Legacy of the Ice Age

Several ice ages have not only radically reshaped the peaks and valleys of the Alps, they have also changed wildlife. A few species have survived from before the last glacial period, but most of today's classic Alpine animals and plants have immigrated from the east and the north of Europe where cold conditions had defined limits of life. Ibex and chamois have come from the Himalayas, marmots from Siberia, mountain hares from beyond the polar circle. After the ice age, the receding ice cut off their way back. Cold-loving species like the mountain hare and the ptarmigan were forced to permanently colonize the higher regions of the Alps and to remain, until this day, on the arctic island in the very heart of a climatically moderate Europe.