Book 20, Question 41
Why Do Different Animals Live at Different Heights on a Mountain?
Different animals live at different heights because each one fits a certain climate! Food, shelter, and temperature decide who lives where. Let's climb the mountain in our minds and meet them.
More fun facts
- In Rocky Mountain National Park, the lower montane zone, about 5,600 to 9,500 feet, has meadows and pine forests where elk graze in winter.
- Streams in montane meadows create wet habitat used by migrating songbirds.
- The subalpine zone, from about 9,000 to 11,000 feet, is mostly subalpine fir and Engelmann spruce forest.
- Rocky Mountain National Park ranges from 7,860 feet to 14,259 feet high, so one park holds several of these zones.
- Above about 11,000 feet is the alpine tundra, where cold, strong winds and short summers keep trees from growing.
- Winter wind gusts on the park's tundra have been measured at 98 to 122 mph.
- Tundra animals must gather enough food during the short summer to last through the long winter.
- White-tailed ptarmigan in the park now start nesting about 12 days earlier than they did in the 1960s.
Sources: National Park Service, National Park Service, National Park Service, National Park Service
Questions kids ask
How much of Rocky Mountain National Park is above the trees?
About one third of the park is above the highest point where trees can grow.