The defining element of the Tibetan plateau is its extreme altitude, with average elevation hovering at 4,000 metres. The plateau is home to the world's highest peaks and its deepest valleys. Like going to depth in the ocean, rising to altitude is an alien environment with extreme weather conditions. To survive at such altitude requires special adaptations on the part of flora and fauna, leading to some extraordinary specimens. In this high-altitude world, fauna and flora survive in a delicate balance—one that is easily upset. Any damage done to this fragile environment could take a very long time to restore.
The blue poppy
The national flower of Bhutan is the Meconopsis grandis, the tallest of the half-dozen varieties found in the country. Meconopsis grandis grows to about a metre in height at altitudes of over 4,000 metres in alpine scree. The brilliant blue poppy is such a hardy species that the hairs growing on its stem have been observed coated in ice.
Yartsa Gunbu
Is it an insect? Is it a plant? Well, half-way between. Yartsa gunbu is the caterpillar of the ghost moth, which is attacked by a fungus that metamorphoses it. The resulting specimen, known as Chinese caterpillar fungus, 'grows' in surface soil at around 4,000 metres and is highly valued in Tibetan and Chinese traditional medicine as a general health enhancer and tonic. Annual 'collection' of yartsa gunbu provides significant income for Tibetan nomads.
Bar-Headed Geese
Astronauts on the wing: these incredible birds fly at altitudes up to 9,000 metres, clearing the Himalayas twice each year to complete an epic migration. Their wings do not ice up. How they still manage to see and breathe when flying long distances in such extreme conditions remains a mystery.
Snow Leopard
The snow leopard is such a stealthy cat that movie film capturing it in action was not taken until this century. The cat is about the size of a large dog, and has an enormous bushy tail that serves to balance its movements over snowy terrain. Large pads on the feet act like snowshoes. The snow leopard lives above 3,500 metres, and can range over passes above 5,500 metres. The snow leopard has disappeared from much of its range in Tibet due to hunting, but survives in pockets of Ladakh and in the western Himalayas.
 Snow Lions, bounding from peak to peak |