 Fauna in the Jammu and Kashmir region include animals like the Snow Leopard, Hangul, Chiru, and the Yak. Over 100 species of birds make their home in this rugged terrain.
Commonly spotted animals in the Kashmir region include the Marmot, the Himalayan Ibex, the serow, nilgai, the black bear and the musk deer.
The Hangul has been declared as an endangered species. This animal is found all over the Kashmir valley.
Some of the commonly sighted birds in Kashmir are the Nightingale, Hud Hud, Ranga, Bul Bul and the King Fisher.
Forests in Jammu and Kashmir vary according to both altitude and climatic conditions. They range from tropical deciduous forests in the foothills to temperate forests in the middle altitudes of the Kashmir Valley. Coniferous, sub-alpine, and alpine forests spring up higher up in the higher areas of the Valley and these eventually give way to alpine grasslands and high altitude meadows. Forests in the Jammu and Kashmir region include a wide variety of species including maple that is popularly known as the chinar tree, evergreens, rose chestnut, alder, pine, laurel, sal, oak, magnolia, cedar, birch, hazel, spruce, juniper and rhododendron.
Geography of Jammu and Kashmir
| 