Hohe Tauern alpine flora & fauna, Austria

The name Hohe Tauern originally meant high passes, but came to be applied to the mountains themselves during the peak of mining operations during the Middle Ages. In the centre of the region, there is the Nationalpark Hohe Tauern, the largest of Austria's six national parks. Depending on the altitude and climate, the area can be divided into rocky, mountainous Alps, alpine grasslands, larch/beech forest, spruce forest, broad-leaved and mixed forest and, all the way down, the mountain dales. Each has its' own plant and animal communities. Best known are, of course, the edelweiss and the mountain marmot, or in German Murmeltier. The mountain marmot is the largest rodent that lives in the Alps. It used to be extinct in these parts, but it was re-introduced to the region in the beginning of the 20th century. It has since become very common. It has strong family ties. One of the marmots' enemies is the golden eagle. Because the golden eagle is rare, the population of mountain marmots can grow unperturbed. It is only the fox that can slow this up. Most of the mountain marmots live above the tree line. The young animals stay with their parents for two to three years.After that time they are ready to mate and help to maintain the species. The family is active during the day and protects its territory fanatically against other families. Info HighRes Imagery: http://www.stockshot.nl/ © All Rights reserved by Fauna Film B.V. http://www.faunafilm.nl