Animals and plants of the Far East. Natural areas of the Far East Animals endemic to the Far East

When thinking about Russia, few people imagine forests with lush vegetation, sandy beaches and emerald-colored water. However, the south of the Russian Far East has a large biological diversity than any other region middle zone. About some rare, endangered and unique animals in the south of the Russian Far East - in the photo feed.

This is not the Siberia you think you know.

In fact, it's not Siberia at all: most of Russia's territory lying east of Lake Baikal, a body of freshwater in the heart of the country, is the Russian Far East, not Siberia. This vast region, almost twice the size of India, is filled with endless forests and crystal clear rivers crossing them, and very few people live here. Indeed, the population of the entire Russian Far East is a little more than six million people - about two million less than the population of New York.

The southern tip of this little-explored and rarely visited corner of the planet is a forest temperate zone, the richest in species in the world, this area is home to some of the rarest animals and plants on Earth.

Here, animals of the northern and polar regions, such as brown bears, Eurasian lynx and red deer, are found along with animals of the subtropical zone - Amur tigers, Amur leopards, Himalayan bears. Nearly half of the approximately 700 bird species found in the former Soviet Union, lives in the south of the Russian Far East. This place is home to a hundred land species endangered animals. This means that 30% of all endangered species in Russia are concentrated in 1% of the country's vast territory. Up to 48% of these species (15% of all endangered species in Russia) are endemic, that is, they are not found anywhere else on the planet.

Thanks to the unique collection of natural communities and a large number rare and endangered species (many of them have global significance) this region plays a huge role in preserving the planet's biological diversity.

Here we will talk about some rare, endangered and unique animals in the south of the Russian Far East.

Home Sweet Home

Almost all of the 500 free-ranging Amur tigers live in the southern Russian Far East, with a small proportion in neighboring northeastern China.

Big feathered

The Far Eastern fish owl feeds mainly on salmon; the rivers of the southern part of the Russian Far East are rich in this fish. These large, endangered owls live in this region throughout the year, enduring both summer heat and cold winter when temperatures drop to -30 degrees and below.

On the verge of extinction

Amur leopards are the rarest species of large cat in the world, with only 60 to 80 animals left in the forests of the southern Russian Far East and neighboring regions of China.

Natural Architects

In the swampy lowlands of the Ussuri and Amur river basins, Far Eastern storks, an endangered species, build huge nests from branches in trees.

Cliff Dwellers

The largest population of eastern gorals in the world lives in the southern part of the Russian Far East, and the sheer cliffs along the coast of the Sea of ​​Japan provide these animals - there are between 700 and 900 of them left - shelter from predators. Outwardly, gorals resemble goats, but they are more related to antelopes.

Unique creation

Raccoon dogs are widespread in the Russian Far East, but they have one uncharacteristic feature: they are the only members of the canine family that hibernate.

Big birds

Black vultures are huge, with a wingspan of 10 feet (3 meters) and a weight of up to 25 pounds (11.5 kilograms). These are the largest birds of prey of the Old World, they live in Central Asia, Mongolia and China, and a small number (usually young animals) spend winters on the coast of the Sea of ​​Japan in the southern part of the Russian Far East.

Majestic flight

The Steller's sea eagle is the most major representative subfamily of eagle. These birds breed their chicks in the northern Russian Far East, but many winter on the coast of the Sea of ​​Japan in the south of this region, where they feed on salmon that come here to spawn in the fall.

Relatives

Mandarin ducks, close relatives of the Carolina ducks North America, nest in hollows and feed on Mongolian oak acorns.

Moon bears

The Himalayan black bear, also known as the moon bear, lives throughout South-East Asia and only occasionally makes it to Russia, where he is often hunted by Amur tigers.

Local

The land helps many villagers in the south of the Russian Far East both increase their income and survive the long winters. Here, a fisherman hangs pieces of salted salmon on the wall of his hut to dry the fish in the winter sun.

Beauty

When thinking about Russia, few people imagine forests with lush vegetation, sandy beaches and emerald-colored water. However, the south of the Russian Far East has more biological diversity than any other region temperate climate in the world.

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. This is mainly a 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 coniferous forests of spruce and fir alternate with taiga. To the south of the Amur (in Primorye) mixed cedar-broad-leaved forests predominate, which include: Korean cedar, Mongolian oak, Manchurian walnut, Amur velvet and a number of other species. Huge trees entwined with vines and wild Amur grapes. The relict nature of this vegetation is due to the soft monsoon climate 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. Broadleaf forests The Far East is distinguished by its 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”. Animal world north of the indicated border belongs to the widespread fauna taiga Siberia, individual species 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 Manchurian species of 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 proper with its tributaries, the Middle Sikhote-Alin, as well as the coast of the 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, mogera, 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 they predominate Siberian species - 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 glacial period. Its impact on the native fauna of the Far East was relatively small. However, under its influence, the pre-existing ancient homogeneous fauna was largely 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 strongly influence the fauna - economic activity human, rural, forest and hunting grounds. 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. It is very complex in origin. 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 have a special 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, Manchurian hare, rat-shaped hamster, Ussuri tubenoses, mole-mogera, 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 has a 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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As a result of technological progress, beautiful wilderness areas have been damaged by human activity. People keep littering environment harmful industrial waste and take lightly 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 a 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 vegetable world must be protected. In order for it to be preserved in all its diversity, people must develop a rational, rather than consumerist, attitude towards nature, which will prevent the consequences of their economic activities.

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 are going 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 population snow leopard. 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. It's big, fast and at the same time beautiful predator 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 in large quantities lived in the Khabarovsk Territory, Korea and China. Today this species numbers about 40 individuals, because it was almost exterminated by unscrupulous people. In addition to valuable fur, poachers sold animal organs, of which in China alternative medicine made various drugs.

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 bushy 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.

Sea lion - 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 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 owl, which is the rarest representative 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, large birds, which 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 - small part from the list of birds listed in the Red Book. Their total consists of 128 items.

Leafing through the hefty volume, you can admire beautiful plants, whose numbers in Russia are rapidly declining. There are many among them unique representatives gymnosperm trees:

• 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 wonderful nature homeland.

In the 1960s it almost became extinct, but state and public environmental organizations were able to restore its number to 500 individuals. Most of them (310−330 individuals) live in the Primorsky Territory, approximately 110 in the Khabarovsk Territory, four in the Jewish Autonomous Region and two in the Amur Region. The owner of the Ussuri taiga has no enemies equal to himself in strength, but he is too sensitive to disturbance factors and the quality of the habitat. Despite all the strength, size and speed of a tiger (it can reach up to 80 km/h in the snow), it takes a lot of time to hunt, and only one out of ten attempts is successful. The Amur tiger also has a small heart, and therefore, after a jerk reaching 20 m/s, for a long time rest, otherwise he may die. The predator hunts at night, at this time of day it sees five times better than man. It approaches the victim by crawling, arching its back and resting its hind legs on the ground. He needs 9-10 kg of meat per day. Having killed, for example, a horse, a tiger is able to drag it along the ground for more than half a kilometer. By touching each other's muzzles, predators express friendliness, and they greet each other with snorting sounds.

Far Eastern leopardDespite the fact that the leopard is a predator, it is extremely peaceful and will never attack a person, except when the animal is driven into a corner. Far Eastern leopards are born blind with spotted coloring. Each has its own unique pattern, which is how scientists distinguish individuals. The Far Eastern is the only subspecies of leopard that has learned to live and hunt in the snow: other species live in tropical forests. The leopard usually goes hunting in the evening, a few hours before sunset. Hunts deer and roe deer, wild boars, dogs, badgers, raccoons and hares. This blue-eyed predator has a tail almost the same length as its body - 82-90 cm. There are only about 80 individuals of the Far Eastern leopard left in the world, and man is again to blame for this: he cuts down and burns forests, pollutes the air and water, and hunts. Now experts from the World Wildlife Fund WWF and specialists from other environmental organizations not only protect leopards from external factors, but also lead educational work with the population. In the summer of 2015, the Greenpeace fire fighting team came to Primorsky Krai to help inspectors national park"Land of the Leopard" protect animals from fire.

Polar Bears Polar bears are not actually white at all. Their skin is black, but they look white, since each hollow hair reflects sunlight, which helps them retain heat and allows them to live in the Arctic. Sometimes the fur becomes yellow or green in color - in the first case, this may be due to age or dirt, and the reason for the “greening” is algae that can grow in the fur in warm and warm climates that are not typical for a polar bear. wet conditions. They spend most of their time in the water and are excellent swimmers (they can even swim continuously for several days in a row). Newborn cubs look smaller than human babies, they are the size of a rat, but within a year, if they eat normally, they grow into human size. Hunt seal, seal, sea ​​hare and a walrus polar bears accustomed to drifting ice floes or camouflaging in the snow. They have an incredible sense of smell, vision and hearing - they can see their prey from several kilometers away and smell it from 800 meters away. Polar bears do not need annual hibernation, but females who are pregnant and nursing newborns fall into sleep for 50–80 days. The number of polar bears in the Russian Arctic is estimated at 5-6 thousand individuals. Because glaciers are melting, scientists predict that by 2050, two-thirds of the current bear population could disappear.

Kamchatka bear One of the most large predators in the world. Few people can dare to resist the power of the brown bear, especially since its Kamchatka subspecies is distinguished by its impressive size: Far Eastern males usually weigh 100 kg more than European ones. Only occasionally does a pack of wolves successfully hunt a young or weak bear. Despite large mass, he runs fast, up to 60 km/h, swims well and can even climb a tree.

The brown bear lives on almost the entire Kamchatka Peninsula (95% of the territory, most often on the floodplains of rivers and lakes during mass migration and spawning salmon fish, as well as in birch forests during the season of cones and berries), with the exception of very wetlands and highlands.

WhalesWhales are believed to have evolved from land animals that returned to aquatic environment about 55 million years ago, even before the appearance of the first man. They have poor eyesight, no sense of smell, and whales hear through their throats. It is hearing that helps them navigate under water and get food. They communicate using sounds of very low frequency, but high intensity, and can hear each other one and a half kilometers away. Whales are divided into baleen whales, which feed on plankton, and toothed whales, which hunt fish and squid. Large individuals eat about a million calories per day, in summer - up to three tons of food per day. The rest of the year they can eat almost nothing and live off accumulated fat. Of the toothed animals, the waters of the Russian Far East are inhabited by beluga whales, bottlenose whales and killer whales. The latter feeds, among other things, on other whales, and in Spanish “killer whale” (“asesina ballenas”) sounds like “whale killer”. Gray and bowhead whales (baleen whales) make the longest seasonal migrations among mammals: they swim up to 19 thousand km per year. The Bering-Chukchi population of bowhead whales winters in the northern and eastern parts Bering Sea off the coast of Alaska. Greenlandic ones are the only ones baleen whales, spending their entire lives in polar waters. But in fact, they do not like to be among the ice: in the spring, whales migrate north, and in the fall, retreating from the ice, to the south. Whales breathe atmospheric air, so they are forced to float to the surface. But scientists still don't know why whales jump out of the water. Perhaps this is how they demonstrate their power and endurance in front of other whales. According to experts, about 250 thousand whales used to live in Antarctica alone, but as a result of intensive fishing, the total number of these mammals is now less than 1% of this figure. Most countries have banned whale hunting, but their destruction continues to this day. Yes, because national traditions Chukchi in Chukotka are allowed to catch up to 126 whales per year.

Musk deer Musk deer are called differently - deer with fangs, deer-hare, and musk ram. But unlike deer, this artiodactyl does not have horns, and it is compared to a hare due to its ability to confuse its tracks when running away from a predator. In addition, like a hare, the musk deer moves in leaps due to its short front legs and, without slowing down, can change direction by 90°. Main value musk deer - musk. This is a substance secreted by males, which is used in perfumery (can be found, for example, in Chanel, Givenchy or Guerlain). Such perfume products cost tens of times more than fragrances based on synthetic bases. Despite its terrifying fangs, the musk deer is a completely non-aggressive herbivore, feeding exclusively plant foods. She lives in remote, hard-to-reach places; because of her caution, it is extremely difficult to photograph a musk deer.

Amur goral The eastern goral looks like a goat. It is known for the fact that, despite its slowness and leisurely movements, in case of danger it can jump long distances over rocks. In addition, in a desperate situation, a goral can jump from a height of 10 meters and land safely. Now the Amur goral is listed in the Red Book, but previously Chinese folk healers considered its flesh and blood medicinal. The exact number of gorals has not been determined, but between 600 and 750 individuals live in eastern Russia, and almost all are found in specially protected areas in the Lazovsky and Sikhote-Alinsky nature reserves.

Mandarin Duck Among the Far Eastern peoples, Mandarin duck symbolizes love. Once having chosen a partner, she remains faithful to him until the end of her life: mandarin ducks are so loyal that they even always fly in pairs. At Chinese weddings, rooms are often decorated with images of “tangerines.” Males stand out for their incredibly beautiful bright color and a tuft on his head. Another feature of “tangerines” is the sound they make. If ducks usually quack, then “mandarin ducks” squeak subtly or whistle quietly. Somewhere in mid-autumn, “mandarin ducks” nesting in Russia (Amur and Sakhalin regions, Khabarovsk and Primorsky territories) fly to China and Japan for the winter. Despite the fact that these are aquatic birds, they settle in tree hollows, often high - up to 6 meters in height.

Kharza Despite its miniature size, the largest (body length 55−80 cm) and variegatedly colored marten, the Kharza, is a real predator, excellent at climbing trees and jumping from tree to tree up to 9 meters in length. It may seem that its size allows it to hunt only grasshoppers, squirrels, mice and hares, but the harza is not limited to such small prey: it often attacks musk deer, wapiti and roe deer. True, she does not hunt alone, but in a group of several other individuals. The claws of this small predator can bend by 180 ºC, which allows it to climb a vertical wall upside down, and running 20 km a day in search of food is not at all a test for the harza. Kharza lives in the Amur region, on the Sikhote-Alin in the Primorsky and Khabarovsk territories, in the Jewish and Amur regions, but it is rare: one individual per 50−100 km².

CranesIn the Far East live 5 out of 7 Russian cranes - black, gray, white-naped, Japanese and Siberian cranes (white). These birds are the size of a person - their height can reach 175 cm. In captivity, cranes can live up to 80 years, but in the wild - usually up to 20 years. By sticking to a monogamous relationship, they build a family for life. But if the male or female dies, the bird finds a new mate. In Yakutia there is a belief that destroying a nest or killing a crane, even through negligence, brings misfortune. In China and Japan, the crane is a symbol of wisdom, honor, beauty, longevity and vigilance, and in Armenia it is considered a national symbol.

Far Eastern stork At first glance, the Far Eastern stork looks similar to a white stork, but it is one and a half times larger than its European relative, and its beak is not orange, but black. The stork avoids people, prefers to nest away from settlements, choosing wet places near bodies of water. Stork nests look impressive, the size of which varies from 1 to 2.5 meters in diameter. They are usually located on trees or power poles. Since 2004, the “Keepers of Stork Nests” movement, created on the initiative of WWF, has been taking stork nests under its protection, carrying out fire-prevention treatments for nesting trees, aerating reservoirs to maintain and preserve the food supply, and other environmental actions. At the beginning of April, Far Eastern storks begin to lay eggs, and within a month the first chicks appear. Storks - caring parents: during unfavorable weather they protect the chicks from rain and wind, in the heat they water them cold water from the beak, cover them with their shadow from the sun, give them water and take care of their plumage. Newborns make creaking sounds, and then lose their voice and communicate through beak crackling. After two months they leave the nest and begin their independent life.

Fish owlThese birds are monogamous and live in pairs, settling in valleys mountain rivers, not freezing even in severe frost. When they go hunting, the male is in charge, despite the fact that females are usually larger. Together they can wait for hours for their prey, sitting on a stone or on the branches of a tree that has fallen into the water, but the female often does not catch fish on principle, since the male must show his strength and ability to feed her when she is hatching eggs and cannot hunt. But when the ever-hungry chick hatches, the two of them take turns hunting. Little is known about the lifestyle of fish eagle owls, since they nest far from humans and come out only at night. In Primorye, Khabarovsk Territory, Magadan Region and the Southern Kuril Islands, only about 300-400 pairs of these birds nest.

Sea Lion Sea Lion, the northern sea lion, is the largest eared seal on earth. In Russia, it lives on the Commander Islands, Kamchatka and in Sakhalin region. Steller sea lions were included in the Red Book in 1990. By 2012, the population was restored, and despite the fact that the northern sea lion is no longer on the verge of extinction, it is still protected. The rookery of sea lions is located on the shallows and steep cliffs. Sea lions swim remarkably well and jump into the water from a height of up to 25 meters. They avoid ice and spend the winter in frost-free areas Sea of ​​Okhotsk. Steller sea lions usually feed on fish and shellfish, but they can also attack fur seals. Northern sea lions are polygamous: they can impregnate several females and do not require to be together all the time, so the females occupy the rookery that suits them best.

The Ussuri taiga is a unique wonder of the world. More than 400 species of trees will grow here, including exotic ones: Mongolian oak, Korean cedar, Manchurian walnut, Amur velvet. These parts have a unique collection of endemic plants that are not found anywhere else in the world. Among such a variety of plants live no less rare and unique animals of the Russian Far East.

This article will discuss animals living in the Far East.

General information

Animals that are typical inhabitants of the jungle have perfectly adapted to life in harsh conditions climate of the Far East. Air temperature in winter time here it can reach up to -45 °C, and snow cover thickness 2 meters. Among these animals are the Amur tiger (“master of the Ussuri taiga”), leopard, white-breasted bear, sika deer, goral and harza.

Some animals of the Far East of our territory, representing the object of hunting, were settled and acclimatized across the vast expanses of Russia and the world. These include, first of all, the sika deer and the raccoon dog. But some species of animals were also brought here, for example, the muskrat and the brown hare.

Briefly about nature

Before we present information about what animals live in the Far East, we will consider some of the natural features of the region. The Far East has a unique ecosystem that combines tundra and forest. The region's territories are located in different natural zones:

• tundra;
• arctic deserts;
• coniferous forests (light coniferous, dark coniferous, coniferous-birch);
• forest-steppe;
• coniferous-deciduous forests.

In such natural areas and climatic conditions developed differently, therefore the world of fauna and flora is different.

About animals of the Far East

In the most remote region of Russia with a harsh climate, a total of 80 terrestrial species mammals, of which only 24 species are hunted. More than half of the animal species are very rare species listed in the Red Book of Russia and the IUCN. In the coastal waters of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk and the Sea of ​​Japan, there are 21 species of marine mammals.

The largest animals of the Far East are tigers (Amur and Ussuri), bears (Himalayan and brown). More detailed information about them is below in the article.

The animals of this region are unique and interesting.

Ussurian tiger

This is the largest cat in the world - powerful and strong beast. An adult male reaches a weight of up to 300 kg, but such a mass does not at all prevent him from moving easily and silently through the reeds, without attracting attention, and from being an excellent hunter. The wild cat hunts wild boars, elk, deer and hares. There are cases of attacks on bears.

The female usually gives birth to 2-3 cubs, which remain next to her for up to three years, gradually learning the basics of the art of hunting.

Amur leopard

Speaking about animals of the Far East, it is impossible not to mention Amur leopard, which is recognized as the rarest cat in the wild. This species, currently on the verge of extinction, is extremely beautiful. In total, there are now only about 30 individuals of the Amur leopard in the wild, and there are about a hundred of them in zoos.

In Korea, these amazingly beautiful leopards have been completely exterminated, in China they are found in single specimens, perhaps these are individuals coming to them from the territory of Russia. These animals pose a threat Forest fires, poachers and lack of food.

Himalayan bear

Among the animals of the Far East there is also a predator - the Himalayan bear. It is much smaller in size than its relative, the brown one. The Himalayan bear is extremely beautiful - its black fur shimmers in the sun, and there is a white spot on its chest. He loves to eat nuts, acorns and roots. In winter, it hibernates inside a large hollow of a pine, cedar or oak tree. Sleep continues for five months. The female usually gives birth to cubs in February, and the cubs remain with her until next autumn.

What other animals live there?

The Far East is very rich in wildlife. Typical taiga Siberian species:

• squirrel;
• sable;
• chipmunk;
• hazel grouse and others.

Animals of Chinese and Indo-Malayan origin (except those presented above):

• Red Wolf;
• forest cat;
• mole moger;
• Manchurian hare.

Unfortunately, the barbaric attitude towards unique nature of the Far East threatened the complete survival of some of its inhabitants. Today, serious work is underway to improve this situation.