Editing Alps (section)

=== Fauna ===
The Alps are a habitat for 30,000 species of wildlife, ranging from the tiniest [[snow flea]]s to [[brown bear]]s, many of which have made adaptations to the harsh cold conditions and high altitudes to the point that some only survive in specific micro-climates either directly above or below the [[snow line]].<ref name = "Chatré8"/><ref>Shoumatoff (2001), 90, 96, 101</ref>

[[File:Jeune bouquetin de face.jpg|thumb|upright|Young alpine ibex. When fully grown the horns of this male will be about one metre wide.]]

The largest mammal to live in the highest altitudes are the [[alpine ibex]], which have been sighted as high as {{cvt|3000|m}}. The ibex live in caves and descend to eat the succulent alpine grasses.<ref>Shoumatoff (2001), 104</ref> Classified as [[antelopes]],<ref name="Reynolds43ff" /> [[chamois]] are smaller than ibex and found throughout the Alps, living above the tree line and are common in the entire alpine range.<ref>Rupicapra rupicapra [Linnaeus, 1758] [http://www.ultimateungulate.com/Artiodactyla/Rupicapra_rupicapra.html] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140406102837/http://www.ultimateungulate.com/artiodactyla/rupicapra_rupicapra.html|date=April 6, 2014}}</ref> Areas of the eastern Alps are still home to brown bears. In Switzerland the [[canton of Bern]] was named for the bears but the last bear is recorded as having been killed in 1792 above [[Kleine Scheidegg]] by three hunters from [[Grindelwald]].<ref>Shoumatoff (2001), 101</ref>

Many rodents such as [[voles]] live underground. [[Marmots]] live almost exclusively above the tree line as high as {{cvt|2700|m}}. They hibernate in large groups to provide warmth,<ref name="Shoumatoff102ff">Shoumatoff (2001), 102–103</ref> and can be found in all areas of the Alps, in large colonies they build beneath the alpine pastures.<ref name="Reynolds43ff" /> [[Golden eagle]]s and [[bearded vulture]]s are the largest birds to be found in the Alps; they nest high on rocky ledges and can be found at altitudes of {{cvt|2400|m}}. The most common bird is the [[alpine chough]] which can be found scavenging at climber's huts or the [[Jungfraujoch]], a high-altitude tourist destination.<ref name="Shoumatoff97ff">Shoumatoff (2001), 97–98</ref>

[[File:Parnassius phoebus.jpg|thumb|left|The alpine [[Apollo butterfly]] has adapted to alpine conditions.]]

Reptiles such as [[Viperidae|adders]] and [[Viperidae|vipers]] live up to the snow line; because they cannot bear the cold temperatures they hibernate underground and soak up the warmth on rocky ledges.<ref name = "Shoumatoff95ff">Shoumatoff (2001), 96</ref> The high-altitude [[Alpine salamander]]s have adapted to living above the snow line by giving birth to fully developed young rather than laying eggs. [[Brown trout]] can be found in the streams up to the snow line.<ref name = "Shoumatoff95ff"/> Molluscs such as the [[Helicigona|wood snail]] live up the snow line. Popularly gathered as food, the [[snail]]s are now protected.<ref name="Shoumatoff88ff">Shoumatoff (2001), 88–89</ref>

Several species of [[moth]]s live in the Alps, some of which are believed to have evolved in the same habitat up to 120&nbsp;million years ago, long before the Alps were created. [[Lycaenidae|Blue butterflies]] can commonly be seen drinking from the snowmelt; some species of blues fly as high as {{cvt|1800|m}}.<ref>Shoumatoff (2001), 93</ref> The butterflies tend to be large, such as those from the swallowtail ''[[Parnassius]]'' family, with a habitat that ranges to {{cvt|1800|m}}. Twelve species of beetles have habitats up to the snow line; the most beautiful and formerly collected for its colours but now protected is ''[[Rosalia alpina]]''.<ref>Shoumatoff (2001), 91</ref> Spiders, such as the large [[wolf spider]], live above the snow line and can be seen as high as {{cvt|400|m}}. [[Scorpion]]s can be found in the Italian Alps.<ref name="Shoumatoff88ff" />

Some of the species of moths and insects show evidence of having been indigenous to the area from as long ago as the Alpine orogeny. In [[Lac d'Émosson|Émosson]] in Valais, Switzerland, dinosaur tracks were found in the 1970s, dating probably from the [[Triassic]] Period.<ref>Reynolds (2012), 75</ref>