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Layered badlands under low sun

Wildlife

What lives out there

The species found across the places we work, what is known about them, and which expeditions take you into their range. Together, they represent some of Mongolia’s most characteristic wildlife, found across its mountains, steppes, deserts and northern forests.

For each species, expeditions are colour-coded by how likely a sighting is : green for regular, sand for occasional, and red for rare.

By speciesBy location

Carnivores

6 species

Snow leopard
Panthera uncia
In Tost Tosonbumba, snow leopards move through a vast landscape of rocky ridges and valleys where finding them takes patience and experienced local eyes.
Body
100–130 cm, plus a tail nearly as long again
Weight
22–55 kg
Status here
22 to 27 adults at Tost in the 2023 camera survey, plus nine cubs from four females.
Monitoring
Every adult known individually, tracked since 2008 by camera trap and collar.
Habitat
Broken cliff and scree above 2,000 mTost Tosonbumba Nature Reserve, Mongolian Altai, Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park
Expedition
- In search of the Snow Leopard
Pallas's cat
Otocolobus manul
A small and elusive wild cat of Mongolia’s open steppe, known for its thick coat, flat face and ability to blend into the landscape.
Body
46–65 cm
Weight
2.5–4.5 kg
Status here
Mongolia is a stronghold. Not threatened, but so cryptic it is rarely recorded.
Habitat
Rocky steppe, often near marmot burrowsSteppe Wildlife Conservation & Research Center, Tost Tosonbumba Nature Reserve, Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park
Expedition
Eurasian lynx
Lynx lynx
Forest and mountain across the north and west. Seen far less often than it is present.
Body
80–130 cm
Weight
18–30 kg
Status here
Widespread in wooded mountain country. Not threatened, but trapped for fur.
Habitat
Khövsgöl taiga, the Khangai, the Khentii and the Mongolian Altai
Expedition
Grey wolf
Canis lupus
Widespread and widely hunted, which is exactly why they are rarely seen.
Body
105–160 cm
Weight
25–50 kg
Status here
Numerous, unprotected, and hunted year-round. Which is why you almost never see one.
Habitat
Everywhere, from taiga to open desertAcross the country
Expedition
- Seen across multiple expeditions
Brown bear
Ursus arctos
A large bear found in the remote forests of northern Mongolia, where tracks and signs are often seen before the animal itself.
Body
150–250 cm
Weight
100–350 kg
Status here
Secure in the northern forests, and rarely seen in any of them.
Habitat
Taiga and river valleys of the north
Expedition
- Siberian Brown Bear in the Northern Taiga
Mazaalai
Ursus arctos gobiensis
One of the world’s rarest bears, found only in the remote desert of Mongolia’s Great Gobi.
Body
100–150 cm
Weight
50–120 kg
Status here
Around forty animals, in one protected area and nowhere else on earth.
Habitat
Desert oases of the Great Gobi, in the far south-west
Expedition
- Mazaalai — Gobi Bear

Hoofed mammals

9 species

Siberian ibex
Capra sibirica
A sure-footed wild goat found on the rocky ridges and steep mountain slopes of Mongolia.
Shoulder
67–110 cm
Weight
35–130 kg, males far heavier
Status here
Common across the ranges and the snow leopard’s main prey. Slowly declining under hunting.
Habitat
Cliff faces and scree slopes, often in groupsAcross the country
Expedition
Argali
Ovis ammon
The largest wild sheep on earth. Mongolia holds most of the world’s population.
Shoulder
90–125 cm
Weight
60–180 kg
Status here
Mongolia holds most of the world’s argali. Near Threatened range-wide.
Habitat
Open rocky steppe and rolling outcropsAcross the country
Expedition
- Seen across multiple expeditions
Goitered gazelle
Gazella subgutturosa
The desert gazelle, black-tailed. Small herds on the gravel plains, usually running before you have the scope up.
Shoulder
60–80 cm
Weight
18–33 kg
Status here
Still widespread across the Gobi, but well below historic numbers. Vulnerable range-wide.
Habitat
Gravel desert and semi-desert plainTost Tosonbumba Nature Reserve, Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park, Great Gobi A Strictly Protected Area, Mongolian Altai
Expedition
- In search of the Snow Leopard
- Mazaalai — Gobi Bear
Mongolian gazelle
Procapra gutturosa
The steppe gazelle, white-tailed. The eastern grasslands still hold herds of a size that has disappeared almost everywhere else.
Shoulder
About 75 cm
Weight
25–30 kg, males the heavier
Status here
About 2.1 million in Mongolia in the 2020–2022 ground surveys — one of the largest wild ungulate populations left anywhere. Least Concern.
Habitat
Open steppe grassland, not desertIkh Nartiin Chuluu Nature Reserve, Steppe Wildlife Conservation & Research Center
Expedition
- Argali, Ibex & Petroglyphs of Ikh Nart
- Pallas's Cat in the Eastern Steppe
Asiatic wild ass
Equus hemionus
Known in Mongolia as the khulan, this fast-moving wild ass roams the open plains and deserts of the Gobi.
Shoulder
100–140 cm
Weight
200–260 kg
Status here
The Mongolian Gobi holds more than 80 percent of the world’s khulan — around 64,000 animals. Near Threatened.
Habitat
Gravel steppe and semi-desert, wherever there is water within a day’s walkGreat Gobi A Strictly Protected Area
Expedition
- Mazaalai — Gobi Bear
Wild Bactrian camel
Camelus ferus
Not the camel you will ride. A separate species from the domestic Bactrian, and one of the rarest large mammals alive.
Shoulder
180–230 cm
Weight
300–690 kg — slighter than the domestic animal
Status here
Critically Endangered. Fewer than 1,000 left on earth, about 450 of them in Mongolia.
Not the same animal
Camelus ferus, wild; Camelus bactrianus, herded. The two lines split more than 700,000 years ago, and interbreeding with domestic herds is one of the threats to the wild one.
Habitat
The Transaltai Gobi, in the Great Gobi A — and three sites in ChinaGreat Gobi A Strictly Protected Area
Expedition
- Mazaalai — Gobi Bear
Red deer
Cervus elaphus
Recovering in the protected reserves after heavy decline.
Shoulder
105–140 cm
Weight
100–250 kg
Status here
Mongolia’s population fell by more than ninety percent in two decades. Recovering inside reserves.
Habitat
Wooded valleys and reserve marginsHustai National Park, Tengis-Shishged National Park, Horidol Saridag Strictly Protected Area, Mongolian Altai
Expedition
- Hustai, Lakes & Steppe — A Wildlife & Birding Expedition
- Siberian Brown Bear in the Northern Taiga
Reindeer
Rangifer tarandus
Herded, not wild — the animals the Tsaatan families live alongside.
Shoulder
85–150 cm
Weight
60–170 kg
Status here
Domesticated; the Tsaatan herd roughly 1,000
Habitat
High summer pasture above the tree lineTengis-Shishged National Park, Ulaan Taiga Strictly Protected Area, Horidol Saridag Strictly Protected Area
Expedition
- Tsaatan, Reindeer Herders of the Taiga
Przewalski's horse
Equus ferus przewalskii
Known in Mongolia as the takhi, Przewalski’s horse once disappeared from the wild but was reintroduced in 1992 and now roams freely again in Hustai National Park.
Shoulder
120–146 cm
Weight
200–300 kg
Status here
Extinct in the wild by the 1960s. Reintroduced from zoo stock in 1992; several hundred now run free.
Habitat
Reintroduced at Khustai, Takhin Tal and Khomyn TalHustai National Park
Expedition
- Hustai, Lakes & Steppe — A Wildlife & Birding Expedition

Birds of prey

4 species

Golden eagle
Aquila chrysaetos
Hunting the ridgelines year round, and still trained by hunters in the far west.
Wingspan
180–230 cm
Weight
3–6.5 kg
Status here
Secure across the country, and still flown by Kazakh hunters in the far west.
Habitat
Ridges and cliffs across the whole countryAcross the country
Expedition
Cinereous vulture
Aegypius monachus
One of the heaviest flying birds in the world, and hard to miss overhead.
Wingspan
250–300 cm
Weight
7–14 kg
Status here
One of the largest breeding populations anywhere, while the species declines elsewhere.
Habitat
Anywhere with carrion and a thermalAcross the country
Expedition
Himalayan vulture
Gyps himalayensis
Bigger than the cinereous vulture, and paler. Winters lower and further north than its name suggests.
Wingspan
260–300 cm
Weight
8–12 kg
Status here
Recorded in the southern mountains, chiefly outside the breeding season. Scarcer than the cinereous vulture.
Habitat
High ground and updraughts along the Gobi rangesGobi Gurvansaikhan National Park, Tost Tosonbumba Nature Reserve, Ikh Nartiin Chuluu Nature Reserve, Mongolian Altai
Expedition
- In search of the Snow Leopard
- Argali, Ibex & Petroglyphs of Ikh Nart
Bearded vulture
Gypaetus barbatus
Yolyn Am is named for this bird — yol is the Mongolian word for it.
Wingspan
230–280 cm
Weight
4.5–7 kg
Status here
Resident in the high massifs but never numerous. Scarce everywhere it occurs.
Diet
Bone, largely — it drops them on rock to split them
Habitat
Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park, Mongolian Altai, Tost Tosonbumba Nature Reserve, Hustai National Park, Tengis-Shishged National Park, Horidol Saridag Strictly Protected Area
Expedition
- In search of the Snow Leopard
- Hustai, Lakes & Steppe — A Wildlife & Birding Expedition

Tost Tosonbumba Nature Reserve

11 species · South Gobi · In search of the Snow Leopard Expedition

Carnivores

Snow leopard
Panthera uncia
Regular
Grey wolf
Canis lupus
Occasional
Pallas's cat
Otocolobus manul
Occasional
Eurasian lynx
Lynx lynx
Very rare

Hoofed mammals

Goitered gazelle
Gazella subgutturosa
Regular
Siberian ibex
Capra sibirica
Regular
Argali
Ovis ammon
Occasional

Birds of prey

Cinereous vulture
Aegypius monachus
Regular
Golden eagle
Aquila chrysaetos
Regular
Bearded vulture
Gypaetus barbatus
Occasional
Himalayan vulture
Gyps himalayensis
OccasionalJun-Aug only

Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park

11 species · South Gobi · In search of the Snow Leopard Expedition

Carnivores

Grey wolf
Canis lupus
Occasional
Pallas's cat
Otocolobus manul
Occasional
Snow leopard
Panthera uncia
Occasional
Eurasian lynx
Lynx lynx
Very rare

Hoofed mammals

Goitered gazelle
Gazella subgutturosa
Regular
Siberian ibex
Capra sibirica
Regular
Argali
Ovis ammon
Occasional

Birds of prey

Bearded vulture
Gypaetus barbatus
Regular
Cinereous vulture
Aegypius monachus
Regular
Golden eagle
Aquila chrysaetos
Regular
Himalayan vulture
Gyps himalayensis
RegularJun-Aug only

Great Gobi A Strictly Protected Area

10 species · South-west Gobi · Mazaalai — Gobi Bear Expedition

Carnivores

Grey wolf
Canis lupus
Occasional
Eurasian lynx
Lynx lynx
Very rare
Mazaalai
Ursus arctos gobiensis
Very rare
Pallas's cat
Otocolobus manul
Very rare
Snow leopard
Panthera uncia
Very rare

Hoofed mammals

Asiatic wild ass
Equus hemionus
Regular
Argali
Ovis ammon
Occasional
Goitered gazelle
Gazella subgutturosa
Occasional
Siberian ibex
Capra sibirica
Occasional
Wild Bactrian camel
Camelus ferus
Occasional

Ikh Nartiin Chuluu Nature Reserve

13 species · Dornogovi · Argali, Ibex & Petroglyphs of Ikh Nart Expedition

Carnivores

Eurasian lynx
Lynx lynx
Very rare
Grey wolf
Canis lupus
Very rare
Pallas's cat
Otocolobus manul
Very rare
Snow leopard
Panthera uncia
Very rareon passage, Nov-Mar

Hoofed mammals

Argali
Ovis ammon
Regular
Mongolian gazelle
Procapra gutturosa
Regular
Siberian ibex
Capra sibirica
Regular
Asiatic wild ass
Equus hemionus
Very rareJul-Aug only
Goitered gazelle
Gazella subgutturosa
Very rareJun-Aug only

Birds of prey

Cinereous vulture
Aegypius monachus
Regular
Golden eagle
Aquila chrysaetos
Occasional
Himalayan vulture
Gyps himalayensis
OccasionalJun-Aug only
Bearded vulture
Gypaetus barbatus
Very rareon passage, Jun-Aug

Hustai National Park

11 species · Töv · Hustai, Lakes & Steppe — A Wildlife & Birding Expedition Expedition

Carnivores

Grey wolf
Canis lupus
Occasional
Eurasian lynx
Lynx lynx
Very rare
Pallas's cat
Otocolobus manul
Very rare

Hoofed mammals

Przewalski's horse
Equus ferus przewalskii
Most days
Red deer
Cervus elaphus
Regular
Argali
Ovis ammon
Occasional
Siberian ibex
Capra sibirica
Occasional

Birds of prey

Bearded vulture
Gypaetus barbatus
Occasional
Cinereous vulture
Aegypius monachus
OccasionalJun-Aug only
Golden eagle
Aquila chrysaetos
Occasional
Himalayan vulture
Gyps himalayensis
Very rareon passage, Jun-Aug

Steppe Wildlife Conservation & Research Center

8 species · Sükhbaatar · Pallas's Cat in the Eastern Steppe Expedition

Carnivores

Pallas's cat
Otocolobus manul
Regular
Grey wolf
Canis lupus
Occasional

Hoofed mammals

Mongolian gazelle
Procapra gutturosa
Regular
Argali
Ovis ammon
Occasional
Red deer
Cervus elaphus
Very rare

Birds of prey

Cinereous vulture
Aegypius monachus
OccasionalJun-Aug only
Golden eagle
Aquila chrysaetos
Very rareon passage, Sep
Himalayan vulture
Gyps himalayensis
Very rareon passage, Jun-Aug

Tengis-Shishged National Park

12 species · Khövsgöl taiga · no expedition goes here yet

Carnivores

Grey wolf
Canis lupus
Occasional
Eurasian lynx
Lynx lynx
Very rare
Pallas's cat
Otocolobus manul
Very rare
Snow leopard
Panthera uncia
Very rareon passage, Nov-Mar

Hoofed mammals

Reindeer
Rangifer tarandus
Most days
Argali
Ovis ammon
Occasional
Red deer
Cervus elaphus
Occasional
Siberian ibex
Capra sibirica
Occasional

Birds of prey

Bearded vulture
Gypaetus barbatus
Occasional
Golden eagle
Aquila chrysaetos
Occasional
Cinereous vulture
Aegypius monachus
Very rareJun-Aug only
Himalayan vulture
Gyps himalayensis
Very rareJun-Aug only

Ulaan Taiga Strictly Protected Area

5 species · Khövsgöl taiga · Tsaatan, Reindeer Herders of the Taiga Expedition

Carnivores

Brown bear
Ursus arctos
Very rare
Eurasian lynx
Lynx lynx
Very rare
Grey wolf
Canis lupus
Very rare
Snow leopard
Panthera uncia
Very rareon passage, Nov-Mar

Hoofed mammals

Reindeer
Rangifer tarandus
Most days

Horidol Saridag Strictly Protected Area

13 species · Khövsgöl · Siberian Brown Bear in the Northern Taiga Expedition

Carnivores

Grey wolf
Canis lupus
Occasional
Brown bear
Ursus arctos
Very rare
Eurasian lynx
Lynx lynx
Very rare
Pallas's cat
Otocolobus manul
Very rare
Snow leopard
Panthera uncia
Very rareon passage, Nov-Mar

Hoofed mammals

Reindeer
Rangifer tarandus
Most days
Siberian ibex
Capra sibirica
Regular
Argali
Ovis ammon
Occasional
Red deer
Cervus elaphus
Occasional

Birds of prey

Bearded vulture
Gypaetus barbatus
Occasional
Golden eagle
Aquila chrysaetos
Occasional
Cinereous vulture
Aegypius monachus
Very rareJun-Aug only
Himalayan vulture
Gyps himalayensis
Very rareJun-Aug only

Mongolian Altai

13 species · Bayan-Ölgii and Khovd · no expedition goes here yet

Carnivores

Snow leopard
Panthera uncia
Regular
Grey wolf
Canis lupus
Occasional
Brown bear
Ursus arctos
Very rare
Eurasian lynx
Lynx lynx
Very rare
Pallas's cat
Otocolobus manul
Very rare

Hoofed mammals

Argali
Ovis ammon
Regular
Siberian ibex
Capra sibirica
Regular
Goitered gazelle
Gazella subgutturosa
Occasional
Red deer
Cervus elaphus
Occasional

Birds of prey

Bearded vulture
Gypaetus barbatus
Regular
Cinereous vulture
Aegypius monachus
Regular
Golden eagle
Aquila chrysaetos
Regular
Himalayan vulture
Gyps himalayensis
OccasionalJun-Aug only

Travellers walking with camels over open gravel

See where they live

Every expedition page lists the species you can reasonably expect on it, and says plainly which ones you cannot count on.

The expeditions