From Karakurt Spiders to Snow Leopards
More than 80 species of mammals, over 330 species of birds, about fifty species of fish, including 12 commercial species, and around 30 species of reptiles and amphibians—this is the diversity of Kyrgyz fauna. Each altitude zone and natural landscape typically has its own inhabitants, but there are also cosmopolitan species that can be found both on low plains and in high mountain areas.
From early spring to late autumn, life is bustling in the valleys and on the flat foothills. Bees and bumblebees buzz, grasshoppers chirp, male cicadas sing, and the cricket pipes. In dry ditches and on uneven patches of dry steppes, venomous karakurt spiders—black spiders with an orange stripe or red spots—can be found. Generally, the karakurt avoids encounters with humans and runs away when it sees one, but during the mating season in May-June, females may enter tents. Humans suffer greatly from their bites. Many animals die from karakurt bites, except for sheep, which instill fear in them. Even items made from sheep wool repel the spiders, so one can sleep peacefully on a felt mat under the open sky without fear of becoming their victim.
In low, humid areas, other venomous spiders—tarantulas—are found. They are quite large and have a crab-like shape. Tarantulas usually hunt at night, lying in wait for prey on flowers.
In the flat territories, if you are lucky, you might see a swift lizard, jerboas, eared hedgehogs, and gray monitor lizards. Turtles crawl through the green steppes, trying to stock up on fat for the nine-month hibernation. The most numerous are the silver-yellow gophers with bright brown spots on their cheeks, living in large colonies.
There are few snakes left in Kyrgyzstan, but you can still encounter them. The steppe viper can be recognized by the zigzag black stripe on its back. You shouldn't be too afraid of its bite: while it is very painful for humans, it is not dangerous. The rattlesnake—a small, colorful snake—makes rattling sounds and feels comfortable in both heat and cold. The rattlesnake is more dangerous than the steppe viper: although rare, its bites can be fatal. It is important to know that snakes are most excitable in April-May before mating and in autumn before hibernation.
Kyrgyzstan is one of the centers of snake breeding in the country. The extraction of snake venom, which is used to produce many medical preparations, has been industrialized here, not only from snakes raised locally but also from those brought from all over Central Asia and other regions abroad.
A special place among reptiles is occupied by the gray monitor lizard—if only because it is listed in the International Red Book. This is the largest exotic lizard, reaching up to one and a half meters in length. With a very fierce, even terrifying appearance, the monitor lizard can resist if threatened, wielding not only its sharp teeth but also its strong tail, which is about a meter long. And although it seems clumsy, it can run at speeds of up to 100 meters per minute.
In the flat foothills, many birds can be found—kori bustard, steppe grouse, and snipe. The smallest of the hunting birds—the quail—weighs no more than a hundred grams, but its meat is very tasty. None of the birds can compare in brightness of color and variety of plumage shades with the pheasant, which inhabits the steppe lands throughout Kyrgyzstan, mainly living in thickets of shrubs and reeds near water. The black grouse has chosen only the forests of the Issyk-Kul region and the Kemin Valley; all attempts to find them in other corners of the republic will be in vain, and scientists still cannot figure out why black grouse are consistently tied to these natural zones of the republic. Not far up in the mountains, the bright, colorful chukar partridges announce their presence with sharp calls; they are the most numerous representatives of the chicken order in the republic. Cliffs, crags, and alpine meadows are favorite habitats for ural or mountain turkeys. The meat of this largest bird from the chicken order (weighing up to three kilograms) is very tasty and, as people say, has healing properties. The melodious whistle of the urals resembles flute sounds: these birds are very free-spirited, cannot tolerate captivity, and therefore are rarely seen in zoos. A small brown bird with a white breast—the water ouzel—lives year-round by mountain rivers. This diver, fearlessly plunging into the water, quickly moves along the bottom in search of food, gripping stones with its little feet. None of the waterfowl can compare with it in this.
