Bhutan’s flora and fauna, which includes more than 5,600 species of plants, 778 species of birds and close to 200 species of mammals, is one of the most diverse in Asia. Physically, Bhutan can be divided into three zones: the Alpine Zone (4000m and above) with no forest cover; the Temperate Zone (2000 to 4000m) covered in conifer or broadleaf forests; and the Subtropical Zone (150m to 2000m) with tropical or subtropical vegetation.
Because of this wide range of altitudes and climates, Bhutan is home to a diverse variety of flora and fauna. Bhutan is home to fir forests, mixed conifer forests, blue pine forests, chirpine forests, broadleaf forests, upland hardwood forests, lowland hardwood forests and tropical lowland forests. Of all the plant species in the eastern Himalayan region, almost 60% of them can be found in Bhutan.
A variety of animals frequent the jungles of Bhutan. High altitude species include snow leopards, Bengal tigers, red pandas, gorals, langurs, Himalayan black bears, sambars, wild pigs, barking deer, blue sheep, musk deer, and takins. Some believe that Bhutan is also to the elusive yeti. In the tropical forests of southern Bhutan, one can see clouded leopards, one horned rhinoceros, elephants, water buffaloes and the swamp deer. Golden langurs, which are unique to Bhutan, can also be found in the south. Bhutan is a ‘hot spot’ for bird watching. Its great variety of bird species places it at the hub of 221 global endemic bird areas. At present, Bhutan is home to more than 778 recorded bird species, and chances are excellent that this number will continue to increase.
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