People of Gilgit-Baltistan

Specie may be defined as

“It is the basic biological classification and containing individuals that resemble one another and may interbreed freely and produce offspring”

Species includes both flora and fauna.
Fauna includes birds and mammals

BIRDS

Birds belong to the phylum chordate and are the only animals with feathers, although some other animals, such as insects and bats, also have wings. Nearly all birds can fly, and even flightless birds, such as ostriches and penguins, evolved from flying ancestors. Birds are members of a group of animals called vertebrates, which possess a spinal column or backbone. Other vertebrates are fish, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals. Many characteristics and behaviours of birds are distinct from all other animals, but there are some similarities. Like mammals, birds have four-chambered hearts and are warm-blooded—having a relatively constant body temperature that enables them to live in a wide variety of environments.
Birds are found worldwide in many habitats. They can fly over some of the highest mountains on earth as well as both of the earth’s poles, dive through water to depths of more than 250 m (850 ft), and occupy habitats with the most extreme climates on the planet, including arctic tundra and the Sahara Desert. Certain kinds of seabirds are commonly seen over the open ocean thousands of kilometers from the nearest land, but all birds must come ashore to raise their young.
Highly developed animals, birds are sensitive and responsive, colourful and graceful. People have long been fascinated by birds, in part because birds are found in great abundance and variety in the same habitats in which humans thrive. And like people, most species of birds are active during daylight hours. Birds are useful indicators of the quality of the environment, because the health of bird populations mirrors the health of our environment. The rapid decline in bird populations and the accelerating extinction rates of birds in the world’s forests, grasslands, wetlands, and islands are therefore reasons for great.
Some important birds found in GILGIT-BALTISTAN are as following

• Lerwa lerwa (Snow patridge)
• Alectoris chukar(Chukar patridge)
• Tetraogallus himalyensis(Himalayan snow cock)
• Gypaetus barbatus(Bearded vultures )
• Falco cherrug
• Upupa epops   etc

MAMMALS
Animal that raises its young on milk. Most mammals are covered with hair or fur, and most have specialized teeth that help them to cut or chew their food. Compared to other vertebrates (animals with backbones), mammals have highly developed nervous systems. Mammals include some of the most familiar members of the animal kingdom, such as cats, dogs, elephants, and whales, and also human beings a species that now dominate life on earth.
Mammals evolved from a group of reptiles called therapsids. The earliest true mammals, appearing over 200 million years ago, were only 5 cm (2 in) long and probably spent at least some of their lives in trees. Of the approximately 4600 species of mammals alive today, most live on land, and most still move about on all four legs. But modern mammals also include animals that hop on two legs, ones that live permanently in water, and ones that can fly. These swimming and flying species include the world's largest mammal—the blue whale, which can grow over 30 m (100 ft) long—and also the smallest, the Kitti's hog-nosed bat. Discovered in 1973 in the forests of Thailand, this tiny bat is about the size of a bumblebee, and weighs just 2 g (0.07 oz).
The life spans of mammals vary as enormously as their sizes. Most shrews survive for less than a year, exhausting them in a life of almost ceaseless activity. By contrast, horses can live about 20 years, chimpanzees can live to be over 50, and elephants can survive into their 60s. Humans have the longest life span of any mammal, with a few individuals living over 110 years.
Mammals have adapted to some of the most extreme habitats on earth. They are warm-blooded, or endothermic, meaning that they maintain their body temperature within a narrow range despite changes in the environment. Polar bears survive on Arctic ice, while Arctic foxes can sleep on open snow in temperatures as low as –68° C (-90° F).
Some important mammals found in Gilgit-Baltistan are as following.

• Canis lupus
• Vulpes vulpes Montana
• Cuon alpines
• Felix lynx
• Panther uncia
• Marmot caudate aurea
• Marmot bobak
• Equus hemionus kiang
• Markhor
• Ibex
• urial

FAUNA
Fauna includes trees, herbs, shrubs etc
Trees are woody plant with a distinct main stem, or trunk. At maturity, trees are usually the tallest of plants, and their height and single main stem differentiate them from shrubs, which are shorter and have many stems. Trees are perennials. Some species of tree only grow to 4 m (13 ft) in height, but the tallest species may reach heights of more than 112 m .Trees grow throughout the world, from the extreme cold regions near the Arctic and the Antarctic to the hot tropical regions around the equator. They grow in both good and poor soil, in deserts and swamps, along shores, and at mountain elevations of several thousand feet. Although trees may grow singly, under natural conditions they more often grow in stands, which consist either of one species or of a mixture of species. A forest is a plant community made up of the trees, shrubs, and herbs that cover an area. Herb is soft-tissued plant that does not develop permanent woody tissues above ground. Such plants may be annual, biennial, or perennial. Herbaceous plants are generally considered to include soft-tissued angiosperms, or flowering plants, but may also include the ferns, club mosses, and horsetails. The term herb is applied by pharmacists to any plant or plant part that has medicinal properties.
Shrubs are short, woody plant, typically with several stems arising from or near the ground. Shrubs are perennial plants
Grasses are rather uniform in basic vegetative structure, and several features are characteristic of the group. The main roots are usually fibrous; secondary roots, called adventitious roots, often arise from the nodes
Some important fauna found in Gilgit-baltistan are as under

• Cedrus deodara
• Pinus wallichiana
• Betula utlis
• Juniperus macropoda
• Artemisia maritime
• Berberis lyceum
• Trifolium repens
• Salix tetrasperma
• Populous alba  etc