Paradise Flycatcher</a> <a href="bookcreator://page/J9AEe7WUQPKZBTMzSYDASQ">14-17. Grey Langur</a> <a href="bookcreator://page/RjAv0w0qQsO5ilUyHZ6ZlQ">18-19. Porcupine</a>

Cedar trees are native to the Himalayas and the Mediterranean. They can grow in almost any type of soil, but it prefers moist soil. It needs full sun to grow. The cedar family includes 4 species: the deodar cedar; the atlas cedar; the cyprus cedar and lebanon cedar. These are known to be true cedars but there are many other trees that are considered cedar trees by many people.

<a href="bookcreator://page/-KFqe6UeR1WufzqLqpNBnA">Contents</a>

Every species of cedar looks different. Lebanon cedars have a conical shape when they a young but when it is fully grown it has a flat crown and horizontal branches. It can grow up 130 feet making it one of the largest cedars in the world. Deodar cedars, however, are much smaller and grow up to 70 feet high and 40 feet wide. Each needle is 1 to 2 inches and can be a bluish, green or grayish-green colour. Atlas cedars have silvery blue to bluish green needles. It can grow to a height of 40 to 60 feet. It has horizontal spreading branches. Finally, the cyprus cedar can grow up to 40 feet and is the smallest cedars in the world. Its bark is a greyish-brown colour. Climate change means cedar trees will soon be endangered.

The Indian Paradise flycatcher (Terpsiphone Paradisi) is a bird native to Asia. It belongs to the family of Paradise flycatchers also known as &#8216;the Monarchiae&#8217;. Did you know that male Paradise flycatchers&#8217; throats are black while females&#8217; are grey? Adult male paradise flycatchers grow long tail feathers, but the females&#8217; is short unlike the male. male flycatchers have a blue eyed-ring but the Female flycatchers have black eyed-rings. They also have grey legs. They mainly eat insects, such as moths, dragonflies, grasshoppers, ants, crickets, beetles, winged termites and cicadas. Luckily, the Indian Paradise Flycatcher is not endangered and in threat like other animals.

Indian paradise flycatchers are migratory birds and, during winter, they spend their time in tropical Asia. They live in wooded habitats and inhabit thick forests.

The snow leopard&#8217;s most common, regular meal is Blue sheep, Ibex and smaller snacks such as Pika, birds and rats. As a result of farmers taking the snow leopards&#8217; land, they eat farm animals such as goat, sheep and yak. Snow leopards can even hunt animals 3 times their own weight! Would you believe that adult Snow Leopards need 2.5 kg of meat every day? Snow leopards are apex predators- which means they can&#8217;t get preyed on, they can only prey on other animals. They&#8217;re crepuscular, which means they are most active in the twilight hours.

Langurs eat leaves, flowers, fruits and buds. They are known as by some people &#8216;leafy&#160;monkeys&#8217;. This is because of their reliance on leafy forests.&#160;When they eat, they hydrate at the same time. This is because they get most of their water from food.

Langurs are also be referred to as &#8216;Hanuman langurs&#8217;. This is because people think their hands and face are made of the ashes from a giant fire caused by hanuman when he tried to save Princess Sita from a demon. For this reason, langurs are sacred in the Hindu religion.

Some cicadas live in Asia. The species that lives in Asia is called Tanna japonensis. Many cicadas like to stay near deciduous trees, but some cicadas stay near pine trees and swamps.&#160;

A female cicada will lay eggs on what she thinks is a stable branch. It will make a groove in the branch and lay several dozen eggs. The egg will hatch and suck on the tree fluids. Once&#160;the larva&#160;is ready, it will fall onto the ground and start to move around in the ground. It stays 2-17 years and will feed on roots of the grass and, eventually, it will eat the roots of the tree. After the long 2-17 years, it emerges from the ground as a nymph. It climbs up to the nearest tree and starts to shed its nymph exoskeleton. Wings inflate with liquid and adult skin hardens. Once&#160;its&#160;body is functioning properly, its adult life begins. Males buzz and females will follow them and mate again and a new life cycle begins.

Snow leopards have several adaptions to survive in extreme cold weather. Snow leopards have cryptic, spotted patterns on their furry coat. Their thick fur insulates their body in a variety of different temperatures. Did you know the fur on a Snow Leopards stomach is 5 inches? Snow Leopards ears (short and rounded) prevent heat loss! Are you aware that Snow Leopards large paws act like natural snow boots? They use their tail to keep themselves warm, like a scarf. In fact, their tails are so long, it&#8217;s nearly the size of the Snow leopard&#8217;s whole body! An average Snow Leopards body length is 48-56 inches.&#160;

Snow leopards are normally found in the rugged mountains of central Asia. They are sparsely distributed across Southern Siberia, Tibetan, Plateau, Pakistan, Afghanistan, China, Bhutan, India, Mongolia, Russia and Nepal. The only greenery there is grass and small shrubs. Cliffs, rocky outcrops and ravines are what snow leopards prefer so that they have a better view to catch prey. Would you believe that 60% of the snow leopard&#8217;s habitat is in China?

Grey langurs are a type of monkey. They're not aggressive but will steal from houses. Because of this, some people call them &#8216;cheeky monkeys.&#8217;

A baby snow leopard is called a&#160;cub. Cubs are born in spring or early summer. However, they stay with their mothers for a year until they are at a suitable age when they can look after themselves. Female snow leopards can give&#160;birth to&#160;up to four cubs at a time!

One of the threats towards snow leopards is that farmers are extending their farm land, taking up the snow leopard&#8217;s habitat. Therefore, snow leopards eat the farm animals; then the farmer will kill the snow leopard. Of course, there&#160;are also&#160;poachers. They sell the snow leopards&#8217;&#160;bones and&#160;fur for money. They use their fur to make rugs and they use their bones for a traditional medicine. The snow leopard&#8217;s habitat is hard to reach; it is hard to protect them from poachers. Although it is illegal to hunt snow leopards, poachers want the money.

Musk roses (Rosa Moschata) are believed to have first originated from the Himalayan region. The meaning of musk rose is &#8216;a rambling rose with large white musk-scented flowers.&#8217;&#160; Musk roses have a strongly scented smell, described to be the combination of fruit and musk. Its medium-sized petals come in a fantastic range of colours! The prickles at the end of the stem is straight and sometimes slightly curved.&#160; Rose musk are very adaptable and can grow in nearly every soil!&#160;&#160; Certain species of roses are faced with an uncertain future, extinction. This is unfortunately possible because of habitat loss.&#160;

Porcupines are like prickly beavers! They have long strands of hair that may look soft but have thousands of quills hidden underneath its fur. Porcupines have small faces, small ears, short legs and a small, thick tail. The difference between hedgehogs and porcupines is that hedgehogs are&#160;Eulipotyphlas&#160;which are animals like shrews and moles. Their spines are strongly attached to their body and don&#8217;t come off as easily as the porcupine&#8217;s quills. Porcupines are rodents which are animals like rats, mice, beavers, etc.&#160; Porcupines are herbivores, which means they eat plants, fruit, vegetables and berries. They eat leaves twigs and green plants like skunk cabbage and clover. They will&#160;often&#160;climb trees for food.&#160;

Porcupines are rodents with sharp quills. Their scientific name is&#160;Erethzon&#160;dorsatum. The name &#8216;porcupine&#8217; comes from the Latin meaning &#8216;quill pig&#8217;. Porcupines make all sorts of sounds. Those sounds include whining, moaning, grunting, wails and shrieks. Porcupines can be found in tropical temperate climate in Asia. They are nocturnal, which means they rest during the day.&#160;They live&#160;in hollow trees, logs and underground burrows.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160; They are not aggressive and are generally scared of large animals like humans. However, when they feel threatened, they will coil up onto the&#160;belly and&#160;their&#160;quills protrude outwards. This is the best defence mechanism the porcupine has. When the spine penetrates the animals, it is&#160;very painful and could cause an infection.&#160;

Flora and Fauna of the Himalayas

Snow Leopards are elusive big cats. They&#8217;re mostly related to tigers. They are mostly found in the mountains of central Asia. Unlike other big cats, Snow Leopards can&#8217;t roar! Did you know the proper name for a Snow leopard is Panthera Uncia? They&#8217;re also called &#8216;Ghost of the mountain&#8217; because there is only 4,000-6,500 left in the wild.&#160;

The cicada&#160;(cicadoidea)&#160;is an animal that is native to South America and some even live in Asia. It is in the order Hemiptera (true bugs) which has 50,000 to 80,000 species of insects and suborder&#160;Auchenorrhyncha&#160;which contains leafhoppers, cicadas, treehoppers, planthoppers and spittlebugs.

The reason why cicadas make a buzz is because they have a special organ called a tymbal. The tymbal has a series of ribs that clicks every time the cicada flexes its muscles. In the summer, it will buzz more because the male needs a female to mate with. The loudest buzz from a cicada (Brevisana brevis) is 106.7 decibels.&#160;

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