Hoh Xili, a name that sounds good, reminiscent of the picturesque water town in the south of the Yangtze River, has such a mysterious forbidden place, but in fact it is a ghost place on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau that is inaccessible.
Even in the middle of winter, there is still a snowy scene, so that the distant Hoh Xil area has become the most intact natural ecosystem on the earth, known as "the last pure land on the earth".
The more inaccessible it is, the more likely it is to pick up leaks, which is probably what the vipers think.
It is surprising that there are so many poisonous snakes in such a harsh environment, and what is even more puzzling is that the venom on the bodies of the poisonous snakes living here is even stronger than that of their counterparts on the plains.
Why is that? It's simply incredible, looking at the entire Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, there are not many creatures that can survive and reproduce, why the poisonous snakes that live here account for as much as 20% of the proportion, these questions, even if they are in the fog for a while, still make people have great curiosity.
Hoh Xili, a name that sounds good, reminiscent of the picturesque water town in the south of the Yangtze River, has such a mysterious forbidden place, but in fact it is a ghost place on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau that is inaccessible.
Even in the middle of winter, there is still a snowy scene, so that the distant Hoh Xil area has become the most intact natural ecosystem on the earth, known as "the last pure land on the earth".
The more inaccessible it is, the more likely it is to pick up leaks, which is probably what the vipers think.
It is surprising that there are so many poisonous snakes in such a harsh environment, and what is even more puzzling is that the venom on the bodies of the poisonous snakes living here is even stronger than that of their counterparts on the plains.
Why is that? It's simply incredible, looking at the entire Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, there are not many creatures that can survive and reproduce, why the poisonous snakes that live here account for as much as 20% of the proportion, these questions, even if they are in the fog for a while, still make people have great curiosity.
1. In Hoh Xili, where it is minus 37 degrees, there are so many poisonous snakes!
Located on the Tibetan Plateau, the climate in the Hoh Xil region is extremely harsh.
Especially in winter, it is rainy for most of the time, and the ground is covered with snow and ice.
In the early legends, there were still some rumors about poisonous snakes in the plateau, and there were even legends about a mysterious snake named the pit pit viper.
But these are just legends, and in fact, no one has really seen the poisonous snakes there.
It was not until 1985 that the introduction of plateau snakes appeared in the seventh volume of the third volume of the Zoology of China, which recorded the species of poisonous snakes, that people completely understood that at the high altitude of the snow-capped mountains, there would also be a kind of "plateau burden" that was different from other snakes, and there were still a large number of them.
Some studies have confirmed that the abundance of species in Hoh Xil, especially in the alpine region of the Altun Mountains, is incredible.
Especially with regard to snakes, studies have found that many species of snakes are poisonous snakes.
These snakes are not only numerous, but also very venomous, making people feel terrified when they look at them.
For example, the red-spotted plateau pit viper, even if people are not particularly familiar with this snake, is also common in popular science on the plains, and it is also one of the endemic species of venomous snakes on the mainland.
The color is bright red and bright, this is an obvious hint, don't worry about whether it looks like a lustful snake spirit, although it is a poisonous snake, but not every snake will bite, the red spotted plateau pit pit basically rarely bites, but the Hoh Xil area, is the paradise where it lives.
The abundance of the queen has given the vipers an extra piece of cold-resistant equipment, and that is their venom.
On the plains, the venom of the red-spotted plateau pit is already quite strong, and in the Hoh Xil area, due to the particularity of the environment, the venom of the red-spotted plateau pit is even stronger.
This means that it is difficult for people to treat them, even from far away.
Not to mention that it is in this uninhabited place in Hoh Xili, when it comes to this barren land, just by listening to the name, you can associate its harsh environment, but this ghost place is called a treasure land of "human forbidden zone".
As to why there are so many venomous snakes here, researchers have not yet found a more suitable answer.
But they also give a lot of possibilities, that is, among so many possibilities, but there is one argument, which is still more convincing, that is, evolution.
2. How do the poisonous snakes survive in extreme environments?
Hoh Xili, which means "oasis lake" in Tibetan, is located on the Tibetan Plateau in the western part of the mainland, in the hinterland of the continent, and is covered with ice and snow all year round.
Because of the high mountains, as an island in the low peak area, the environment here is even more harsh, not only as high as 4,600 meters above sea level, but also affected by extreme temperatures everywhere, but the highest temperature in the world is only four or five degrees, and this summer, its highest temperature is only more than ten degrees.
As a plateau area, most of the time here is blowing a bitter cold wind, extreme temperature is also a frequent event that can appear here, the temperature difference between morning and evening, not only here, but also in large and small mountainous areas, but the temperature difference between day and night in the Hoh Xil area, is far more than 20 degrees, it is often as high as 50-60 degrees.
In such a harsh environment, so many creatures can still be bred.
If people just come to see these creatures, maybe nothing, but they also hunt and set fires, which begs the question, how did this wasteland maintain such a good ecosystem from ancient times to the present?
A good place, even nowadays, whether it is teenagers or middle-aged people, like to call it "the last pure land on earth", there is no doubt that it is the last refuge, and it is because of this name that more people come to visit.
Even now, it is still a raw land that has not been exploited, so how has its environment been destroyed step by step?
The year before last, the relevant state departments carried out rectification of all kinds of harm caused by them, and although it was said that the problem was not fundamentally solved, it has also made many people feel gratified.
The environment in the Hoh Xil area is so terrifying, the ghosts who live in this kind of place, not only the above, but even the falling snow will become their natural enemies, because after the snow in this kind of place, people are confused, how can locusts appear? But the question arises, so what do the locusts eat?
In Hoh Xili, poisonous snakes, during the season of sleep, which is often referred to as the "hibernation" season, they have no chance to find locusts or locusts, but they wake up and are "attacked" by locusts, so what is going on?
One can't help but wonder about the venomous snakes that can live in this place.
But the question arises, so what will appear when the locusts eat?
In Hoh Xili, poisonous snakes, during the season of sleep, which is often referred to as the "hibernation" season, they have no chance to find locusts or locusts, but they wake up and are "attacked" by locusts, so what is going on?
One can't help but wonder about the venomous snakes that can live in this place.
3. Why isn't the viper of Hoh Xil the big winner in evolution?
Compared with their brothers on the plains, there are many kinds and numbers of poisonous snakes in Hoh Xili, but they don't seem to have any advantages other than the stronger venom on their bodies.
I believe that many people still have fresh memories of the sloppiness that is still very popular in school, and even when they are young, they will often see the introduction of this snake, but even if it has such a blood-sucking life, most people will feel how terrible they are when they hear this name, but from their point of view, what creature does not live for themselves?
The trend of evolution, in Hoh Xili, does not seem to be going to be passable all the time.
Even if their venom is very strong, but in such a harsh plateau environment, it is not difficult to evolve the venomous snake species of blood circulation poison, so why do they evolve other types of venom other than blood circulation venom?
In this regard, experts who have recently studied it have said that this is not something they can choose, but that they can improve their viability through different ways in the process of evolution.
According to the study of the red spotted plateau pit viper, the ancestors of this pit viper came from the common pit viper, but a series of mutations gradually occurred in the process of evolution, the largest of which was that their venom became thicker.
According to the study of the red spotted plateau pit viper, the ancestors of this pit viper came from the common pit viper, but a series of mutations gradually occurred in the process of evolution, the largest of which was that their venom became thicker.
The researchers also found that paramecium snakes that ingested the venom of the red spotted plateau pit viper had several times higher concentrations of toxins than ordinary pit vipers, which meant that if the snake was bitten, it would die cleanly, and its high concentration of venom was a truly lethal weapon for humans.
But as their venomous nature grows, their reproduction rate is getting slower and slower, and their ability to adapt to the environment is gradually decreasing, which shows that in this barren land, not the more poisonous snakes will be prioritized for evolution.
Needless to say, the venomous snakes are becoming more and more poisonous, which means that their living environment in this area is getting worse and worse, but even so, they are definitely not the big winners of evolution, because this poison is getting stronger and stronger, which is a very dangerous thing for humans, which can only mean that their living environment is getting worse and worse, but for them, this is not.