Tibet boasts 142 species of mammals, 488 species of birds, 56 species of reptiles, 45 species of amphibians and 68 species of ish. There are 799 species of wild vertebrates in the region. Among them 123 species are under key State protection, accounting for one-third of the national total under key protection. They include tiger, leopard, monkey, kiang, wild yak, red deer, white-lipped deer, black-necked cranes and lesser panda. Of these, 45 kinds of wild vertebrates including Yunnan rhesus monkey, Benglese tiger, sonow leopard, wild Tibetan donkeys, wild yaks and antelopes, are either on the verge of extinction or peculiar to Tibet. Himalayan Tar sheep, an animal under first-class protection, can occasionally be seen in places with an elevation of 3,000-4,000 meters at the foot of the Himalayan Mountains.

Tibet is also home to 2,307 species of terrestrial invertebrates (insects). The Chinese Zoreaptera and Metog Zoreaptera are under key State protection. There are 103 species of beneficial insects and bees in Tibet, most of which are insect pollinators of flower-bearing plants.

(Source: China's Tibet Facts & Figures 2008)