- WILDLIFE IN THE RESERVE -

The following is a list of mammal species known to occur in the Ikh Nartiin Chuluun Nature Reserve and surrounding areas in the Dornogov aimag, Mongolia:

Corsac fox - Vulpes corsac
Red fox - Vulpes vulpes
Gray wolf - Canis lupus
Pallas' cat - Otocolobus manul
Lynx - Lynx lynx
Eurasian badger - Meles meles
Steppe polecat - Mustela eversmanni
Marbled polecat - Vormela peregusna
Argali sheep - Ovis ammon
Siberian ibex - Capra sibirica
Mongolian gazelle - Procapra gutturosa
Goitered gazelle - Gazella subgutturosa
Asiatic wild ass - Equus hemionus
Mongolian gerbil - Meriones unguiculatus
Midday gerbil - Meriones meridianus
Roborowski's hamster - Phodopus roborovskii
Dwarf hamster - Phodopus sungorus
Striped hamster - Cricetulus barabensis
Long-tailed hamster - Cricetulus longicaudatus
Hamster - Cricetulus sorolovi
Mongolian hamster - Allocricetulus curtatus
Brandt's vole - Lasiopodomys brandti
Yellow steppe lemming - Eolagurus luteus
Royle's mountain vole - Alticola argentatus
Siberian marmot - Marmota sibirica
Long-tailed souslik - Citellus undulatus
House mouse - Mus musculus
Gobi jerboa - Allactaga bullata
Hairy-footed jerboa - Dipus sagitta
Mongolian jerboa - Stylodipus andrewsi
Pallas' pika - Ochotona pallasi
Tolai hare - Lepus tolai
Daurian hedgehog - Erinaceus dauricus
Long-eared hedgehog - Erinaceus auritus

Ibex (Capra sibirica). Photo: © David Kenny

Toad-headed agama (Phrynocephalus versicolor).
Photo: © James Murdoch

Among the more commonly observed bird species occurring in the reserve include: cinereous vultures (Aegypius monachus), saker falcons (Falco cherrug), steppe eagles (Aquila rapax), upland hawks (Buteo hemilasius), black kite (Milvus migrans), little owl (Athene noctua), pied wheatear (Oenanthe pleschanka), white wagtail (Motacilla alba), horned lark (Eremophila alpestris), Guldenstadt's redstart (Pheonicurus erythrogaster), red-billed chough (Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax), and Daurian partridge (Perdix dauurica).

Among the more commonly observed reptile species occurring in the reserve include: toad-headed agama (Phrynocephalus versicolor), Mongolian Racerunner (Eremias argus), Central Asian viper (Aqkistrodon halys), and Pallas' coluber (Elaphe dione).

The reserve also harbors a diverse insect fauna. Several orders of insects are represented, including Coleoptera, Orthoptera, Hymenoptera, Blattodea, and Diptera. To see a list of insects known to live in the reserve click here.