Animals of the Altai
The Altai-Sayan ecoregion is one of the last remaining untouched areas of the world.
It contains some of the world's largest unbroken stretches of Siberian fir, pine and larch trees, and gives life to 2 of the world's 10 longest rivers - the Ob and Yenisey.
Consisting of pristine mountain forests, surrounded by steppes in the north and east, and by deserts and semi-deserts in the south and west, the region is a rich treasure trove of biodiversity.
Here, one finds over 200 species of rare and endemic plants and many wildlife species.
The
snow leopard (
Panthera uncia) and the world's largest wild sheep, the
Altai argali (
Ovis ammon ammon), roam the highlands of the Atlai and Sayan mountains, as well as the Siberian ibex (
Capra sibirica), wolf (
Canis lupis), brown bear (
Ursus arctos) and lynx (
Lynx lynx).