Ecosystem Map

World's rarest bear. Found only in three isolated oases in the Gobi — fewer than 40 individuals remain in the wild.

Habitat: Rocky desert oases, saxaul forest patches, and dry riverbeds of the Gobi-Altai

Threats: Habitat loss, climate change reducing oasis water, poaching, human-wildlife conflict with herders

Best time: May–Jun (spring foraging around oases)

Ancestor of all domestic camels. Adapted to survive without water for months in extreme heat and cold.

Habitat: Desert plains, rocky outcrops, and dry riverbeds. Ranges across trans-Altai Gobi into China

Threats: Hybridization with domestic camels, poaching for meat, competition with livestock for scarce water

Best time: Oct–Nov (rut season — spectacular male battles)

Ghost of the mountains. Sometimes roams into the Gobi's rocky outcrops at the desert edge, covering 40km per night.

Habitat: Rocky desert ridges and canyon walls at the Gobi-Altai border (2,000–3,500m)

Threats: Retaliatory killing by herders, prey depletion, climate-driven habitat shift

Best time: Feb–Mar (snow concentrates tracks — best camera trap season)

Tiny nocturnal rodent that never drinks water — extracts all moisture entirely from seeds and insects.

Habitat: Open sandy desert and stony plains. Digs deep burrows to escape temperature extremes

Threats: Desertification reducing food plants; predation by foxes and owls

Best time: May–Sep (active at night after dusk)

Nests exclusively in saxaul trees. Declining rapidly as saxaul forests shrink due to desertification and fuel-wood cutting.

Habitat: Saxaul woodland patches in the central and eastern Gobi

Threats: Loss of saxaul forest to fuel collection and overgrazing

Best time: Apr–Jul (breeding season)

Desert tree that survives −40°C to +45°C. Roots reach 30m deep to find groundwater. A vital keystone species.

Habitat: Sandy desert floors and dry riverbeds throughout the Gobi basin

Threats: Harvested for firewood by herders; weakened by prolonged drought cycles

Best time: Sep–Oct (golden autumn foliage before leaf drop)

Hardy desert bulb that blooms briefly after rare rainfall, carpeting the desert floor white for just a few days.

Habitat: Rocky slopes and dry steppe-desert transition zones

Threats: No major threats; locally impacted by overgrazing

Best time: Apr–May (after spring rain)

World's only truly wild horse. Extinct in the wild by 1969 — heroically reintroduced to Hustai in 1992. Now recovering.

Habitat: Open steppe grassland at Hustai National Park and Khomiin Tal reserve, central Mongolia

Threats: Disease transmission from domestic horses, habitat competition, harsh dzud winters

Best time: May–Jul (foals born, herd activity at dawn and dusk)

Forms herds of 100,000+ during migration — one of the last great land migrations on Earth, crossing hundreds of kilometres.

Habitat: Eastern steppe plains, particularly Dornod Province. Migrates south in winter

Threats: Railway and road fences blocking migration routes, habitat conversion, hunting pressure

Best time: Oct–Nov (mass autumn migration — spectacular herds)

Majestic raptor in rapid global decline. Mongolia's vast steppe is one of its last remaining strongholds.

Habitat: Open steppe plains near small hills and rocky outcrops for nesting. Winters in South Asia and Africa

Threats: Electrocution on power lines, pesticide poisoning, prey reduction from rodent control

Best time: Apr–Sep (breeding season on nest mounds)

Apex predator of the steppe. Sacred in Mongolian culture — mythological ancestor of the Mongolian people.

Habitat: All habitats across Mongolia but core population on the open steppe

Threats: Persecution by herders after livestock losses; bounty hunting programmes

Best time: Jan–Feb (wolf pack activity peaks in winter)

Small, nomadic fox that follows gazelle herds across the steppe to scavenge from wolf kills and hunt voles.

Habitat: Open steppe and semi-desert. Lives in burrows or takes over abandoned marmot holes

Threats: Fur trapping; prey reduction during dzud events

Best time: Mar–Apr (courtship and pupping season)

Keystone prey species. Creates burrow networks that shelter dozens of other species. Central to nomadic Mongolia's ecosystem.

Habitat: Steppe grassland with firm soil for burrowing. Emerges from hibernation in April

Threats: Intensive hunting for fur and meat; bubonic plague outbreaks; dzud winters

Best time: Jun–Aug (active above ground, visible at burrow entrances)

Defines the steppe landscape. Silver plumes shimmer in the wind and support the entire grassland food web.

Habitat: Dominates well-drained slopes and plateaus across central and eastern Mongolia

Threats: Overgrazing by livestock; conversion to cropland

Best time: Jun–Aug (flowering — silver waves across the steppe)

Herded by the Tsaatan people for thousands of years. One of the last living reindeer herding cultures on Earth.

Habitat: Boreal forest and alpine meadows of northern Khuvsgul Province, near the Russian border

Threats: Climate warming reducing lichen cover; disease; isolation of herding communities

Best time: Mar (reindeer meet — Tsaatan come down from forest)

The largest deer species. Found only in Mongolia's northernmost taiga forests near the Russian border.

Habitat: Dense riparian forest along rivers flowing into Khuvsgul Lake and north to Russia

Threats: Hunting pressure; habitat disturbance from logging and tourism

Best time: Sep–Oct (rut season — bulls visible at dawn)

Endemic freshwater fish of cold Siberian rivers. A prized catch for fly fishers — requires pristine cold water.

Habitat: Clear, cold mountain rivers and streams feeding Khuvsgul Lake (the "Blue Pearl")

Threats: Overfishing; water temperature increase; illegal mining polluting streams

Best time: Jun–Sep (open water fly fishing season)

Elusive forest cat. Preys on roe deer and birds in the dense taiga understory. Rarely photographed in Mongolia.

Habitat: Dense taiga forest with heavy snow cover, mainly north of Khuvsgul

Threats: Fur poaching; prey reduction; habitat fragmentation

Best time: Nov–Feb (tracks visible in snow; most active)

Only deciduous conifer in the world. Turns brilliant gold in autumn, transforming the taiga into a golden sea.

Habitat: Dominant tree of northern Mongolia taiga from 1,400–2,000m elevation

Threats: Climate-driven range contraction northward; forest fires

Best time: Sep–Oct (spectacular golden autumn foliage)

Berry of the taiga floor. Rich in vitamin C — historically vital for Tsaatan and other indigenous peoples in winter.

Habitat: Mossy forest floor and bog edges in northern Khuvsgul Province

Threats: No major threats; sensitive to climate-driven habitat changes

Best time: Jul–Aug (fruiting season)

'Ghost of the Mountains'. An apex predator found above 3,000m. Solitary, territorial — each individual needs 200 km².

Habitat: Rocky ridges, cliff faces, and high-altitude grassland of the Altai, Khangai, and Khentii ranges

Threats: Retaliatory killing, poaching for bones and pelts, prey depletion from over-hunting of argali

Best time: Feb–Mar (snow tracks visible; camera traps most productive)

World's largest wild sheep. Rams weigh up to 180kg. Kazakh eagle hunters have trained eagles to drive argali for millennia.

Habitat: Open alpine meadows and rocky ridgelines above 2,500m in Altai and Khangai mountains

Threats: Overhunting; competition with domestic livestock; habitat degradation near herder settlements

Best time: Oct–Nov (rut — rams battle dramatically on open ridges)

Trained by Kazakh hunters for 4,000 years. The Altai Golden Eagle Festival every October draws thousands of global visitors.

Habitat: Open mountain terrain with rocky nesting cliffs. Hunts on alpine meadows and steppe

Threats: Electrocution; lead poisoning from scavenging shot carcasses; nest disturbance

Best time: Oct (Golden Eagle Festival, Bayan-Ölgii)

Expert climber of near-vertical cliff faces. Males hurl themselves off ledges at each other during the winter rut.

Habitat: Steep rocky cliffs and talus slopes of the Mongolian Altai, 2,000–4,000m

Threats: Hunting for horns and meat; competition with livestock

Best time: Dec–Jan (rut — groups visible on open cliff faces)

High-altitude bird found above 3,000m. Its echoing calls drift across glacial valleys at dawn.

Habitat: Alpine scree, rocky meadows, and snowfields above the treeline in the Altai

Threats: Climate-driven habitat loss; disturbance from trekkers

Best time: Jun–Aug (trekking season)

Symbol of alpine beauty and resilience. Covered in white felt-like hairs to reflect UV radiation at high altitude.

Habitat: Rocky alpine meadows and scree slopes, 2,500–4,000m, throughout Mongolian Altai

Threats: Picking by tourists; climate-driven upslope migration

Best time: Jun–Aug (full bloom)

Aromatic herb used in traditional Mongolian medicine for centuries. Carpets high-altitude meadows in silver-green.

Habitat: Dry alpine slopes and steppe-alpine transition zones throughout highland Mongolia

Threats: Overgrazing; overharvesting for traditional medicine

Best time: Jun–Sep (aromatic in summer heat)

Breeds in Mongolian wetlands in summer. Migrates through China and the Korean Peninsula to winter in Japan.

Habitat: Large reed-bed wetlands and flooded meadows, mainly in eastern and central Mongolia

Threats: Wetland drainage, agricultural expansion, collision with power lines during migration

Best time: May–Aug (breeding season at Khurkh-Khuiten wetlands)

Migrates over the Himalayas at 7,000m altitude — the highest confirmed altitude of any bird. Breeds on Mongolian lakes.

Habitat: High-altitude lakes and wetlands including Khuvsgul, Khar Us, and Uvs Nuur

Threats: Hunting; H5N1 avian flu outbreaks; wetland degradation

Best time: May–Sep (breeding season on alpine lakes)

World's largest salmonid. Can reach 2m and 80kg. Mongolia hosts some of the last healthy wild populations on Earth.

Habitat: Large cold rivers of northern Mongolia: Eg, Selenge, Orkhon, and Khovd river systems

Threats: Overfishing (catch-and-release now required); mining pollution; warming water temperatures

Best time: Jun–Sep (fly fishing season; Eg River is world-class)

Smallest crane species. Crosses the Himalayas in one of nature's most dramatic annual migrations, reaching 8,000m.

Habitat: Open steppe wetlands and semi-arid grasslands. Nests on the ground in open terrain

Threats: Power line collisions; illegal hunting in winter quarters; wetland degradation

Best time: May–Aug (staging areas in central Mongolia before south migration)

Dominant wetland plant forming vast reed beds — critical nesting habitat for cranes, bitterns, and dozens of waterfowl species.

Habitat: River margins, lake shores, and marshes throughout Mongolia below 1,500m

Threats: Drainage, burning, and harvesting for construction materials

Best time: Jun–Sep (maximum height — 3–4m stands visible)

Blooms in sheltered bays of Khuvsgul Lake and Orkhon River. Indicates clean, unpolluted, nutrient-stable water.

Habitat: Sheltered bays of clear lakes and slow-moving river sections, central and northern Mongolia

Threats: Water pollution from mining runoff; boat traffic damaging floating leaves

Best time: Jul–Aug (full bloom — white and pink flowers on Khuvsgul)