These 7 Animals Live at the Highest Altitudes on the Planet

Yellow-Rumped Leaf-Eared Mouse: Recorded as the highest-living mammal atop Llullaillaco, surviving on lichens and insects with possible adaptations for coping with low oxygen levels.

Large-Eared Pika: Climbs to higher altitudes due to climate change, producing proteins for efficient oxygen use, enabling survival in mountainous regions.

Snow Leopard: Well-adapted for cold, rugged terrain, with features like a heavy tail for balance and warmth, specialized paw pads, and large nasal cavities for breathing at high altitudes.

Yak: Thrives in snowy mountain landscapes, equipped with a thick fleece coat, larger heart and lungs, and higher concentration of hemoglobin for withstanding hypoxia and cold temperatures.

Alpine Chough: Sensitive to heat, may forage at higher altitudes to cool off in response to rising temperatures, found nesting thousands of feet above sea level in mountainous regions.

Himalayan Jumping Spider: Survives in rocky Himalayan landscapes, feeding on flies and springtails, with adaptations for extreme heights yet to be fully understood.

Himalayan Tahr: Thrives in rugged Himalayan terrain, equipped with specialized hooves for climbing steep slopes and adapting to high altitudes, where it grazes on grasses and shrubs.