I was wondering what the highest life was on Earth.

Bacteria and fungal spores have been found up to 41 km. (Also I learned a new word: aeroplankton.)

https://academic.oup.com/femsle/article/218/1/161/532689?

Birds

In terms of animals, the record might be held by Rüppell’s vulture known to fly over 11300 metres in altitude. Although that’s well and truly high enough to fly over Everest, it doesn’t do that because its range is all African.

The second and third highest flying birds are the Eurasian Crane and the Bar-headed Goose, both of which actually do fly over the highest Himalayan peaks as they migrate between north and south.

The Alpine Chough (Pyrrhocorax graculus) is described as the highest nesting bird, building nests up to 6400 metres.

Mammals
The highest living mammal is the Phyllotis xanthopygus, yellow-rumped leaf-eared mouse, which was found at 6739 meters.
Watch this video with people very excited about the mouse.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bypnzuF9f4w&t=11s
This discovery beat the previous record for a mammal, which was 6130 metres (Large-eared Pika).

Amphibians

The highest amphibian is either Scutiger boulengeri (Xizang alpine toad) found in the Himalayas, or Pleurodema marmoratum found in the Andes. Both top out around 5300 metres.

Reptiles

Liolaemus tacnae is an Andean lizard which was found at 5400 metres. Most elevated snake is Gloydius himalayanus, Himalayan pit viper, seen up to 4900 metres. Must bea tough life for the cold-blooded up that way, be interested to know how they don’t just die.

Arthropods

Surprisingly, to me at least, there are no really high flying insects, with none observed beyond 6000 metres. The highest insects are some small flies, springtails and butterflies. However, their fragmentary remains do get blown further uphill, where they are eaten by Euophrys omnisuperstes, the Himalayan jumping spider, which resides up to 6700 metres.

Plants
A moss of the genus Bryum has been found at 6480 m. The highest flowering plant is probably Arenaria bryophylla, found up to 6200 m.
Surprising to me is that there are no lichens found this high. I kind of considered them hardy beasts. The lichen record seems to be 5000 m (Psora altotibetica).

Ta, that’s interesting.

I wonder why the vultures bother flying that high.

Bubblecar said:

Ta, that’s interesting.

I wonder why the vultures bother flying that high.

Does seem overkill. Perhaps sometimes the higher altitudes give them favourable currents.

no wonder the footballers ate each other.

• I was wondering what the highest life was on Earth.

Tau…

Euophrys omnisuperstes (the species name means standing above everything), the Himalayan jumping spider, is a small and toxic jumping spider that lives at elevations of up to 6,700 m (22,000 ft) in the Himalayas, including Mount Everest, making it a candidate for the highest known permanent resident on Earth. They are found among rocky debris, feeding on tiny, stray springtails and flies.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euophrys_omnisuperstes

dv said:

Bubblecar said:

Ta, that’s interesting.

I wonder why the vultures bother flying that high.

Does seem overkill.

That’s where they usually fly.

Kingy said:

dv said:

Bubblecar said:

Ta, that’s interesting.

I wonder why the vultures bother flying that high.

Does seem overkill.

That’s where they usually fly.

Article about ascent of the Everest summit without O2, something that was widely thought impossible before Habeler and Messner did it in 1978.

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/article/how-climbing-everest-without-oxygen-can-go-very-wrong

dv said:

Article about ascent of the Everest summit without O2, something that was widely thought impossible before Habeler and Messner did it in 1978.

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/article/how-climbing-everest-without-oxygen-can-go-very-wrong

cunts.

so many deaths since then.

party_pants said:

dv said:

Article about ascent of the Everest summit without O2, something that was widely thought impossible before Habeler and Messner did it in 1978.

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/article/how-climbing-everest-without-oxygen-can-go-very-wrong

cunts.

so many deaths since then.

In fairness there are a stack of deaths among those who use oxygen.

dv said:

party_pants said:

dv said:

Article about ascent of the Everest summit without O2, something that was widely thought impossible before Habeler and Messner did it in 1978.

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/article/how-climbing-everest-without-oxygen-can-go-very-wrong

cunts.

so many deaths since then.

In fairness there are a stack of deaths among those who use oxygen.

Everybody that has used oxygen has, or will, die…

furious said:

dv said:

party_pants said:

cunts.

so many deaths since then.

In fairness there are a stack of deaths among those who use oxygen.

Everybody that has used oxygen has, or will, die…

Poisonous stuff it is

dv said:

I was wondering what the highest life was on Earth.

dv said:

I was wondering what the highest life was on Earth.

Bacteria and fungal spores have been found up to 41 km. (Also I learned a new word: aeroplankton.)

https://academic.oup.com/femsle/article/218/1/161/532689?

Birds

In terms of animals, the record might be held by Rüppell’s vulture known to fly over 11300 metres in altitude. Although that’s well and truly high enough to fly over Everest, it doesn’t do that because its range is all African.

The second and third highest flying birds are the Eurasian Crane and the Bar-headed Goose, both of which actually do fly over the highest Himalayan peaks as they migrate between north and south.

The Alpine Chough (Pyrrhocorax graculus) is described as the highest nesting bird, building nests up to 6400 metres.

Mammals
The highest living mammal is the Phyllotis xanthopygus, yellow-rumped leaf-eared mouse, which was found at 6739 meters.
Watch this video with people very excited about the mouse.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bypnzuF9f4w&t=11s
This discovery beat the previous record for a mammal, which was 6130 metres (Large-eared Pika).

Amphibians

The highest amphibian is either Scutiger boulengeri (Xizang alpine toad) found in the Himalayas, or Pleurodema marmoratum found in the Andes. Both top out around 5300 metres.

Reptiles

Liolaemus tacnae is an Andean lizard which was found at 5400 metres. Most elevated snake is Gloydius himalayanus, Himalayan pit viper, seen up to 4900 metres. Must bea tough life for the cold-blooded up that way, be interested to know how they don’t just die.

Arthropods

Surprisingly, to me at least, there are no really high flying insects, with none observed beyond 6000 metres. The highest insects are some small flies, springtails and butterflies. However, their fragmentary remains do get blown further uphill, where they are eaten by Euophrys omnisuperstes, the Himalayan jumping spider, which resides up to 6700 metres.

Plants
A moss of the genus Bryum has been found at 6480 m. The highest flowering plant is probably Arenaria bryophylla, found up to 6200 m.
Surprising to me is that there are no lichens found this high. I kind of considered them hardy beasts. The lichen record seems to be 5000 m (Psora altotibetica).

What about fish?

The Rev Dodgson said:

dv said:

I was wondering what the highest life was on Earth.

Bacteria and fungal spores have been found up to 41 km. (Also I learned a new word: aeroplankton.)

https://academic.oup.com/femsle/article/218/1/161/532689?

Birds

In terms of animals, the record might be held by Rüppell’s vulture known to fly over 11300 metres in altitude. Although that’s well and truly high enough to fly over Everest, it doesn’t do that because its range is all African.

The second and third highest flying birds are the Eurasian Crane and the Bar-headed Goose, both of which actually do fly over the highest Himalayan peaks as they migrate between north and south.

The Alpine Chough (Pyrrhocorax graculus) is described as the highest nesting bird, building nests up to 6400 metres.

Mammals
The highest living mammal is the Phyllotis xanthopygus, yellow-rumped leaf-eared mouse, which was found at 6739 meters.
Watch this video with people very excited about the mouse.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bypnzuF9f4w&t=11s
This discovery beat the previous record for a mammal, which was 6130 metres (Large-eared Pika).

Amphibians

The highest amphibian is either Scutiger boulengeri (Xizang alpine toad) found in the Himalayas, or Pleurodema marmoratum found in the Andes. Both top out around 5300 metres.

Reptiles

Liolaemus tacnae is an Andean lizard which was found at 5400 metres. Most elevated snake is Gloydius himalayanus, Himalayan pit viper, seen up to 4900 metres. Must bea tough life for the cold-blooded up that way, be interested to know how they don’t just die.

Arthropods

Surprisingly, to me at least, there are no really high flying insects, with none observed beyond 6000 metres. The highest insects are some small flies, springtails and butterflies. However, their fragmentary remains do get blown further uphill, where they are eaten by Euophrys omnisuperstes, the Himalayan jumping spider, which resides up to 6700 metres.

Plants
A moss of the genus Bryum has been found at 6480 m. The highest flowering plant is probably Arenaria bryophylla, found up to 6200 m.
Surprising to me is that there are no lichens found this high. I kind of considered them hardy beasts. The lichen record seems to be 5000 m (Psora altotibetica).

What about fish?

How high can you fly, fish.
Will you ever ever ever, reach the sky?

roughbarked said:

The Rev Dodgson said:

dv said:

I was wondering what the highest life was on Earth.

Bacteria and fungal spores have been found up to 41 km. (Also I learned a new word: aeroplankton.)

https://academic.oup.com/femsle/article/218/1/161/532689??

Birds

In terms of animals, the record might be held by Rüppell’s vulture known to fly over 11300 metres in altitude. Although that’s well and truly high enough to fly over Everest, it doesn’t do that because its range is all African.

The second and third highest flying birds are the Eurasian Crane and the Bar-headed Goose, both of which actually do fly over the highest Himalayan peaks as they migrate between north and south.

The Alpine Chough (Pyrrhocorax graculus) is described as the highest nesting bird, building nests up to 6400 metres.

Mammals
The highest living mammal is the Phyllotis xanthopygus, yellow-rumped leaf-eared mouse, which was found at 6739 meters.
Watch this video with people very excited about the mouse.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bypnzuF9f4w&t=11s
This discovery beat the previous record for a mammal, which was 6130 metres (Large-eared Pika).

Amphibians

The highest amphibian is either Scutiger boulengeri (Xizang alpine toad) found in the Himalayas, or Pleurodema marmoratum found in the Andes. Both top out around 5300 metres.

Reptiles

Liolaemus tacnae is an Andean lizard which was found at 5400 metres. Most elevated snake is Gloydius himalayanus, Himalayan pit viper, seen up to 4900 metres. Must bea tough life for the cold-blooded up that way, be interested to know how they don’t just die.

Arthropods

Surprisingly, to me at least, there are no really high flying insects, with none observed beyond 6000 metres. The highest insects are some small flies, springtails and butterflies. However, their fragmentary remains do get blown further uphill, where they are eaten by Euophrys omnisuperstes, the Himalayan jumping spider, which resides up to 6700 metres.

Plants
A moss of the genus Bryum has been found at 6480 m. The highest flowering plant is probably Arenaria bryophylla, found up to 6200 m.
Surprising to me is that there are no lichens found this high. I kind of considered them hardy beasts. The lichen record seems to be 5000 m (Psora altotibetica).

What about fish?

How high can you fly, fish.
Will you ever ever ever, reach the sky?

SCIENCE said:

roughbarked said:

The Rev Dodgson said:

What about fish?

How high can you fly, fish.
Will you ever ever ever, reach the sky?

Yeah, I am aware but my question was, how high do they fly?

roughbarked said:

SCIENCE said:

roughbarked said:

How high can you fly, fish.
Will you ever ever ever, reach the sky?

Yeah, I am aware but my question was, how high do they fly?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=oofSnsGkops

roughbarked said:

The Rev Dodgson said:

dv said:

I was wondering what the highest life was on Earth.

Bacteria and fungal spores have been found up to 41 km. (Also I learned a new word: aeroplankton.)

https://academic.oup.com/femsle/article/218/1/161/532689?

Birds

In terms of animals, the record might be held by Rüppell’s vulture known to fly over 11300 metres in altitude. Although that’s well and truly high enough to fly over Everest, it doesn’t do that because its range is all African.

The second and third highest flying birds are the Eurasian Crane and the Bar-headed Goose, both of which actually do fly over the highest Himalayan peaks as they migrate between north and south.

The Alpine Chough (Pyrrhocorax graculus) is described as the highest nesting bird, building nests up to 6400 metres.

Mammals
The highest living mammal is the Phyllotis xanthopygus, yellow-rumped leaf-eared mouse, which was found at 6739 meters.
Watch this video with people very excited about the mouse.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bypnzuF9f4w&t=11s
This discovery beat the previous record for a mammal, which was 6130 metres (Large-eared Pika).

Amphibians

The highest amphibian is either Scutiger boulengeri (Xizang alpine toad) found in the Himalayas, or Pleurodema marmoratum found in the Andes. Both top out around 5300 metres.

Reptiles

Liolaemus tacnae is an Andean lizard which was found at 5400 metres. Most elevated snake is Gloydius himalayanus, Himalayan pit viper, seen up to 4900 metres. Must bea tough life for the cold-blooded up that way, be interested to know how they don’t just die.

Arthropods

Surprisingly, to me at least, there are no really high flying insects, with none observed beyond 6000 metres. The highest insects are some small flies, springtails and butterflies. However, their fragmentary remains do get blown further uphill, where they are eaten by Euophrys omnisuperstes, the Himalayan jumping spider, which resides up to 6700 metres.

Plants
A moss of the genus Bryum has been found at 6480 m. The highest flowering plant is probably Arenaria bryophylla, found up to 6200 m.
Surprising to me is that there are no lichens found this high. I kind of considered them hardy beasts. The lichen record seems to be 5000 m (Psora altotibetica).

What about fish?

How high can you fly, fish.
Will you ever ever ever, reach the sky?

I confess that when I wrote that I was thinking about flying fish, but then it occurred to me that fresh water fish can get way higher than any marine flying fish, even if they can’t fly, or even leap.

The Rev Dodgson said:

roughbarked said:

The Rev Dodgson said:

What about fish?

How high can you fly, fish.
Will you ever ever ever, reach the sky?

I confess that when I wrote that I was thinking about flying fish, but then it occurred to me that fresh water fish can get way higher than any marine flying fish, even if they can’t fly, or even leap.

It is OK, I was with you.

I am also aware that updrafts may lift them past 10,000 feet but surely they would hit your head as hard as a block of ice?

also the initial contributor of this thread did mention laika bos once

> Mammals
The highest living mammal is the Phyllotis xanthopygus, yellow-rumped leaf-eared mouse, which was found at 6739 meters.
Watch this video with people very excited about the mouse.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bypnzuF9f4w&t=11s
This discovery beat the previous record for a mammal, which was 6130 metres (Large-eared Pika).

I have a hypothesis about this.

I think it followed human climbers up the mountain following the trail of food that climbers had left behind. It’s pre-climber maximum normal altitude would have been less than this.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Topographic_prominence

Never really thought about the concept of “dry prominence” before. Interesting idea.

You could count the humans who reached the far side of the Moon.

Kothos said:

You could count the humans who reached the far side of the Moon.

The record for greatest altitude, then, is held by James Lovell, Fred Haise, and John Swigert of the ill-fated Apollo 13 mission.