PLANET EARTH Great Plains

The bizarre Tibetan fox. The pika's nemesis（天敌）. When stalking, it keeps below the skyline perhaps helped by it's curious body shape. But why the square head? In summer, the Tibetan plateau heats up drawing in warm wet air from the south but the water never arrives. As the moist air approaches it's forced upwards by the Himalayas and condenses into huge rain clouds. These clouds drop all their water on the southern side of the mountains.



The very peaks that keep Tibet dry are responsible for the monsoon rains falling farther south, and the greening of India. Here, soaked by rain and bathed in tropical sun grass reaches its full potential. Elephant grass is the tallest in the world. Grass that towers over an elephant, can conceal all sorts of surprises. The male lesser florican（鸨）. It's hard work getting noticed when you go courting in the high grass.



The long grass plains of tropical India are home to some of the largest grass eating mammals on our planet... and some of the smallest. Pygmy hogs（侏儒猪） are no bigger than rabbits. They're the tiniest and rarest of all wild pigs. The female is busy collecting grass but not for eating. She's building a nest. Each piglet may be small enough to fit in the palm of a hand but she does have ten.