In some cases, it was a single building at a high elevation, from which a local leader would keep watch of incoming guests (or intruders).

Unlike yaks and snow leopards, which gradually made their home at high elevation over tens of thousands of years, the mastiffs made huge adaptive strides all at once.

Due to the site’s high elevation, the remarkable carvings are covered with snow nearly nine months of the year making them accessible only in summer months.

If you are at a high elevation, the shadow and its curvature become even sharper.

This species lives on rocky mountainsides, often at high elevation.