High and Low

Overview

The highest and the lowest places of our planet also offer niches where life thrives. High up in the Alps, animals have developed particular strategies to survive. Short, hot summers follow long, hard winters - seasonal extremes that test the endurance of Alpine inhabitants. Sri Lanka's cloud forests are home to an army of specialists. At 1,500 metres above sea level the forests are high enough to bring winter frosts. While life in higher altitudes often is accompanied by coldness and a lack of oxygen, animals and plants that prefer the sweet life at sea level must ...