Forest, Wildlife & Environment Department Government of Gilgit-Baltistan

Forest, Wildlife & Environment Department
Government of Gilgit-Baltistan

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Fauna of Gilgit-Baltistan

The Gilgit Baltistan of Pakistan are rich in flora and fauna because of varied climatic conditions and ecosystems. In spite of unscientific management and ruthless hunting, wildlife in the Gilgit Baltistan still supports rare and endangered species of mammals and birds like Marco Polo sheep, blue sheep, markhor, black bear, brown bear, chakor and ram chakor.

Fauna of Gilgit Baltistan

Total number of mammals found in Gilgit Baltistan is fifty four (54). They include 1 shrew, 10 bats, 18 carnivores, 6 artiodactyls, 3 lagomorphs, and 16 rodents. There is only one species of mammals, which is endemic to Gilgit Baltistan i.e. Woolly flying squirrel, while Astore Markhor can be considered near endemic, as its distribution is restricted to a few valleys. Several large mammal species are found in Gilgit Baltistan are either threatened or endangered. These includes Snow leopard, Marco polo sheep, Himalayan brown bear, Black bear, Musk deer, Blue sheep, Ladakh urial etc.

HIMALAYAN LYNX

The lynx has a short body, very short tails, long powerful legs and large paws. The short tail has a thick black tip, but no black rings above. Their ears terminate in long, black hair tufts, and their cheeks are framed by longer white and black hair.

HIMALAYAN IBEX

The coat coloration varies widely across the Ibex’s range. The general color of the pelage is a light tan, with the undersides lighter. In winter, mature males become much darker, with varying patches of white on the neck and back. Males have beards.

ASTORE MARKHOR

The markhor (Capra falconeri) is one of the largest and most magnificent members of the Caprinae or goat family, and it is the official “National Animal of Pakistan.” It has perhaps the most impressive horns of the family, with huge, spiraled, twisting horns that are either straight or flaring in outline depending on the subspecies.

SNOW LEOPARD

Snow Leopards are large cats, most active at dawn and dusk. They have white fur coat with brownish/yellow tinges that is covered with rings of brown/black rosette/spots. The markings help camouflage it from prey. Their fur is long and woolly and helps protect the cat from extreme cold.

BROWN BEAR

Brown bear has furry coats in shades of blonde, brown, black, or a combination of these colors. The longer outer guard hairs of the brown bear are often tipped with white or silver, giving a ‘grizzled’ appearance.

MUSK DEER

Musk deer are primitive deer, not having antlers, but a pair of tusklike upper canines. Both sexes have well-developed upper canines, and in males these grow 7-14 cm (3-5 inches) long and protrude from the mouth in a fang-like manner.

RED FOX

Red foxes have elongated bodies and relatively short limbs. They are the largest species of the genus Vulpes. In the typical red morph, their coats are generally bright reddish-rusty with yellowish tints. A stripe of weak, diffuse patterns of many brown-reddish-chestnut hairs occurs along the spine.

BLUE SHEEP

Despite their name, blue sheep are neither blue nor sheep: they are slate-grey to brownish and closer to the goats than to the sheep, as morphological, behavioural, and molecular analyses have shown. Blue sheep are sexually dimorphic, with males larger than females.

GREY WOLF

Grey wolves are canines with long bushy tails that are often black-tipped. Their coat color is typically a mix of grey and brown with buff facial markings and undersides, but the color can vary from solid white to brown or black. Grey wolves look somewhat like a large German shepherd.

GOLDEN MARMOT

Marmots are the second largest rodents (after beavers) in the Palearctic Region. The body shape and size of these animals reflect their fossorial, or partly subterranean, life.

CAPE HARE

Cape hares have a slender body with a bushy tail. The oval-shaped head has very long (12 to 14 cm), black-tipped ears and large, reddish-brown eyes. This species also has very long and powerful hind legs.

MOUNTAIN WEASEL

The Mountain Weasel is a species of weasel that prefers to live at high altitudes, usually over 11,500 feet (3,505 meters). This species is sometimes referred to as the Pale Weasel or Altai Weasel, as well. Mountain weasel undergoes spring and autumn molts.

BLACK BEAR

The genus Ursus of the family Ursidae has four known species with many sub-species. Pakistan hosts two species, including the Himalayan brown bear and black bear. Both these species have been reported in Gilgit-Baltistan.