Rare and endangered species of animals of the Far East. Animals of the Far East: rare specimens

As a result of technological progress, beautiful wilderness areas have been damaged by human activity. People keep littering environment harmful industrial waste and carelessly treat the flora and fauna of the earth. Such actions led to a decrease in the numbers of many animals, birds, mushrooms and plants. For safety and security, the Russian government included them in special list. Animals from the Red Book are on the verge of extinction, so humanity must preserve these species and increase their population.

Animal and flora must be protected. In order for it to be preserved in all its diversity, people must develop a rational, and not consumerist, attitude towards nature, which will prevent the consequences of their economic activity.

It is equally important to carefully inventory the flora and fauna that are under threat of destruction. The Red Book of Russia is exactly that official document. It was published in 2001 and consists of 860 pages. Each of them has illustrations, printed detailed information about endangered animals, habitats are indicated. It is noteworthy that the plants and animals listed there do not remain on the list forever. The Red Book must be periodically updated and republished. If the population size of a species has recovered, it may be excluded from the collection.

For example, the publication of the Red Book, which will appear soon, will be replenished with new animals in need of protection. According to information from official sources, they plan to include:

• Himalayan bears;
• reindeer;
• saigas

At the same time, gray dolphins, porpoises, humpback whales and killer whales, previously included in the book, will be removed from the list as their populations have increased. Hunting them will still be prohibited. Cetacean species are protected by a moratorium by the International Commission for the Protection of Whale.

Scientists are concerned about the fate of the Himalayan bear. Today in Russia there are 6.5 thousand individuals. Several factors contributed to the population decline.

• Deforestation in the Far East. As a result, the number of large cedar trees has decreased, and it is in their hollows that mother bears make dens and raise their offspring.
• Poachers. For a long time they destroyed large animals in large numbers, since hunting them brings a lot of money.

The responsibility for the conservation of endangered species of fauna and flora lies with all people. Therefore, leafing through the Red Book and seeing what beautiful animals are listed there, every person should not forget about careful attitude to nature.

List of the rarest animals

To date, the list of plant and animal species listed in the Red Book includes 415 items. Let's get to know some of them.

Beautiful animals - snow leopards - have been practically exterminated. There are only 80-100 individuals left in Russia. For a long time they were subjected to merciless destruction by poachers pursuing one goal - to sell the valuable fur of predators. Now humanity is trying to restore the snow leopard population. Environmentalists are doing everything to preserve its habitat, and hunting it is prohibited throughout the world.

The Ussuri tiger can be found in the Primorsky and Khabarovsk Territories. This is a large, fast and at the same time beautiful predator of the cat family.

The rarest cats in the world are listed in the Red Book of Russia - Far Eastern leopards. At the end of the 19th century, animals lived in large numbers in the Khabarovsk Territory, Korea and China. Today this species numbers about 40 individuals, because it was almost exterminated by unscrupulous people. Besides valuable fur, poachers sold animal organs, from which various potions were made in Chinese alternative medicine.

The Asian leopard's habitat in the Russian Federation is the mountainous regions of the Caucasus. It is almost impossible to meet him there, since in wildlife There are about 10 predators left. Experts are trying to restore the population through reintroduction. The method is that animals imported from other countries are kept in special nurseries where conditions for reproduction are created. When their numbers increase, the predators will be released into the wild.

The mountain wolf has a bright red color and a fluffy tail with a black tip. In Russia, it lives in the Far East in small flocks. The would-be hunters subjected the animals to mass shooting. Now they are endangered, therefore they are listed in the Red Book.

Steller sea lion - a huge eared seal - lives in the Sea of ​​​​Okhotsk. It can be seen on Sakhalin Island and Kamchatka. The animal population is not yet under threat, but is still listed in the Red Book, as its numbers are gradually declining. To stop a trend, you need to identify the factors influencing it and completely eliminate it.

Eastern gorals are rare artiodactyls that somewhat resemble goats. In Russia they are found in the southeast. They eat herbaceous plants and prefer to gather in small flocks. The total number in the country reaches about 750 individuals. Most of them live in nature reserves.

There are very few Przewalski horses left. There are no more than two thousand of them all over the world. Animals are practically never found in the wild. They are bred in nurseries. Previously, they lived in Transbaikalia, Western Siberia and the pre-Altai steppes. At the end of the last century, scientists conducted an experiment and released several horses into the exclusion zone Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Oddly enough, the animals took root and began to actively reproduce. Now there are about 100 individuals.

Vanishing trees and birds

In addition to animals, the Red Book of Russia includes: rare plants and birds. The Far East is a natural reserve where you can meet representatives of flora and fauna that are on the verge of extinction.

• In the forests of the Amur region, the species of tiny white-eyes, distinguished by their sonorous singing, has been preserved. The birds are yellow in color and very beautiful.
• Along the taiga rivers, rare lucky people manage to see the most wonderful duck on earth - the mandarin duck. There, at night, you can sometimes hear the hoot of a fish eagle owl, which is the rarest representative of owl birds.
• Along the rivers flowing in the Khabarovsk Territory, rare, noticeable birds live - Ussuri cranes. As a result of human activity, their habitats have been significantly reduced, and the birds need protection.
• In the forests of the Far East and Transbaikalia there are grouse grouse, large birds that resemble cockerels. Due to barbaric hunting, their population has decreased, and they can only be encountered in the most remote corners of the taiga.

These birds are a small part of the list of birds listed in the Red Book. Their total number is 128 items.

Leafing through the weighty volume, you can admire the beautiful plants, the number of which is rapidly declining in Russia. Among them are many unique representatives of gymnosperms:

• Olga larch;
• chalk pine;
• yew berry;
• tall juniper;
• dense-flowered pine.

All of them grow in taiga forests, which have been actively cut down in recent decades, destroying the unique flora. If this process is not stopped, rare taiga plants may disappear from the face of the earth, and unique animals will die along with them, because their habitat will be spoiled. Our common task is to prevent this and preserve the wonderful nature of our homeland.

The nature of the south of the Far East is rich and unique. The Amur basin is huge, carrying its waters to the Pacific Ocean.

The northern border of this zone runs at 50° N. w. and is separated by the Stanovoy Range from Siberia. Basically it's mountainous country occupied by the spurs of the Sikhote-Alin ridges. The mountains here are low and do not have clearly defined zoning. The upper belt of mountains is characterized by open forests with thickets of cedar and mountain tundra, on the chars of which patches of snow are visible.

In the north of the Amur region, larch taiga predominates, and in the Khabarovsk Territory, mountain dark forests alternate with taiga. coniferous forests from spruce and fir. South of the Amur (in Primorye) mixed cedar- broadleaf forests, which include: Korean cedar, Mongolian oak, Manchurian walnut, Amur velvet and a number of other species. Huge trees are entwined with vines and wild Amur grapes. The relict nature of this vegetation is due to the mild monsoon climate of Primorye.

Plains occupy a limited area and are adjacent to valleys large rivers. Areas of forest-steppe and meadow landscape are most developed in the Amur region and in the Khanka lowland. Currently, these steppe and forest-steppe areas are mainly occupied by agricultural land.

The main fauna of the south of the Far East is represented by Amur species of South Asian origin. The broad-leaved forests of the Far East are distinguished by their antiquity. The main core of the local fauna has been preserved here since the beginning of the Tertiary period. This faunal complex is characteristic of Primorye and only partially penetrates into the areas adjacent to the Amur region and Khabarovsk Territory zones. This boundary almost coincides with 50° N. w. and is called the “Arsenyev line”. The fauna north of this border belongs to the widespread fauna of taiga Siberia, some species of which penetrate far to the south.

When zoogeographically zoning the south of the Far East, three regions are distinguished:

1. The Middle Amur region (lower reaches of the Zeya and Bureya rivers) covers a vast area with the cities of Blagoveshchensk, Khabarovsk and Komsomolsk-on-Amur. Characteristic of this area is the mixture of northern Siberian and southern Manchu species fauna. The last two groups have found the limits of their distribution here and give a unique character to the named zone. The Mongolian-Daurian steppe fauna is represented here only by individual species.

2. The basin of the Ussuri itself with its tributaries, the Middle Sikhote-Alin, as well as the coast Sea of ​​Japan from Terney Bay to the Samarga River. In this zone, the Amur fauna predominates, there is a mixture of its various species, and its more southern forms no longer penetrate here.

3. Southern Primorye covers the sea coast from Vladivostok to Terney Bay, the sources of the Ussuri River and the lake basin. Hanka. This region is characterized by fauna species that are found only within this border zone (sika deer, goral, leopard, moguera, zokor and several others).

Thus, the fauna of the south of the Far East is of a mixed nature, heterogeneous in different parts of the region.

In the north, Siberian species predominate - reindeer, wolverine, sable, mountain hare, in the south (Primorye) - the above-mentioned species of the Amur (Manchurian) fauna.

Zoogeographical zoning and the origin of fauna were influenced by ice age. Its impact on the native fauna of the Far East was relatively small. However, under its influence, the pre-existing ancient homogeneous fauna was significantly restructured by changing forms, retreating to the south, forming zonal belts and partially introducing new alien elements. The antiquity and abundance of relict forms did not exclude the penetration of Siberian (taiga) and partly Mongolian (steppe) elements into this area at certain stages of its development. The local fauna was pushed back to the Amur region and Primorye.

IN modern period Anthropogenic factors - human economic activity, agriculture, forestry and hunting - strongly influence the fauna. The construction of the Baikal-Amur Mainline has a particularly great impact. In this regard, the problem of protection and rational use fauna of the Far East has acquired even more importance.

The fauna of the Far Eastern region has a rich and diverse species composition. By origin it has very complex character. Along with the usual widespread species of the fauna of Siberia, the main and most pronounced core belongs to the Amur group of rare forms of southern origin. The latter are of particular scientific interest; they are characterized by a limited range and the smallest numbers.

Analysis of the theriofauna of the Amur-Ussuri region allows us to identify several complexes in its composition. Endemic species of Primorye and adjacent regions of the Amur region include a number of species common in the south-eastern part of Asia. This group includes: Far Eastern sika deer, Amur goral, Amur tiger, eastern leopard, black bear, Amur forest cat, raccoon dog, marten-harza, Manchurian hare, rat-shaped hamster, Ussuri tubenoses, mole-mogue, giant shrew and a number of other species.

Widespread species of the northern fauna of the Polearctic in the south of the Far East are represented by special subspecies - geographical races (elk, wapiti, roe deer, musk deer, wild boar, brown bear, sable, weasel, squirrel, flying squirrel, chipmunk, ground squirrel, a number of mouse-like rodents, bats and insectivores). Currently, new species of animals have been acclimatized in the Far East - American mink, raccoon, European and Canadian beavers, brown hare, and muskrat.

In this regard, the fauna of the south of the Far East is very complex and at the same time unique character. Next, we will talk about the main types of fauna, indicating their places of distribution and habitat.

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The Far East occupies the extreme position of the northeast of Eurasia and the east of Russia, washed by the waters of two oceans: the Arctic and the Pacific. Due to the vast territory natural areas The Far East is distinguished by the diversity and uniqueness of its landscapes, flora and fauna.

Features of the nature of the Far East

The unique nature of the Far East is due to its location and the direct influence of the surrounding oceans and seas. Features associated with the coastal location of the Far Eastern region maritime climate in the north and monsoon climate in the south, which resulted from the interaction between the landmass of North Asia and the Pacific Ocean.

As a result of its large extent from north to south, the natural zones of the Russian Far East are distinguished by great diversity. Mountainous terrain interspersed with endless meadow plains. This region experiences active seismicity and volcanism. The following zones are presented here:

• arctic deserts;
• tundra and forest-tundra;
• taiga;
• broad-leaved forests.

Natural complexes of the Far East

In the Far East, the largest area is occupied by coniferous forests, and the smallest area is occupied by Arctic deserts.

• Arctic deserts

This harsh natural zone includes two islands: Herald and Wrangel. They are characterized by mountainous terrain, with poor landscapes, here and there covered with patches of mosses and lichens. Even at the height of summer, the air temperature here does not rise above 5-10C. Winters are very harsh, with little snow.

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• Tundra

The tundra zone extends south from the coast of the Northern Arctic Ocean. Most of it is reserved for mountainous landscape. The climate of the tundra is damp and cold, as a result of which the vegetation of this region is not very diverse: not all plants are able to survive on wet, frozen soils with a low humus content. Poor evaporation of moisture caused the formation of swampy areas.

• Taiga

The taiga or coniferous forest zone is the most extensive in the Far East and features a wide variety of landscapes. Thanks to the climate in the taiga, which is milder than the tundra zone widespread received coniferous trees. Due to the peculiarities of their structure, they are able to withstand cold winters without loss. Pine, larch, fir, spruce are typical representatives of the taiga.

Rice. 2. Rich taiga forests of the Far East

The fauna of the taiga is very diverse. Moose, bears, foxes, wolves, and squirrels live here.

• Mixed and broad-leaved forests

This zone is located in the lower altitudinal mountain belt of the southern part of the Far East. It is characterized by a temperate monsoon climate with warm, humid summers and cold winter. It is distinguished by a wide variety of flora and fauna.

A characteristic feature of the Far Eastern nature in the zone of mixed and deciduous forests- the phenomenon of gigantism among animals and plants. Thus, trees about 40 meters high, grass as tall as a man, and water lilies with a diameter of more than a meter are not uncommon here. The animal world is also rich in giants. Ussuri tiger, Amur snake, Ussuri relict longhorned beetle, Maaka swallowtail butterfly, king crab, the Far Eastern oyster are real giants among their relatives.

Rice. 3. Ussuri tiger

What have we learned?

The large extent of the territory of the Far East is the main reason for the wide variety of natural areas: from arctic deserts to deciduous forests. Briefly described natural zones allow us to create a picture of the nature of the Far Eastern region, which in many places has been preserved in its original form.

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The Far East is the most remote territory of Russia. The Far East includes the expanses from the Sea of ​​Okhotsk to Chukotka. The nature of the Far East is quite harsh, since the mainland in the north and northeast meets the waters of the Arctic basin.

In the relief of northeastern Asia prevail mountains and plateaus. In the west, the territory of the Far East is delimited by the Verkhoyansky and Suntar-Khayata ridges.

Swampy low-lying plains occupy a small part of this area. They are located along the coast of the Arctic seas and in some areas of the Anadyr River. In Priokhotsk, Kolyma and Chukotka there is a rather harsh climate with low temperatures.

The coldest region is the center of Kolyma, where average annual temperature equals – 140C. In the coastal area the temperature rises to -30C. In winter the weather is mostly clear and frosty. The air is cooled to – 600C. IN summer time the air warms up well in areas located far from the ocean. But there is no hot weather even in summer. Only in the taiga can the air temperature rise to +350C. Coastal areas are much colder in summer.

Rivers, even large ones, flow winters are often completely frozen. Snow cover is insignificant. Therefore, during a flood, the water level does not rise much. But in the summer, when there is heavy rain, the water level increases significantly. Fallen trees often collect in river beds. When there is a large concentration of them, they form a kind of barricades. In river valleys in the northeastern part of winter period ice dams appear.

For shipping Only three rivers turn out to be suitable: Kolyma, Omolon and Anadyr. In the Far East there are many rivers with rapid current And a large number thresholds. There are a large number of small lakes here. They are mainly located in floodplains and river deltas. There are lakes of ancient glacial origin, for example, Jack London Lake. In Chukotka there is a unique lake - Elgygytkhin (Non-Freezing Lake). It is located in a continental crater. There are hot springs in the Magadan region. Their water temperature varies from +250C to +920C. In one of the most famous springs, Talai, the water temperature is +900C.

Permafrost prevents the formation of a good soil layer. Even in the forest belt, the soil cover is only 40 - 50 cm. The slopes of high mountains usually have no vegetation, as they are covered with stones. Only in the valleys big rivers there are soddy-meadow soils. True, they are not very fertile.

In the northeast there are two natural zones: tundra and taiga. They combine with each other in a unique way. At the bottom of the mountains, as a rule, larch and birch-larch forests grow. Above there is a section of dwarf cedar. Even higher are the mountain lichen tundras. On the coast of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk, the highest forest boundary is at an altitude of 400 - 400 m. Even higher, you can find forest thickets in the upper reaches of the Kolyma. Here the vegetation rises to a height of up to 1200 m. The trees do not extend to the north further than the lower reaches of the Kolyma. Here their upper limit is only 200 – 250 m.

Animals living in the tundra or taiga unhindered change their location. The arctic fox is usually found in the tundra, polar bear and reindeer. Squirrels, lynxes, wolverines and brown bears are common in the taiga. In the warm season, a large number of migratory birds fly to the tundra: swans, ducks, geese and partridges. Birds found in the taiga include: hazel grouse, wood grouse, woodpeckers, nutcrackers, nuthatches and thrushes. There are many animals in the mountainous areas. First of all, these are snow leopards and musk deer, which live in the mountain tundra, in areas devoid of tree vegetation.

Diverse marine and river fauna of the Far East. In certain periods, pink salmon, coho salmon and sockeye salmon are found in the rivers. Small rivers and streams sometimes contain grayling. Channels, fur seals, walruses and seals live in the seas and on the sea coasts. “Herring sharks” are found in the northern part of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk. They enter the waters of this sea following their prey - schools of fish.

There are strict restrictions on fishing and hunting here. There is a nature reserve on Wrangel Island. The climate here is quite harsh. The reserve's topography consists of low mountains and plains. There is a polar winter here for about a third of the year. Only in July does the ice begin to break and the first waters appear. Trees and shrubs do not grow here, since strong winds and frosts prevail here most of the year. Polar bears and arctic fox live here. Bird colonies often form here. Of the sea animals on Wrangel Island, there are seals and bearded seals. All these representatives of the animal world are strictly protected.

Relief of the Far East along marine coasts and islands are predominantly mountains. Their appearance and origins vary. In the south there is the Sikhote-Alin highland, the height of which reaches 2077 m. In the east, the slopes of the highland border the sea. In the west, there is a gradual decrease in height to 300 - 400 m. Here the highland passes into the Amur valley. There are two mountain ranges on Sakhalin: Western and Eastern Sakhalin. Sometimes there are very strong earthquakes. The mountains of the Kuril Islands go to a depth of 8 km.

Most of these mountains are volcanoes, both extinct and active. The highest altitude of the Kuril Mountains is 2339 m - Alaid Volcano. The Kamchatka Peninsula is home to a large number of mountain ranges and volcanic massifs. The highest point of the Kamchatka mountains is a volcano Klyuchevskoy Sopka, the height of which reaches 4750 m.

The climate of the Far East in dependencies from geographical location has its own characteristics. Sikhonte-Alin and the Amur region are characterized by a moderately warm climate, which is influenced by the humid monsoon climate. The Kuril Islands and Kamchatka are influenced by a cool and excessively humid zone. In the south of Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands there are undergrowths consisting of spruce and birch forests combined with bamboo. On the Kuril Islands there are stone birch, herbaceous plants characteristic of meadows, as well as dwarf cedar and larch in mountainous areas. In Primorye, mainly coniferous and coniferous-deciduous forests grow.

In this book, schoolchildren and young naturalists will find material for extracurricular reading, as well as additional and reference material to the zoology textbook.

The individual essays are not connected to each other, so it is not necessary to read the entire book in a row.

The book introduces the reader to the diversity of the animal world of the USSR and foreign countries. Along the way, information is provided about the importance of animals in nature and human economic activity.

Some of the material is presented in the form of questions and answers. The section "Stories about insects" was written by the candidate biological sciences Yu. M. Zalessky.

In the third edition, the text is changed and supplemented in places; The necessary corrections have been made and several new drawings have been added. The chapter “Zoology in Questions and Answers” ​​has been supplemented with new questions; the order of their distribution is changed in accordance with the zoological system.

J. Tsinger

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The southern part of the Soviet Far East, Primorye and Amur region, in terms of the richness and diversity of nature, is one of the most wonderful places in our Motherland.

Everything here is special and unique: the landscape, the climate, the vegetation, and the fauna.

Forested mountain ranges are intersected by vast plains. From the bare peaks of the mountains (chars) you can see how far cedar, larch and broad-leaved forests stretch across the hills in all directions, and even further, on the horizon, the blue strip of the sea sparkles.

Long, warm and humid summers, causing rapid growth of grasses, shrubs and trees, are replaced by harsh, dry, sunny and little snow winters.

The naturalist and nature lover in the Far East is struck first of all by the amazing combination southern plants and animals with taiga and northern ones.

In Primorye there are places where Manchurian walnut lives next to cedar and fir, and wild grape vines twine around spruce. The familiar aspen and linden trees are interspersed with cork and Daurian larch. The latter, the most common tree in the Far East, is distinguished by its exceptional strength. There are thickets of Manchurian apple trees, apricots, and Ussuri cherry trees.

Trees and shrubs are intertwined with Amur grapes, sweet, fragrant actinidia, fragrant lemongrass and other climbing plants.

All the vegetation of the Far East is adapted to sudden changes harsh winter and hot summer. This feature was used with great insight by I.V. Michurin in his work on developing new breeds of fruit and berry crops, in which the high yield, frost resistance and vitality of the wild Ussuri plant are combined with the valuable qualities of delicate cultivated fruit plants of the southern countries.

Only here, in the Far East, in the Sikhote-Alin region, the significant fact in zoogeography of the cohabitation of both tigers and taiga animals was noted: sable, reindeer . A typical cat of the northern forests, lynx, lives in the Ussuri region along with the bloodthirsty predator of the tropics - leopard and the largest species of wild cat - the Far Eastern forest cat.

Except brown bear, here occurs glossy black, with a white spot on the chest black, or himalayan bear - inhabitant of mountain forests of South Asia.

In the Ussuri region its numbers are higher than those of the brown one. It is more adapted than the brown bear to climbing trees, where it readily feeds on bird cherry, acorns, Manchurian nuts, and wild fruits.

Unlike the brown bear, which lies in a den on the ground, the black bear makes its den in the hollows of trees, where several animals sometimes climb. The entrance hole to the hollow is sometimes placed quite high, 10–20 meters from the surface of the earth.

Along with our ordinary wolf, they prowl in remote mountainous areas in small packs red wolves, distinguished by their slightly smaller body size, red fur and fluffy, fox-like tail. The red wolf is indigenous to the mountains of Central and South Asia. The lifestyle of this peculiar animal is almost completely unknown.

Graceful, characteristic only of the Far East dappled deer lives here along with the giant of the northern forests - moose.

Dappled deer is of great commercial importance because of its antlers - young, non-ossified horns, from which pantocrine, a valuable medicinal substance, is extracted. It dramatically increases the vital activity of the body and has long been used in Chinese and Tibetan medicine, and in lately It is also used in Soviet medicine. Even in pre-revolutionary times, there were several private farms in the Far East where sika deer were kept. In the post-October period, large reindeer herding state farms were organized there. In addition, over the past 15–20 years, sika deer have been introduced into various places European part of the RSFSR and acclimatized in the Oksky, Ilmensky, Khopyorsky, Mordovian, Bashkirsky and Teberdinsky nature reserves, as well as in the Losinoostrovskaya base of the former fur institute near Moscow.

Another typical animal of the Far East is raccoon dog, or Ussuri “raccoon”, since 1934, was introduced and settled in many regions of the European part of the Union, as well as in the Caucasus, in Central Asia, in Altai and southwestern Siberia. In many places, this prolific fur-bearing animal has perfectly acclimatized and reproduced; in some areas it has already become a part of the commercial fauna.

However, it should be noted that the raccoon dog was not a welcome guest everywhere. In a number of places, zoologists and commercial hunters consider this animal to be responsible for the depletion of waterfowl and upland game reserves, since the raccoon dog destroys eggs, chicks, and sometimes birds that incubate on the ground: ducks, black grouse, hazel grouse.

Along with sable And column in the Far Eastern taiga lives a native of South China and India, large Kharza marten. But if the weasel and especially the sable are the most valuable fur-bearing animals, then the kharza has no commercial value, since its fur is coarse. In addition, it harms the hunting industry, destroying valuable game animals: sable, musk deer, deer calves and sika deer.

It should be noted that some of the animals mentioned above, although typical of the Far East, are extremely few in number and are not found everywhere; Even seasoned hunters and experienced naturalists will rarely be able to encounter a tiger, leopard, red wolf and sika deer in nature.

The most numerous mammals of the Far East are small rodents: voles, mice, hamsters, caraco rat; a rodent leading an underground lifestyle - the Manchurian zokor, etc. All these rodents, along with shrews (an order of insectivores), are found in such abundance that they form the most important background for the mammal population of the Far East.

The birds of the Far East are no less unique. Blue-green with red beak eastern broadmouth, lies in wait for insects on the treetops. Hunts for flying insects during the day needle-tailed swift, and at night - Indian nightjar- the owner of a huge mouth lined with bristles.

Through lakes and swamps along with those known to every hunter mallard And teals can be seen black duck- a typical Chinese-Japanese species, reaching its distribution in the south to the Philippine Islands, and elegant mandarin duck with its original bright coloring, representing a mixture of bright red, gray-green, blue-violet and white flowers. This bird nests in hollows along forest rivers. It has a characteristic habit of perching on trees, which makes it different from other ducks. It takes place in the Amur region northern border distribution green Amur night heron. A tropical bird nests on Lake Khanka and in the valley of the Ussuri River. Chinese ibis.

Remarkable for its beautiful coloring blue magpie interesting in that throughout the entire globe it is found only in two areas far apart from each other, namely in East Asia and on the Iberian Peninsula. Zoologists explain this “discontinuity” of its distribution by the fact that these two areas during the distant ice age were not subject to glaciation, which in the rest of the territory turned out to be disastrous for these birds.

A typical bird of the dark coniferous forests of the Far East - black hazel grouse, or Siberian grouse, which is one and a half times larger than an ordinary hazel grouse, is of commercial importance. It is interesting that these birds are amazingly trusting, for which they received the name “humble” hazel grouse among the population of Primorye. Scared from the ground, the birds usually fly low to a tree and sit calmly, looking at the person. In this regard, hunters use a very simple and even funny way of catching them using a long stick with a hair or rope loop at the end. Such a loop is carefully placed around the bird’s neck and, tightened, the prey is pulled down. Even more curious is that the rest of the “humble” hazel grouse do not fly away, but continue to remain on the tree, as if waiting for their turn. This way you can catch a fair number of birds from one flock.

Recently, the question of acclimatization of grouse grouse in other regions of our Motherland has been raised. The feasibility of this event is evidenced not only by the undoubted commercial value of the grouse, but also by its great fertility, endurance, adaptability to a harsh and damp climate, as well as unpretentiousness: in winter it feeds mainly on fir needles.

The Khanka Plain is absolutely exceptional in terms of the abundance of migratory birds. Lake Khanka is one of the best places Soviet Union for hunting waterfowl and swamp game: geese, ducks, swans, waders.

Along the coast of the Sea of ​​Japan and the Strait of Tartary, on high steep cliffs there are bird colonies - nesting colonies murres, guillemots, hatchets, gulls. Characteristic predators of the coast - Kamchatka eagle And white-tailed eagle- They hunt for fish in the summer, and birds and small animals in the winter.

The Far Eastern seas and rivers are extremely rich in fish.

Of greatest commercial importance are salmon fish: chum salmon, sima, pink salmon, whitefish, and from sturgeon - Kaluga.

Far Eastern waters are characterized by such fish of southern Chinese origin as aukha, Amur catfish, yellow-cheeked carp, silver carp and finally, tropical fish - snakehead. Adult specimens of snakeheads can weigh up to 7 kilograms. This fish got its name from the shape of its head, similar to a snake. In China, Korea and India, snakeheads have long been bred artificially in ponds.

In recent years, an attempt was made to acclimatize some Amur fish in the reservoirs of the Moscow region. For grass carp, snakehead and some other fish, this attempt was crowned with success. The snakehead has adapted especially well to the new conditions, feeding on small fish and tadpoles. It is recommended to breed grass carp - a herbivorous fish, together with carp, which feeds mainly on small invertebrate animals, and the predatory snakehead - in small, overgrown ponds together with weed fish (roach, ruffe, etc.).

Currently, breeding of Amur fish is already widely used in other reservoirs of the European part of the RSFSR.

The Far Eastern seas are rich in valuable commercial mammals- whales and seals. In spring and summer, the seas become real pastures for whales, as schools of fish, octopuses and squids appear here - the main food of toothed whales and sperm whales. At this time of year, small crustaceans and other planktonic organisms reproduce in masses, which feed on toothless whales - fin whales, sei whales, humpback whales, etc. Herds sea ​​giants- whales swim to the Far Eastern seas from temperate and tropical parts of the ocean, where food supplies are depleted at this time. It was during this period that our Far Eastern flotilla “Aleut” began whaling in the Seas of Okhotsk, Japan and Bering, extracting hundreds of tons of whale oil, meat and other products valuable for industry, in particular spermaceti and ambergris for perfume production.

The Aleut flotilla consists of a large mother ship (on which whale carcasses are processed) and several small whaling ships, on which the whales are pursued and killed with harpoon guns. Most mined sperm whales, making up 60–70% of Far Eastern whaling. In second place is fin whale. Other types - humpback whale, sei whale, gray whale and others - are less common and therefore constitute an insignificant part of the fishery.

Among other sea animals, the subject of fishing are various species of the order Pinnipeds. The most valuable of them is cat, which has an excellent soft undercoat, its skin is used to make high-quality winter clothing. The main rookeries of seals are located on the Commander Islands and off the eastern coast of Sakhalin, where in the spring females give birth to cubs and feed them. In autumn, herds of seals migrate south to the Japanese Islands.

Far Eastern reptiles are original. Along with our usual snakes - an ordinary snake, common viper, eastern copperhead- here you can find tropical bright green or blue with orange-red spots tiger snake, just like the ordinary grass snake, not poisonous. Numerous runners. Particularly characteristic Amur snake, or Schrenk's runner- strongly biting, but also not poisonous snake over 2 meters long. The snake hunts for rodents on the ground, and in the trees it chases birds and destroys their nests. The Amur snake is well tamed, and in Manchuria it is even kept in barns and fanzes, where it destroys rodents - pests of grain stocks, and also protects crops adjacent to buildings from them.

Amur snake.

Only in the Far East is there a unique species with a soft, leathery shell, Far Eastern turtle, belonging to one of the tropical orders of these animals. She lives in rivers and lakes, where, burrowing into the silt and sticking her head out, she lies in wait for fish swimming by. Its neck is long and mobile, and its jaws are strong and strong. Unlike other turtles, the Far Eastern turtle can rush at a person and bite painfully. The ability of these turtles to stay under water for up to 15 hours is interesting, which is explained by the presence in the animal’s throat of numerous villi that act as gills. The meat and eggs of this turtle are edible.

The Ussuri region amazes with the abundance of various insects, many of which are unique to the Far East or are of tropical origin; They often have amazingly bright colors. These include, for example: blue-green Swallowtail Maaka- one of the largest daytime butterflies in our country; brightly colored yellow Ussuri swallowtails; pale green butterflies ocellates, rainbow splinters. Along with them, moths - order ribbons, hawkmoths And silkworms- are a decoration of the Far Eastern nature.

Flying beetles present a unique and unique spectacle. fireflies. At the beginning of summer, on quiet warm nights, the air is filled with many blinking bluish sparks. In autumn, at the end of August - beginning of September, fireflies of a different species, larger ones, fly. The largest beetle in our country also lives in Primorye - Ussuri giant woodcutter.

The main scourge for both the population and animals is midges And mosquitoes, the mass departure of which begins in June and reaches its maximum in July. These insects, popularly known as “gnus,” plague both people and animals for two to two and a half months.

Starting from mid-August, the number of midges begins to drop sharply, and with the onset of frost, these insects disappear completely.

Nasty And ticks- carriers of dangerous diseases of humans and animals - the only dark spot in beautiful nature Primorye and Amur region. This dark spot A brutal war has been declared, in which Soviet scientists are already winning their first victories. Academician E.N. Pavlovsky and his staff found out the role of ticks in the spread of spring-summer encephalitis and developed effective measures to combat it. Entomologist N.A. Rubtsov conducted detailed studies of the reproduction and development of the “gnus” and proposed a number of measures both to eliminate breeding sites of these insects and to protect domestic animals and humans from them.

In conclusion, I would like to say that if in the essay about the nature of the Moscow region we talked about a wonderful and interesting corner of nature near us, then, finishing the essay about the bright, unique nature of the Far East, we would like to attract the attention of a novice naturalist, tourist, hunter and just a nature lover to this distant, but very interesting, rich and still little explored vast region of our Motherland.

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