Introduction

     Hi! If you're here to read about the alpine ecology, then you've come to the right place. This blog will tell you about the alpine producers, animals, and food webs. Alpines are amazing places, with secrets never to be revealed. Enjoy the blog, and thank you for choosing Alpine Ecology Blog. :)

Alpine Producers

     There are many producers in the alpines too. Producers are organisms that make their own food. Some examples are the alpine phacelia, bear grass, bristlecone pine, moss campion, pygmy bitterroot, and wild potato. Do you see the pattern yet? Most producers are plants, but some are animals, like a cow or goat. Enough of that, let's see some of the alpine producers!

Alpine Phacelia

Pygmy Bitterroot

Bear Grass

Alpine food chains and webs

     The sun lets plants grow, and the alpacas, mountain goats, and other primary consumers eat those plants. Then, foxes and other secondary consumers eat the primary consumers. This is only one of the many other food webs of the alpines, but it gives a good idea of all of them.

Alpine animals

     There are many animals in alpine biome. From snow leopards to chinchillas, from white-tailed deer to yaks. From llamas to alpacas, from andean condors to vicunas and mountain goats. There are many more animals in the alpines, a list too long to list.

      First off, let's check out the alpaca! The alpaca is much like a llama. They are from the paco species. One place where alpacas are found is in the Andes Mountains, in South America. An alpacas fur coat can be one of the 22 shades: black, grey, white, brown, etc. They are 3-3.5 feet tall at the shoulders, and 
about 4-7 feet in body length. Alpacas can be 120-140 pounds. The oldest known recording of alpacas is 1,000 years older than the Great Pyramids of Giza. That's really old!

     Next, let's visit the andean condor. The andean condor is a type of vulture. They are from the gyphus species. They are the largest vultures in South America! The andean condor's wings can spread up to 10 feet. That's really wide! Can you imagine that? A male andean condor weighs about 24-33 pounds, while the female is about 18-24 pounds. This condor's feathers are mostly black, with white flight feathers on their wings. Like most vultures, their head and necks are naked. They can live up to 50 years!

     Lastly, let's look at the adorable chinchilla! They come from the brevicaudasa species. Chinchillas look a lot like rabbits, so don't get the two confused. They have silvery gray pelt and very soft black tipped hair. There are 60 hairs growing from each follicle! An adult male chinchilla weighs about 500 grams, while the adult female weighs from 600-800. These furry little creatures have big round eyes and ears, and narrow hind feet that have four digits with stiff claws. Chinchillas live in clans of about 100 individuals. They are endangered nocturnal herbivores. They are also really cute, unlike most alpine animals!

     There are so many wonderful alpine animals to describe, but there are hundreds of them. The list is even to long to list! Well, thanks for reading and we hope to see you again on Alpine Ecology Blog! 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=GP5D2apU2SE  <----Click for funny alpacas