Scientists Finally Learned How a Tiny Mouse Survives Near the Andes Death Zone at 7,000 Meters - ZME Science
Researchers have discovered how the Andean leaf-eared mouse survives at extreme altitudes of over 6,700 meters, far beyond the previously assumed limit for mammals. The study reveals that these mice evolved unique physiological adaptations, including the ability to detoxify plant compounds, to thrive in oxygen-starved, freezing environments.
Why it matters
Understanding these biological adaptations provides new insights into the limits of mammalian life and evolutionary resilience in extreme environments.
Mammals shouldn’t permanently live much above 5,500 meters (18,000 feet). Above this altitude, the combination of oxygen-starved air, freezing temperatures, scarce food, and relentless winds was thought to make long-term life nearly impossible.
Then, in 1912, British zoologist Oldfield Thomas discovered tiny Andean leaf-eared mice ( Phyllotis vaccarum ) living more than a kilometer higher than this assumed limit, on volcanic summits above 6,700 meters (22,000 feet), close to the death zone where even experienced climbers struggle to survive.
“It was completely unexpected. People did not think mammals could survive at these altitudes, but they’re there,” Graham Scott, a professor and expert in animal physiology at McMaster University, said .
The 100 years following the discovery kept many biologists thinking: how could a small rodent survive year-round in an environment so hostile that humans and other mammals struggle to endure it even briefly?
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