Flora and Fauna
FloraUzbekistan’s flora comprises of more than 3,700 species of plants. 20% of plants are endemic ones (can not be found in other places); major part of them grow in mountains. Flora of steppes and deserts consists of unique bushes. Wooden, bushy, grassy plants are well developed in low plains. Tugays feature reeds and kendyrs.
Landscape of submountainous plains is characterized by grass, there are no trees, and bushes may be found along the water flows. Various species of onion, tulips, rhubarb, irises grow here. High foothills feature dry steppes with motley grass on gray earth. Ushes such as almond-tree, kurchava, cherry grove grow on stony sites.
The most valuable wood species - Zerafshani archa grows in lower mountains. Deciduous species such as maple, hawthorn, various sorts of wild apple-trees, pistachio-tree, walnut-tree, birch, willow, poplar, cherry-tree are also widespread. Lower mountains are rich in bushes: honeysuckle, barberry, dog-rose, meadow-sweet, bushes of wild grape. Grasses are also very diverse: muscat sage, rhubarb, tulip, Pskem onion (precious herb). Middle mountains feature dog-rose and other bushes. Only 30% of high mountains are covered with plants. Mostly tipchak grows here.
Fauna
Like flora, Uzbekistan’s fauna is also very diverse. One can find many representatives of Asian fauna. Among them are: mammals (wolf, big-eared hedgehog, vixen, hare - toloy, tortoise, djeyran, saygak, wild boar, spiral horny billy-goat, mountain sheep, badger, stone marten, bear, snow leopard, ermine, Siberian mountain billy-goat, lamellitoothed rat, jacal, Bukharan deer, Bukharan, sharp-eared night gopher, jerboa), reptiles (heccons, agama, sand boa, arrow-snake, Central Asian cobra, quadristripe sledge runner, Alay , birds (pretty bustard, dun goatsucker, jay, shrike, mountain finch, bunting, lentil, grand turtle-dove, black griffon, lammergeyer, bearded vulture, jackdow, pheasant, cuckoo, yellow wagtail, magpie, black crow, southern nightingale, whiskered tomtit, cane bunting,), insects, etc.
Nerly 70 species of fishes may be found in reservoirs: Aral salmon, Amudarya trout, pike, Aral roach, Aral barbel, sazan, silver crucian, sheat-fish, pike-perch, perch, white amur.
