Tours across cities of Kazakhstan.

“Thought is invisible nature”

Heinrich Heine.

Culture and nature Tours Kazakhstan.

In fauna of Dzungarskiy Alatau there are a lot of Altai and Tien-Shan types. They are widespread on zones too. The winter in the Dzungarskiy Alatau is warmer, than on surrounding plains and in Altai. In Dzungarskiy it is possible to meet many animals living and in Zailiyskiy of Alatau.
The most remarkable animal - Siberian salamander (Ranodon sibiricus) - the largest triton of fauna of Kazakhstan reaching 24 centimeters in length. He lives in the western part of the ridge in a belt of the fir forest at the height from 1800 to 2500 meters above sea level in streams and the rivers.
The rare, interesting species from a class of amphibians belongs to narrow endemic species - around the world Siberian salamander (Ranodon sibiricus) does not meet anywhere. As well as all Amphibia, Siberian salamander (Ranodon sibiricus) lays caviar from which the larvae similar to whitebaits of fishes appear.
It happened to observe how in the creeks which are warmed up by the sun, among a flock of whitebaits of the Ottoman also small Siberian salamander (Ranodon sibiricus) actively floated. Adult tritons usually hide in water under stones and to see them in the afternoon, it is necessary to overturn or look for stones in niches under the coast.
On the land Siberian salamander (Ranodon sibiricus) it seems sluggish and clumsy, reminding fantastic dragons. This harmless animal eats generally water organisms and insects. At the beginning of our century of a triton intensively caught, and used the dried-up meat according to recipes of east medicine for treatment of diseases.
Now, fortunately, it does not practice, but the number of a triton is reduced because of pollution and a shallowing of streams. One more animal of the Dzungarskiy mountains - Asiatic wild dog (Cuon alpinus) is interesting.
Packs of these animals reminding appearance both a fox, and a wolf arranged collective hunting on argali (Ovis ammon) and goats, running long distances in search of production. In the fifties our century wolves practically disappeared.
Sometimes shepherds and glaciologists meet single animals, experts to zoologists for the last 30 years had not to see a red wolf. Now this most rare animal is included in the International Red List. Other rare predators of Dzungarskiy - the snow leopards (Uncia), Eurasian otter (Lutraa lutra), manul cat (Felis manil), the Central Asian otter, rock marten (Martes foina) and brown bear (Ursus arctos) - still continue to meet.
Still there is unresolved a question to what subspecies to carry a brown bear of Dzungarskiy - to rare Tien-Shan or to usual Siberian, inhabiting the next Altai. In a subalpine belt of the ridge below, on glades of coniferous forests the long-tailed gopher - most "mountain" of a genus of the gophers living in the country is found much.
Among rare birds it is necessary to mark out the bearded bearded vulture (Pypaetus barbatus), black stork (Ciconia nigra) and ibis-bill (ibidorhyncha). The bearded man becomes less because of exhaustion of a food supply from year to year.
It generally eats meat of the dead of hoofed animals, in recent years their number thoroughly decreased. Also booted eagle (Hieraaetus pennatus) and golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), griffon (Gyps) and carrion vulture (Neophron).
The natural wildlife areas which are in the Dzungarskiy Alatau promote preservation and enhancement of many animal species. For example, in east part of the ridge, in Tokta river basin, the maral, a mountain goat and архар well remained.
On the rivers Lepsy and Aganakty the badger (Meles meles), Alpine ibex (Capra ibex), European wild boar (Sus scrofa), European roe deer (Capreolus capreolus). The deer and allies (Cervidae) lives in the fir and fir forests of the Dzungarskiy Alatau soiled.
On coniferous forests from the North here and further types, usual for the Siberian taiga, from birds, for example, a spotted nutcracker (Nucifraga caryocatactes) get into Tien-Shan. Generally fauna of the Dzungarskiy Alatau typical for Tien-Shan.
Near the lake the top Zhasylkol about 500 heads of red deer (Cervus elaphus) annually gather in the Solar valley on a wintering.

Authority:
Books: "Nature of Zailiysky Ala-Tau", M. Zh. Zhandayev, prod. Kazakhstan, Alma-Ata, 1978 "Across Northern Tien-Shan", V. N. Vukolov, Moscow, Profizdat, 1991.

Photos
Alexander Petrov.