A natural oasis on the Deosai Plains is marmot country. The young of the year emerge from their burrows to explore the world outside and take part in wrestling matches that are good practice for adult life. At the height of summer, the grass is alive with insects. For everything that lives here, this is a time to breed, feed and fatten. But the bounty will be short-lived. For more than half the year, this high plateau is deep in snow. Yellow-headed wagtails come here to take advantage of the brief profusion of insects. But it’s a race against time. They fledge their young before the snows return. Marmots have many enemies: not just snow leopards and birds of prey, but even bears who can
A natural oasis on the Deosai Plains is marmot country. The young of the year emerge from their burrows to explore the world outside and take part in wrestling matches that are good practice for adult life. At the height of summer, the grass is alive with insects. For everything that lives here, this is a time to breed, feed and fatten. But the bounty will be short-lived. For more than half the year, this high plateau is deep in snow. Yellow-headed wagtails come here to take advantage of the brief profusion of insects. But it’s a race against time. They fledge their young before the snows return. Marmots have many enemies: not just snow leopards and birds of prey, but even bears who can
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