Animalscaretips
Several species of animals have adapted well to the Alpine region. The ibex, a wild goat, and the goatlike chamois both are endowed with an extraordinary nimbleness suited to the craggy landscape. Marmots hibernate in underground galleries. The mountain hare and the ptarmigan, a grouse, assume white coats for winter.
- What is the history of the Alps?
- Why did the Romans feel protected by the Alps?
- How long have people lived in the Alps?
- Who lived in the Alps?
- Where are the Apennines?
- What predators live in the Alps?
- Are there wild boars in the Alps?
- Do wolves live in the Alps?
- Are the Alps still rising?
- How many elephants made it over the Alps?
- Did Hannibal use African elephants?
- Did Hannibal actually cross the Alps with elephants?
What is the history of the Alps?
Millions of years ago the African and Eurasian plates collided and an area that was then beneath the sea began to fold and climb with the heat and pressure, creating the Alps' highest peaks. The process created newly formed granite and gneiss rock as well as limestone which formed on the seabed.
Why did the Romans feel protected by the Alps?
The Alps, located on the northern border of modern-day Italy, seal off the peninsula from the rest of Europe during winter. This natural roadblock protected Rome from outside invasions by forcing attackers to move slowly through narrow passes, giving the Romans time to respond.
How long have people lived in the Alps?
Humans have been living in the Alps since Paleolithic times, about 60,000 to 50,000 years ago.
Who lived in the Alps?
The Alpine Slavs, who inhabited the majority of present-day Austria and Slovenia, were gradually Germanized from the 9th to the 14th century. The modern Slovenes are their southernmost descendants.
Where are the Apennines?
The Apennines is the second main mountain range of Italy and stretches for hundreds of kilometers from the north to the south along the spine of the country. Large beech forests, many of which are centuries-old and probably among the oldest in Europe, cover the mountain slopes in many areas.
What predators live in the Alps?
The WWF European Alpine Programme is playing an active role in the conservation of the bear, wolf, and lynx in the Alps. In the long term, the large carnivore populations in the Alps are viable and connected, living in peaceful coexistence with humans.
Are there wild boars in the Alps?
Wild boar are very common in the Alps, especially at lower altitudes under 2000m. They are extremely hardy, adaptable and resistant and also very intelligent. Due to their success, they are considered a problem in some areas as they trample and eat crops and are hunted during the months of September to January.
Do wolves live in the Alps?
The wolf population, which became extinct in the Alps at the beginning of the 20th century, has been expanding naturally in the Alps since the 1990s. Today it has reached every Alpine country and the first areas at low altitude, in hills and plains.
Are the Alps still rising?
To put a number on it, that region of the Alps is growing about 31 inches (80 cm) every millennium, after accounting for erosion, the researchers found. "This means that the Central Alps are still growing, and surprisingly quickly," Schlunegger said.
How many elephants made it over the Alps?
For over 2,000 years, historians have argued over the route used by the Carthaginian general Hannibal to guide his army — 30,000 soldiers, 37 elephants and 15,000 horses — over the Alps and into Italy in just 16 days, conducting a military ambush against the Romans that was unprecedented in the history of warfare.
Did Hannibal use African elephants?
THE CARTHAGINIANS regularly used the North African forest elephant for war, a breed now extinct. ... There is, however, evidence from coins that they also imported Indian elephants. Hannibal apparently took 37 elephants with him to Italy from his headquarters in Spain, where he was governor of Carthage's empire there.
Did Hannibal actually cross the Alps with elephants?
In 218 BC, 28-year old Hannibal, his soldiers, and his 37 African battle elephants marched from southern Spain to the plains of northern Italy – but took an unexpected route. Instead of following the coastline or going by sea, he crossed the Alps, to the surprise of the Roman Empire army.
