Editing Mount Everest (section)

==Flora and fauna==
[[File:Yak at third lake in Gokyo.jpg|thumb|left|A yak at around {{cvt|4,790|m|ft}}]]
There is very little native flora or fauna on Everest. A type of [[moss]] grows at {{convert|6480|m}} on Mount Everest and it may be the highest altitude plant species.<ref name="plants">{{cite web|url=http://www.adventureandscience.org/high-plants.html|title=High altitude plants|website=Adventure Scientists|access-date=15 May 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425233903/http://www.adventureandscience.org/high-plants.html|archive-date=25 April 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> An alpine cushion plant called ''[[Arenaria (plant)|Arenaria]]'' is known to grow below {{convert|18000|ft|m|order=flip}} in the region.<ref name="autumn">{{cite book|author=Ann Heinrichs|title=Mount Everest|url=https://archive.org/details/mounteverest0000hein|url-access=registration|year=2009|publisher=Marshall Cavendish|isbn=978-0-7614-4649-1|page=[https://archive.org/details/mounteverest0000hein/page/25 25]}}</ref> According to the study based on satellite data from 1993 to 2018, vegetation is expanding in the Everest region. Researchers have found plants in areas that were previously deemed bare.<ref>{{Cite journal|title=Vegetation expansion in the subnival Hindu Kush Himalaya|date=9 January 2020|doi=10.1111/gcb.14919|last1=Anderson|first1=Karen|last2=Fawcett|first2=Dominic|last3=Cugulliere|first3=Anthony|last4=Benford|first4=Sophie|last5=Jones|first5=Darren|last6=Leng|first6=Ruolin|journal=Global Change Biology|volume=26|issue=3|pages=1608–1625|pmid=31918454|pmc=7078945|bibcode=2020GCBio..26.1608A}}</ref>

A minute black [[jumping spider]] of the genus ''[[Euophrys]]'' has been found at elevations as high as {{convert|6700|m|ft|-2}},<ref name="wanless">{{Cite journal |title=Spiders of the family Salticidae from the upper slopes of Everest and Makalu |journal=[[Bulletin of the British Arachnological Society]] |url=https://britishspiders.org.uk/system/files/library/030505.pdf |last=Wanless |first=F. R. |date=1975 |issue=5 |volume=3 |pages=132–136 |ref=wanless |author-link=Fred Wanless |access-date=2023-09-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230708174745/https://britishspiders.org.uk/system/files/library/030505.pdf |archive-date=2023-07-08 |url-status=live}}</ref> possibly making it the highest confirmed non-microscopic permanent resident on Earth. Another Euophrys species, ''[[E. everestensis]]'', has been found at {{convert|5030|m|ft|-2}}, and may feed on insects that have been blown there by the wind.<ref name="wanless" /> There is a high likelihood of microscopic life at even higher altitudes.

The [[bar-headed goose]] migrates over the Himalayas and have been seen flying at the higher altitudes of the mountain.<ref name="his7">{{cite web|url=http://www.history.com/news/7-things-you-should-know-about-mount-everest|title=7 Things You Should Know About Mount Everest|author=Jesse Greenspan|website=History.com|date=29 May 2013 |access-date=20 September 2015|archive-date=2 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220602021529/https://www.history.com/news/7-things-you-should-know-about-mount-everest|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1953, George Lowe (part of the expedition of Tenzing and Hillary) said that he saw bar-headed geese flying over Everest's summit.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-30799436|title=Bar-headed geese: Highest bird migration tracked|work=BBC News|access-date=20 September 2015|archive-date=13 May 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220513161923/https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-30799436|url-status=live}}</ref> Another bird species, the [[chough]], have been spotted as high as the [[South Col]] at {{convert|7906|m|ft|-0|abbr=on}}<ref name="jhunt">''The Ascent of Everest'' by John Hunt (Hodder & Stoughton, 1953) In chapter 14, Hunt describes seeing a chough on the South Col; meanwhile Charles Evans saw some unidentified birds fly over the col</ref> and [[yellow-billed chough]]s have been seen as high as {{convert|7900|m|ft|-0|abbr=on}}.<ref name="his7" />

[[Yak]]s are often used to haul gear for Mount Everest climbs. They can haul around 100&nbsp;kg (220 pounds), have thick fur and large lungs.<ref name="autumn" /> Other animals in the region include the [[Himalayan tahr]], which is sometimes the prey of the [[snow leopard]].<ref name="thesis">{{cite web|url=http://www.carnivoreconservation.org/files/thesis/ale_2007_phd.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www.carnivoreconservation.org/files/thesis/ale_2007_phd.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live|title=Ale, Som B. "Ecology of the Snow Leopard and the Himalayan Tahr in Sagarmatha (Mt. Everest) National Park, Nepal." University of Illinois, 2007}}</ref> The [[Himalayan black bear]] can be found up to about {{convert|14000|ft|m|order=flip}} and the [[red panda]] is also present in the region.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://animals.mom.me/list-animals-mount-everest-7481.html|title=List of Animals on Mount Everest|website=Pets on mom.me|access-date=20 September 2015|archive-date=4 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200804074007/https://animals.mom.me/list-animals-mount-everest-7481.html|url-status=live}}</ref> One expedition found a surprising range of species in the region including a [[pika]] and ten new species of ants.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.livescience.com/4037-everest-expedition-uncovers-exotic-species.html|title=Everest Expedition Uncovers Exotic Species|website=LiveScience.com|date=7 April 2006|access-date=20 September 2015|archive-date=26 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220326072759/https://www.livescience.com/4037-everest-expedition-uncovers-exotic-species.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Conservation ===
From the Nepalese side, Everest is protected as part of [[Sagarmatha National Park]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sagarmatha National Park |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/120/ |access-date=2024-11-29 |website=whc.unesco.org}}</ref> while from the Chinese side the mountain is protected as part of [[Qomolangma National Nature Preserve|Qomolangma National Nature Reserve]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mount Everest National Nature Reserve: Facts, Geography & Location |url=https://www.topchinatravel.com/mount-everest/mount-everest-national-nature-reserve.htm |access-date=2024-11-29 |website=www.topchinatravel.com}}</ref>