Mountain ranges are found all around the world and are the result of plate movement beneath the Earth’s crust. Mountains can range in height from a small hill to 8,848 metres, which is the height of Mount Everest, the tallest mountain in the world. Animals that live in mountainous regions not only have to withstand dramatic temperature changes but also lower oxygen levels. Any land mass that rises 1,000 feet above the surrounding area is considered a mountain.
Facts about Mountains
1. There are two main types of mountain range, which are temperate mountains and tropical mountains.
2. Temperate mountains tend to be fairly cold all year round and are much more seasonal that the tropical mountains.
Related post: 10 Interesting Habitat Facts (Polar Region)
3. But how are mountains made? Mountains form over millions of years in several different ways. Some mountains form when volcanoes erupt over and over again. The lava builds up to make a mountain.
4. But how are mountains made? Mountains form over millions of years in several different ways. Some mountains form when volcanoes erupt over and over again. The lava builds up to make a mountain.
5. Islands are merely the tip of mountains or volcanoes that started under oceans.
6. Other mountains happen when two plates of the earth’s crust slam up against each other. Have you ever seen two cars after a head-on collision? The front ends of both cars are crumpled up. That’s a bit like mountain formation.
7. All of the world’s major rivers start on a mountain.
Related post: Interesting Habitat Facts (Ocean)
8. Many species of hoofed and herbivorous mammal such as goats, deer, sheep and llamas have adapted well to living in the mountains and are often found grazing on ledges and on cliff faces.
9. The Black bear cub, bighorn sheep, cougar, muledeer are some of the animals that inhabit in the mountains. Small mammals include the coyote, raccoon, bobcat, several types of squirrels, skunk, chipmunks, grey fox and even beavers. There are many species of birds as well.
10. Any creature that lives in the mountains must also be able to cope with changing temperatures. For every 200 meters an animal goes up a mountain, the temperature drops by 1 degree Centigrade.
Here are the Top Tallest Mountains in the World.
- Mount Everest, on the border of Tibet and Nepal, rises 29,029 feet.
- K2, on the border of Pakistan and China, is 28,251 feet.
- Kangchenjunga, on the border of Nepal and India, sits 28,169 feet.
- Lhotse, on the border of Nepal and Tibet, sits 27,940 feet.
- Makalu, which also sits in Nepal and Tibet, rises 27,838 feet.
- Cho Oyu, on the border of Nepal and Tibet rises 26,864 feet.
- Dhaulagiri, in Nepal, is 26,795 feet tall.
- Manaslu, also in Nepal, is 26,781 feet tall.
- Nanga Parbat, in Pakistan, is 26,660 feet tall.
- Annapurna, in Nepal, is 26,545 feet tall.
