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.
Lake Issyk-Kul is a true kingdom of birds, strictly protected by the state. Here you can see unique birds such as the pink and curly pelican, gray goose, many red-nosed diving ducks, gulls, and terns. Two species of swans winter on the lake: the mute swan and the whooper swan. Mallards, gray ducks, teal, and shovelers can be found at different times of the year at the "bird markets" near the high mountain lakes of the Tien Shan. An exceptionally rare bird—the mountain goose—nests only on the lakes of Chatyr-Kul and Son-Kul.
In the high mountain zone, tourists have a rare opportunity to get acquainted with many birds of prey. At the border of eternal snows, where cold, wind, and fog prevail, vultures—white-headed griffon and bearded vulture—reside; they are very gloomy, proud, and cunning predators. They lack strong claws, and therefore they mainly feed on carrion, rightfully considered nature's sanitarians. However, sometimes vultures also attack the living. You can observe how, having tracked a herd of mountain goats from a great height, they dive at it with a piercing whistle, and then, loudly flapping their wings, which can reach two and a half meters in span, they sharply rise upwards. The frightened goats run blindly, and the weakest animal falls into the abyss. Thus, by obtaining their food, vultures carry out natural selection in nature.
Birds of prey reproduce slowly. Vultures and eagles usually raise only one chick, and not every year. These birds are the least numerous in nature, yet they provide invaluable benefits.
Since ancient times, Kyrgyz people have learned to tame birds, which they used for hunting. Falcons, especially the golden eagle, were highly valued. This very keen, agile, and strong bird, with a wingspan of 2-2.5 meters, quickly catches prey—foxes, hares, or marmots. It serves the hunter for 10-12 years, sometimes even all twenty. Golden eagles are still used in hunting, and there is also sport hunting with trained birds.
One of the largest rodents in Kyrgyz fauna and perhaps the most exotic is the porcupine. Its body, weighing up to fifteen kilograms, is covered from head to tail first with long bristles and from the middle of the body with hardened quills, reaching lengths of 35 centimeters and hanging down to the ground. This is the porcupine's reliable weapon in case of danger. It settles in rocky gorges near gardens, orchards, and melon fields, shamelessly taking advantage of the fruits of human labor. Rarely does anyone see this thief, which causes considerable harm to agriculture: it leads a nocturnal lifestyle. However, beautiful quills sometimes remain at the "crime scene" as souvenirs.
The porcupine coexists with wild steppe cats, hares, foxes, and wolves. The latter inhabit not only the steppes but also the forest zone along with roe deer, lynxes, wild boars, badgers, and squirrels. Wild boars—also known as wild swine or boars—are very numerous in the forests of Kyrgyzstan; they especially love heavily overgrown, moist areas of Southern Kyrgyzstan, where they can dig in the ground in search of roots and worms. Wild boar meat is very tasty and can be tasted in the autumn when hunting for them is allowed with licenses.
By digging in the ground, one can determine the habitats of badgers—white-headed animals the size of a small dog, dressed in a good fluffy gray coat. Gaining fat for winter hibernation, badgers eat everything: beetles, frogs, roots of herbs, mice, and worms; they even do not shy away from snakes, whose venom does not harm them. Badgers are hunted for their valuable fat, used in the treatment of lung diseases, as well as for their tasty meat and fur skin.
In the spruce forests of the Tien Shan, in dense thickets of raspberries, one can meet "face to face" with the brown bear. The Tien Shan bear, though not large, is distinguished by stately beauty and mighty strength. It does not attack humans first, but woe to anyone who encroaches on its peace—then it becomes fierce, aggressive, and merciless. A variety of the brown bear, close to the Himalayan bear, is the white-clawed bear, distinguished by its light brownish color and white, especially long claws on its front paws. You may catch it engaged in its favorite activity—digging out marmot burrows.
Meetings with the mighty maral, adorned with huge branched antlers, have become extremely rare in the mountain spruce forests. Due to the immense value of its meat, skin, and especially antlers, they have long been subjected to mass extermination. Now, marals, under state protection, mainly inhabit reserves and hunting grounds, but even there they are few in number today.
Wolves, like foxes, stoats, or weasels, can be found even above the forest zone, up to high mountain areas. The wolf is considered a very harmful and dangerous animal, a carrier of the terrible disease—rabies. There is a constant struggle against it everywhere, and yet there are several thousand wolves in Kyrgyzstan. Among them is a rare animal—the red wolf, famous for its elusiveness. If you manage to photograph it, consider that you have a unique shot in your hands. The red wolf closely resembles the gray wolf but is somewhat smaller and has a reddish tint to its brown fur.
One of Kyrgyzstan's natural treasures is the red and gray marmots, whose fur constitutes a significant part of fur production. The places where these stout brown animals, weighing up to ten kilograms, live can be recognized by their piercing whistles and the mounds of earth thrown out of their burrows, where they stand like columns, indistinguishable from stones. In the Chatkal Valley, relic marmots of Menzbir can be found. You will not see marmots in the zoo: they cannot tolerate heat and hide in their burrows.
In the juniper forests among the rocks lives the golden-brown stone marten. At altitudes of up to three and a half thousand meters above sea level, you can encounter another very interesting creature—the big-eared pika. Named for its large rounded ears and sharp whistle, which it emits in case of danger, the pika is known for its ability to stockpile hay, which can be found in piles. Very cautious but also defenseless, it often falls prey to the stone marten, weasel, stoat, or fox.
You will be very lucky if you encounter a yak living in the wild, but domesticated yaks are not rare in the republic. The head of this powerful animal, covered with long dark brown hair, is crowned with widely spaced round horns, sometimes curled inward, and a hump rises on its back. The milk of yaks is highly valued, from which ayran is made.
On the highest mountain cliffs roam herds of spiral-horned wild rams—argali. The weight of these spirally curved horns can sometimes reach thirty kilograms, but this heavy burden does not prevent argali from effortlessly and swiftly crossing sheer cliffs to escape their eternal enemies—the snow leopards. In contrast to argali, the proud ibex (takh) roam among the rocks and cliffs alone or in small groups, searching for sparse high-altitude grass, mosses, and lichens.
It is believed that the extraordinarily beautiful horns of argali and ibex serve not only as decoration and tournament weapons. Due to the bone marrow found in the cavities of the horns, the animals receive additional blood, necessary in critical moments when fast running in thin air requires a lot of the oxygen it carries.
The closest relative of the lynx and the fiercest enemy of argali and ibex is the snow leopard, which does not descend below 3000 meters above sea level. Dressed in a sturdy golden coat with black spots, it is very beautiful and graceful. The leopard's jumps can reach ten meters in length. It skillfully climbs trees and can swim across rivers. The master of the highlands, unmatched in strength here, loves silence and solitude. It only accepts fresh meat and never returns to its prey, leaving scraps from its "leopard table" for vultures. A fierce and bloodthirsty predator with long claws and sharp fangs is almost impossible to train—its character is malicious and gloomy.
The aquatic fauna of Kyrgyzstan is also very interesting. Among the 50 species of fish—there are not only natives. In Issyk-Kul, for example, where the goby, chebak, naked osman, marinka, and carp have long inhabited, in the last decade, zander, omul, sig, and Sevan trout have acclimatized well. Moreover, Sevan trout grows in Issyk-Kul 10-20 times larger than in its homeland, and osman exceeds its previous weight by seven times.
In small water bodies, backwaters, "kara-suu," and rivers, you can find carp, rudd, marinka, catfish, zander, pike, naked and scaled osman. Numerous artificial reservoirs have become real treasure troves of fish stocks. They host up to a dozen valuable fish species, including newcomers brought here from various fish farms in neighboring countries. Among them is the rarest fish—the Siberian sturgeon.
In the republic's water bodies, you will also find crayfish. If they used to be found only on the "lower floors" of the region, recently, thanks to the efforts of ichthyologists, their habitat zone has approached the glacial belt of the Tien Shan.
Crayfish have taken a liking to the banks of many high mountain rivers—mainly with steep clay shores, where they can dig burrows.
In many rivers and lakes, including Lake Issyk-Kul, travelers can fish with a rod. The fishing ban only applies during the spawning period. However, we must warn fishing enthusiasts who have not previously encountered marinka and osman. The roe of this fish and the black film lining the cavity contain toxic substances that can cause serious poisoning: dogs and cats die from them. However, the gutted and well-cleaned fish is completely harmless. The fish soup made from it is simply delicious. It is also good to coat marinka or osman in clay and bake it in the coals of a fire.