Animals of the Far East. What animals live in the Far East? Animals of the Far East: rare specimens Flora and fauna of the Far East

In this book, a schoolboy and a young naturalist will find material for extracurricular reading, as well as additional and reference material for a zoology textbook.

Individual essays are not linked, 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 given about the importance of animals in nature, economic activity person.

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

In the third edition, the text has been changed and supplemented in places; Necessary corrections have been made, several new drawings have been added. The chapter "Zoology in questions and answers" is supplemented with new questions; the order of their distribution has been changed in accordance with the zoological system.

J. Zinger

Book:

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

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

Mountain ranges, overgrown with forests, are intersected by vast plains. From the bare peaks of the mountains (bald mountains) one can see how far cedar, larch and broad-leaved forests stretch along the hills in all directions, and even further, on the horizon, the blue stripe of the sea sparkles.

A long, warm and humid summer, causing the rapid growth of grasses, shrubs and trees, is replaced by a harsh, dry, sunny and little snowy winter.

The naturalist and nature lover in the Far East is struck primarily by the amazing combination southern plants and animals with taiga, northern.

In Primorye, there are places where the Manchurian walnut coexists next to the cedar and fir, and the wild grape vine wraps around the spruce. Familiar aspens and lindens are interspersed with cork and Dahurian larch. The latter - the most common tree in the Far East - is exceptionally durable. There are thickets of Manchurian apple, apricot, Ussuri cherry.

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 abrupt changes in harsh winters and hot summers. This feature was used with great insight by I. V. Michurin in his work on the development of 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 the delicate cultivated fruit plants of the southern countries.

Only here, in the Far East, in the region of Sikhote-Alin, a significant fact in zoogeography of the joint habitat of both tiger and taiga animals was noted: sable, reindeer. Typical cat of 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, glossy black occurs here, with a white spot on the chest the black, or Himalayan bear- an inhabitant of the mountain forests of South Asia.

In the Ussuri Territory, its population is higher than that of the brown one. He is more than a brown bear, adapted to climbing trees, where he willingly feeds on bird cherry, acorns, Manchurian nuts, wild fruits.

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

Along with our usual wolf, in remote mountainous areas, they prowl in small packs red wolves, characterized by somewhat smaller body sizes, red fur and fluffy, like a fox, tail. The red wolf is a native inhabitant of the mountains of Central and South Asia. The way of life of this peculiar animal is almost not studied at all.

Graceful, peculiar only to 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 the 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 recent times used in Soviet medicine. Even in pre-revolutionary times in the Far East, there were several privately owned farms where sika deer were kept. In the post-October period, large reindeer-breeding state farms were organized there. In addition, over the past 15–20 years, sika deer have been brought to various places in the European part of the RSFSR and acclimatized in the Oksky, Ilmensky, Khopersky, Mordovsky, 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 - raccoon dog, or the Ussuri "raccoon", since 1934 was brought and settled in many regions of the European part of the Union, as well as in the Caucasus, in Central Asia, in Altai and in southwestern Siberia. In many places, this prolific fur-bearing animal has perfectly acclimatized and multiplied; in some areas, it has already firmly become part of the commercial fauna.

However, it should be noted that not everywhere the raccoon dog was a welcome guest. In a number of places, zoologists and commercial hunters consider this animal guilty of impoverishing the stocks of waterfowl and upland game, since the raccoon dog destroys eggs, chicks, and sometimes birds that hatch 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, a large charza marten. But if the weasel, and especially the sable, are the most valuable fur-bearing animals, then the kharza is of no commercial value, since its fur is coarse. In addition, it harms the hunting economy, 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 and far from being found everywhere; even experienced hunters and experienced naturalists will rarely be able to meet a tiger, leopard, red wolf and sika deer in nature.

The most numerous mammals of the Far East are small rodents: voles, mice, hamsters, karako rats; a rodent that leads an underground lifestyle - the Manchurian zokor, etc. All these rodents, along with shrews (a detachment of insectivores), are found in such abundance that they constitute the most important backdrop for the population of mammals in the Far East.

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

Through lakes and swamps, along with those known to every hunter mallard and teal can see black mallard- a typical Chinese-Japanese species, reaching in its distribution in the south to the Philippine Islands, and elegant mandarin duck with its original bright coloration, which is 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 distinguishes it from other ducks. In the Amur region, the northern border of distribution green amur heron. On the lake Khanka and in the Ussuri river valley the tropical Chinese ibis.

Remarkable for its beautiful coloration blue magpie interesting because everything the globe occurs only in two widely separated localities, namely in East Asia and the Iberian Peninsula. Zoologists explain such a "discontinuity" of its distribution by the fact that these two areas were not subjected to glaciation during the distant ice age, which turned out to be fatal for these birds in the rest of the territory.

A typical bird of the dark coniferous forests of the Far East - black hazel grouse, or wild grouse, which is one and a half times larger than an ordinary hazel grouse, is of commercial importance. Interestingly, these birds are amazingly trusting, for which they received the name of the “humble” hazel grouse among the population of Primorye. Frightened from the ground, the birds usually fly low into a tree and sit quietly, looking at a person. In this regard, hunters use a very simple and even funny way to get them with a long stick with a hair or rope loop at the end. Such a loop is carefully put on 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. So you can catch a decent number of birds from one flock.

Recently, the question of the acclimatization of wild grouse in other regions of our country has been raised. The expediency of this event is evidenced not only by the undoubted commercial value of the wild 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 marsh game: geese, ducks, swans, waders.

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

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

Salmon fish are of the greatest commercial importance: chum salmon, sima, pink salmon, whitefish, and from sturgeons - Kaluga.

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

In recent years, an attempt was made to acclimatize some Amur fish in water bodies of the Moscow region. For white 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 - herbivorous fish, together with carp, which feeds mainly on small invertebrates, and predatory snakehead - in shallow, overgrown ponds, together with trashy fish(roach, ruff, etc.).

At present, the breeding of Amur fish is already widely used in other water bodies 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 shoals of fish, octopuses and squid appear here - the main food of sperm whales. Small crustaceans and other planktonic organisms reproduce in masses at this time of the year, which feed on toothless whales - fin whales, sei whales, humpback whales, etc. Herds of sea giants - whales swim to Far Eastern seas from the 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 to conduct whaling in the Sea of ​​Okhotsk, the Sea of ​​Japan and the 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 the whale carcasses are processed) and several small whaling ships that chase the whales and slaughter them with harpoon guns. Most are mined sperm whales, which make up 60–70% of the Far Eastern whaling industry. In second place is fin whale. Other types - humpback, sei whale, gray whale and others - are less common and therefore constitute an insignificant part of the fishery.

Of the other marine animals, the subject of fishing are different kinds order of pinnipeds. The most valuable of them - cat, which has a beautiful soft undercoat, its skin is used to make high-quality winter clothes. The main fur seal rookeries are located on the Commander Islands and off the eastern coast of Sakhalin, where females give birth and feed their cubs in spring. In autumn, seal herds migrate south to the Japanese Islands.

Far Eastern reptiles are original. Along with our usual snakes - common snake, common viper, eastern cottonmouth- here you can find tropical bright green or blue with orange-red spots tiger snake, just like common snake, not poisonous. Numerous snakes. Especially characteristic amur snake, or Schrenk snake- strong biting, but also not poisonous snake over 2 meters long. The snake hunts on the ground for rodents, and on the trees it pursues birds and destroys their nests. The Amur snake is well tamed, and in Manchuria it is even kept in barns and fanzas, where it destroys rodents - pests of grain reserves, and also protects crops adjacent to buildings from them.

Amur snake.

Only in the Far East is there a peculiar, with a soft leathery shell, far eastern tortoise relating to one of the tropical orders of these animals. She lives in rivers and lakes, where, burrowing into the silt and sticking out her head, she lies in wait for the fish swimming by. Her neck is long and mobile, and her 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 of numerous villi in the animal's throat, which act as gills. The meat and eggs of this turtle are edible.

The Ussuri region amazes with an abundance of various insects, many of which are characteristic exclusively of the Far East or are of tropical origin; often they have an amazing brightness of color. These include, for example: blue-green machaon maaka- one of the largest diurnal butterflies in our country; brightly colored yellow Ussuri swallowtails; pale green butterflies ocelli, iridescent pourers. Along with them, and night butterflies - sashes, sashes and silkworms- are an adornment of the Far Eastern nature.

A peculiar, unique spectacle is represented by flying beetles - fireflies. At the beginning of summer, on quiet warm nights, the air is filled with many flashing bluish sparks. In autumn, in late August - early September, firefly beetles of a different species, larger ones, fly. The largest beetle of our country lives in Primorye - Ussuri giant lumberjack.

The main scourge for both the population and animals is midges and mosquitoes, whose mass departure begins in June and reaches a maximum in July. These insects, which have received the characteristic name "gnus" among the people, plague both people and animals for two to two and a half months.

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

Gnus and ticks- carriers of dangerous diseases of humans and animals - the only dark spot in the beautiful nature of Primorye and the Amur region. A brutal war has been declared against this dark spot, 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. The entomologist N. A. Rubtsov carried out detailed studies of the reproduction and development of the “midges” and proposed a number of measures both to eliminate the breeding centers of these insects and to protect domestic animals and humans from them.

In conclusion, I would like to say that if in the essay on the nature of the Moscow region we talked about a wonderful and interesting corner of nature near us, then, finishing the essay on the bright, peculiar 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-studied vast region of our Motherland.

The formation of a good soil layer is hindered by permafrost. The soil cover even in the forest belt is about 40-50 cm. Slopes high mountains, as a rule, do not have any vegetation, often they are covered with stones. Soddy-meadow soils are observed only in the valleys big rivers. But they are not particularly fertile.

In the northeast of the Far East, one can meet two natural areas: and tundra. They are quite unusually combined with each other. At the bottom of the mountains, birch-larch and larch forests most often grow. Slightly higher there is a section of cedar elfin. Mountain lichen tundra grows even higher.

The highest border of the forest on the coast of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk passes at an altitude of 400-600 m. Higher forest thickets can be found in the upper reaches of the Kolyma. The vegetation here rises to a level of up to 1200 m.

On the Kuril Islands and southern Sakhalin, there are certain undergrowths, which consist mainly of birch and spruce forests in combination with. On the Kuril Islands, you can find, which are more characteristic of meadows, stone birch, as well as larch and elfin cedar. In Primorye, coniferous-deciduous and coniferous forests grow more.

Animals of the Far East

Animals that live in or in the tundra freely change their location. Often found in the tundra reindeer, polar bears, arctic foxes. In the taiga, bears, wolverines, lynxes and squirrels are more common.

In the warm season, migratory birds often fly into the tundra: partridges, geese, ducks and swans. In the taiga one can meet thrushes, nuthatches, nutcrackers, woodpeckers, wood grouses and hazel grouses. It is worth noting that in highlands there are a lot of animals. First of all, these are musk deer and leopards living in the mountain tundra and areas that are devoid of woody vegetation.

River and marine fauna is diverse in the Far East. In the rivers in some periods there are sockeye salmon, coho salmon and pink salmon. Grayling occurs in small streams and rivers. Seals, walruses, seals and canals live on the coasts and in the seas. Often in the northern part of the Sea of ​​\u200b\u200bOkhotsk you can meet "herring sharks". They enter these waters following their prey - fish shoals.

It should be noted that hunting fishing there are severe restrictions. On the territory of Wrangel Island is located protected area. Arctic fox and polar bears live here. Often, "bird markets" are formed here. Of the marine inhabitants on Wrangel Island, bearded seals and seals are found. These representatives of the animal world are very strictly protected.

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 the fact that the number of many animals, birds, mushrooms and plants decreased. For protection and protection, the government of the Russian Federation put them on a special list. Animals of 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 preserved. In order for it to be preserved in all its diversity, people must develop a rational, and not a consumer, 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 just that official document. It was published in 2001 and consists of 860 pages. Each of them has illustrations, detailed information about endangered animals is printed, 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 of a species has recovered, it may be excluded from the collection.

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

• Himalayan bears;
• reindeer;
• saigas.

At the same time, gray dolphins, porpoises, humpbacks and killer whales, previously listed in the book, will be removed from the list, as their populations have increased. Hunting them will still be prohibited. Species of cetaceans are protected by a moratorium international commission for the protection of whales.

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 bears arrange dens and raise offspring.
• Poachers. They are long time large animals were destroyed in huge numbers, since hunting for them brings a lot of money.

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, each person should not forget about respect for 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 - are practically exterminated. There are only 80-100 individuals left on the territory of Russia. For a long time, they were subjected to ruthless destruction by poachers pursuing one goal - to sell the valuable fur of predators. Now humanity is trying to restore the population snow leopard. Ecologists are doing everything to preserve its habitat, and hunting for 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 has about 40 individuals, because it was almost exterminated by unscrupulous people. In addition to valuable fur, poachers sold animal organs, from which various drugs were made in Chinese alternative medicine.

The place of residence of the Asian leopard in the territory of the Russian Federation is the mountainous regions of the Caucasus. It is almost impossible to meet him there, because in wild nature there are about 10 predators left. Experts are trying to restore the population through reintroduction. The method lies in the fact that animals imported from other countries are kept in special nurseries, where conditions for reproduction are created. When their numbers increase, 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. Unfortunate hunters subjected the animals to mass shooting. Now they are endangered, therefore they are listed in the Red Book.

The sea lion is a huge eared seal that 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 the trend, you need to identify the factors that affect it, and completely eliminate it.

Oriental gorals are rare artiodactyls that are somewhat reminiscent of goats. In Russia, they are found in the southeast. They eat grassy plants and prefer to stray into small flocks. The total number in the country reaches about 750 individuals. Most of them live in nature reserves.

There are very few Przewalski's horses left. There are no more than two thousand of them all over the world. In the wild, animals are practically not found. They are bred in nurseries. Previously, they lived in Transbaikalia, Western Siberia and the Altai steppes. At the end of the last century, scientists conducted an experiment and released several horses into the exclusion zone of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Oddly enough, the animals took root and began to actively multiply. Now there are about 100 individuals.

Disappearing trees and birds

The list of the Red Book of Russia, in addition to animals, 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 appearance of tiny white-eyes, distinguished by sonorous singing, has been preserved. The birds are yellow and very beautiful.
• Along the taiga rivers, rare lucky people manage to see the most wonderful duck on earth - the mandarin duck. In the same place, at night, the hooting of a fish owl, which is the rarest representative of owl birds, is sometimes heard.
• 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 wild grouse, large birds that resemble cockerels. Due to barbarian 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 a weighty volume, you can admire the beautiful plants, the number of which in Russia is rapidly declining. Among them are many unique representatives of gymnosperms:

• olginsky larch;
• chalk pine;
• berry yew;
• high juniper;
• bushy pine.

All of them grow in the forests of the taiga, 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 damaged. Our common task is to prevent this and preserve the wonderful nature of our homeland.

Fauna of the Far East
KGSOU School 1 Homeschool teacher: Yun Marina Anatolyevna
Komsomolsk-on-Amur 2017

The Far East of Russia is the eastern part of Russia, which includes the areas of river basins flowing into the Pacific Ocean, as well as Sakhalin Island, the Kuril Islands, Wrangel Island, the Commander and Shantar Islands.

The abundance of lakes, rivers, various in depth, degree of overgrowing with aquatic vegetation, has a noticeable effect on the fauna of the Far East.
Amur river"
River "Zeya"

River "Ussuri"
Shilka River
Lake Khanka
Lake Baikal

The Far East has amazingly beautiful nature. A magical land where the world's largest brown bears, the Ussuri tigers, roam

The fauna of the Far East is no less amazing than the flora. On the Commander Islands, bird markets are noisy, harbor seals rookery, sea otters sway off the coast.

And among the wild nature near the Ussuri River, in one place you can meet northern inhabitants - elk and sable,

And southern - spotted deer and leopard.

white-naped crane
The natural range of the white-naped crane is located in Asia - nesting sites are common in the historical region of Dauria (hence the name) and include Northeast China, Northeast Mongolia and the adjacent territories of southeastern Russia. AT Russian Federation it can be found in the Trans-Baikal Territory in the basin of the Aguts and Onon rivers; in the Jewish Autonomous Region, on the shores of Lake Khanka, in the Khingan Reserve and its Arkharinsky branch, along the Amur and Ussuri rivers.

Endangered species of animals of the Far East listed in the "Red Book of Russia"
The Far Eastern stork is similar to the white stork in plumage color, but this stork is slightly larger, has a more powerful beak, is black, and the legs are brighter red. The stork has an unfeathered area of ​​red skin around its eyes. Far Eastern stork chicks are white with a reddish-orange bill, while white stork chicks have a black bill.

Fish owl
This is an inhabitant of the forests of Manchuria, Amur and Primorye, Japan. The size of the fish owl is large: the total length is about 70 cm, the wing length is 51-56 cm, the weight of the female exceeds 4 kg. Settles in forests, in hollows of trees, near rivers. It feeds mainly on fish. It usually snatches its prey out of the water with its claws, diving at it, but sometimes it stands in shallow water or wanders along the riffles. Fish owls are active not only at dusk, but also during the day.

Baer Dive
Baer's dive, or Baer's dive - rare view birds from the family of ducks.
The male Baer diver has a black head and neck with a green sheen, while the female has a blackish-red head and neck.
Baer's dive has a narrow range. In Russia, it breeds in the Amur Region, in the Khabarovsk and Primorsky Territories, and only in the Amur basin, it is also found in Mongolia and China. Winters in China, the Korean Peninsula and Japan.

musk deer
Musk deer, or Siberian musk deer, is a small artiodactyl deer-like animal, a representative of the musk deer family.
The musk deer is distributed from the Eastern Himalayas and Tibet to Eastern Siberia, Korea and Sakhalin, inhabiting steep mountain slopes overgrown with coniferous forest. Keeps mainly at an altitude of 600-900 m, less often up to 1600 m above sea level; only in Tibet and the Himalayas rises to a height of 3000 m or more.

Far Eastern tortoise
Chinese trionyx is widely distributed in Asia: Eastern China, Vietnam, Korea, Japan, as well as on the islands of Hainan, Taiwan. Within Russia, it is found in the south of the Far East - the extreme northern border of the range.
Inhabits the basins of the Amur rivers (in the north almost from the mouth, upstream south to the western part of Primorye a little higher than the mouth of the Sungari), Ussuri and their large tributaries, as well as Lake Khanka. Distribution of the species in Russia in this moment confined to two main areas - Amur (Lake Gassi basin in the Khabarovsk Territory) and Khankai (Lake Khanka basin in Primorsky Territory)

Dikusha
One of the rare and little-studied birds of the grouse family. It is on the verge of destruction.
The peculiarity of the wild grouse is that it is not at all afraid of a person, and this has put the species on the brink of complete destruction.
It lives in the Amur region, the mountain-taiga areas of the Sikhote-Alin and on Sakhalin Island.
From mountain slopes and hills with dark coniferous taiga to bald mountains at an altitude of 1600 meters above sea level in spruce and fir forests, spruce forests. In mountainous areas it makes minor vertical seasonal migrations. It rarely flies.

In the 1960s, it almost died out, but state and public environmental organizations were able to restore its numbers to 500 individuals. Most of them (310−330 individuals) live in Primorsky Krai, about 110 in Khabarovsk Krai, four in the Jewish Autonomous Oblast, and two in Amur. The owner of the Ussuri taiga has no enemies equal in strength, but he is too sensitive to disturbance factors and the quality of the habitat. Despite all the strength, size and speed of the 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. And also at Amur tiger a small heart, and therefore, after a jerk reaching 20 m / s, you have to rest for a long time, otherwise it may die. The predator hunts at night, at this time of day he sees five times better than a man. It crawls up to the victim, 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. Touching each other with their muzzles, predators express friendliness, and they greet with snorting sounds.

Amur leopardDespite the fact that the leopard is a predator, it is extremely peaceful and will never attack a person, except when the animal is cornered. Far Eastern leopards are born blind with spotted coloration. Each has its own unique pattern, thanks to which scientists distinguish between individuals. The Far East is the only subspecies of the leopard that has learned to live and hunt in the snow: the rest of the species live in tropical forests. The leopard usually goes hunting in the evening, a few hours before sunset. Produces deer and roe deer, wild boars, dogs, badgers, raccoons and hares. This blue-eyed predator has a tail that is almost the same length as its body - 82–90 cm. There are only about 80 individuals left in the world Far Eastern leopard, 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 conservation organizations not only protect leopards from external factors but also conduct educational work with the population. In the summer of 2015, the Greenpeace fire brigade arrived in 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 keep warm 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 humid conditions atypical for a polar bear. 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 in a year, if they eat normally, they grow from a person. Polar bears are accustomed to hunting seals, seals, bearded seals and walruses from drifting ice floes or camouflaging themselves in the snow. They have an incredible sense of smell, sight and hearing - they can see their prey for several kilometers and smell it for 800 meters. Polar bears don't need an annual hibernation, but pregnant and nursing females fall into sleep for 50-80 days. The number of polar bears in the Russian Arctic is estimated at 5-6 thousand individuals. Due to the fact that the glaciers are melting, scientists predict that by 2050 two-thirds of the current bear population may disappear.

Kamchatka bear One of the largest 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 sometimes a pack of wolves successfully hunts a young or weak bear. Despite the 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 (on 95% of the territory, most often on floodplains of rivers and lakes during the mass run and spawning of salmon fish, as well as in birch forests during the season of cones and berries), with the exception of heavily wetlands and highlands .

WhalesWhales are believed to have evolved from land animals that returned to the 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 with their throats. It is hearing that helps them navigate underwater and get food. They communicate using sounds of very low frequency, but high intensity and can hear each other for one and a half kilometers. Whales are divided into baleen, which feed on plankton, and toothed, which prey on fish and squid. Large individuals eat about a million calories a day, in summer - up to three tons of food per day. The rest of the year they can eat almost nothing and feed on stored fat. Of the toothed ones, the white whale, the bottlenose whale and the killer whale live in the waters of the Russian Far East. The latter eats, among other things, other whales, and in Spanish "killer whale" ("asesina ballenas") sounds like "whale killer". Gray and bowhead whales (baleen) make the longest seasonal migrations among mammals: they swim up to 19 thousand km a year. The Bering-Chukotian population of bowhead whales winters in the northern and eastern parts of the Bering Sea off the coast of Alaska. Greenlandic are the only ones baleen whales who spend their entire lives in polar waters. But in fact, they do not like to be among the ice: in spring, whales migrate to the north, and in autumn, 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 the production of whales, but their destruction continues to this day. So, because of the national traditions, the Chukchi in Chukotka are allowed to catch up to 126 whales per year.

Musk deer The musk deer is called differently - both a deer with fangs, and a hare deer, and a musk ram. But unlike deer, this artiodactyl has no horns, and it is compared with a hare because of its ability to confuse tracks, running away from a predator. In addition, like a hare, the musk deer moves in jumps due to its short front legs and, without slowing down, can change direction by 90 °. The main value of musk deer is musk. This is a substance secreted by males, which is used in perfumery (can be found, for example, in Chanel, Givenchy or Guerlain). Such perfumery products are ten times more expensive than fragrances based on synthetic bases. Despite the frightening fangs, the musk deer is a completely non-aggressive herbivore that feeds exclusively on plant foods. She lives in remote, hard-to-reach places, because of her caution, it is extremely difficult to photograph musk deer.

Amur goral The eastern goral looks like a goat. He is known for the fact that, despite his slowness and leisurely movements, in case of danger he can jump long distances on the rocks. In addition, in a desperate situation, the goral can jump from a height of 10 meters and land safely. Now the Amur goral is listed in the Red Book, but earlier Chinese folk healers considered its flesh and blood to be healing. The exact number of gorals is not determined, but in the eastern part of Russia there are from 600 to 750 individuals, and almost all are located in specially protected areas in the Lazovsky and Sikhote-Alinsky reserves.

Mandarin Duck In the Far Eastern peoples, the mandarin duck symbolizes love. Once having chosen a partner for herself, she remains faithful to him until the end of her life: mandarin ducks are so devoted that they even always fly in pairs. At Chinese weddings, the premises are often decorated with images of "tangerines". Males stand out for their incredibly beautiful bright color and tuft on their heads. Another feature of "tangerines" is the sound they make. If ducks usually quack, then "tangerines" squeak thinly or whistle softly. Somewhere in the middle of 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 the hollows of trees, often high - up to 6 meters in height.

KharzaDespite its diminutiveness, the largest (body length 55-80 cm) and colorfully colored marten harza is a real predator, climbing trees perfectly and jumping from tree to tree up to 9 meters in length. It may seem that its size allows you to hunt only grasshoppers, squirrels, mice and hares, but the harza is not limited to such small prey: it often attacks musk deer, red deer and roe deer. True, she does not hunt alone, but in a group of several more individuals. The claws of this little predator can bend up to 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, grey, Dahurian, Japanese and Siberian Cranes (white). These birds are about the size of a man - 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 adhering to a monogamous relationship, they build a family for life. But if the male or female dies, then the bird finds a new mate. In Yakutia, there is a belief that ruining a nest or killing a crane, even by negligence, brings bad luck. 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 like 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 water bodies. The nests of storks look impressive, the size of which varies from 1 to 2.5 meters in diameter. They are usually located on trees or power line pylons. Since 2004, the "Keepers of Stork Nests" movement, created at the initiative of WWF, has taken stork nests under its protection, carried out fire-fighting treatments for nesting trees, aerated reservoirs to maintain and preserve food supply, and other environmental actions. In early April, Far Eastern storks begin to lay their eggs, and a month later the first chicks appear. Storks are caring parents: during unfavorable weather, they protect their chicks from rain and wind, and in hot weather, they water them. cold water from the beak, cover with their shadow from the sun, water and care for plumage. Newborns make creaking sounds, and then lose their voice and communicate by cracking their beaks. After two months, they leave the nest and begin their independent life.

Fish owlThese birds are monogamous and live in pairs, settle in valleys mountain rivers that do not freeze 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 fish on principle, since the male must show his strength and ability to feed her when she hatches eggs and cannot hunt. But when the ever-hungry chick hatches, they take turns hunting together. Little is known about the lifestyle of fish owls, since they nest far from humans and come out only at night. Only about 300-400 pairs of these birds nest in Primorye, the Khabarovsk Territory, in the Magadan Region and in the Southern Kuriles.

The sea lion, the northern sea lion, is the largest eared seal on earth. On the territory of Russia, he lives on the Commander Islands, Kamchatka and in the Sakhalin Region. 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 sheer cliffs. Sea lions swim remarkably and jump into the water from a height of up to 25 meters. They avoid ice and spend the winter in the non-freezing areas of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk. Sea lions usually feed on fish and shellfish, but they can also attack fur seals. Northern sea lions are polygamous: they can fertilize several females and do not require to be constantly together, so the females occupy the rookery that they prefer.