Yunnan is located inland, its topographic environment and climate are changeable, so it has generated a complex and diverse ecosystem, pregnant with colorful mammals, and is the province with the richest mammals in the country. Yunnan has 11 orders, 38 families and 300 species of mammals, accounting for more than half of the country's mammals.
Although Yunnan has the highest species richness in the country, the number of many species is not large, and many mammals are only distributed in a very narrow characteristic environment. If you want to give an example, then take the gibbon, after all, Yunnan has the reputation of "the land of gibbons", and it is best to use it as an example.
There are 3 genera and 6 species of gibbons in China, namely the white-palmed gibbon, the northern white-cheeked gibbon, the Hainan gibbon, the eastern black-crowned gibbon, the eastern white-browed gibbon, and the western black-crowned gibbon. Except for the Hainan gibbon, the other 5 species of gibbons are from Yunnan, but the number of 5 species of gibbons is not as large as that of giant pandas.
There are 6 species of gibbons in China
In ancient Times, the distribution range of gibbons in Ancient China was as wide as the Yangtze River region, and the great poet Li Bai left behind the famous sentence "The apes on both sides of the strait can't stop crying, and the light boat has passed through the Ten Thousand Heavy Mountains." But since the beginning of the last century, human activities have led to a sharp decline in the number of gibbons, some have become extinct, some have only a few dozen, and the 6 species of gibbons in China have been forced to the brink of extinction by us.
< h1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" > distinguish between 6 species of gibbons</h1>
If you don't know about gibbons, you may only know gibbons, and you can't tell which kind it belongs to, so let's make a simple distinction between gibbons.
White-palmed gibbons were once distributed in Yunnan, and the reason why they are said to be "once" is because China's white-palmed gibbons have become extinct in the wild. Its biggest feature can be seen from its name, the hands and feet have white hairs, and the edges of its face have a circle of white hairs, which just circles the contours of the face. The color of the white-palmed gibbon male is dark, brown to black, and the color of the female is white to golden yellow.
The biggest feature of the white-palmed gibbon: white hands and white feet
The northern white-cheeked gibbon was almost extinct, with only 10 left in the territory. Listening to its name, you can probably guess its characteristic "white cheeks". The male northern white-cheeked gibbon has a black body color, and its cheeks are like a white whisker brushed by someone, extending from the chin to the top of the ear, looking like a serious little old man with a white beard. Females are pale yellow, and their faces do not have such an eye-catching white beard, but an incomplete circle of white hair.
The biggest feature of the northern white-cheeked gibbon: white cheeks
Hainan gibbons are endemic to China, they only live on Hainan Island, but now the number is less than 30. The male Hainan gibbon has black fur and a pinch of upright tufts on the top of its head, which makes the top of its head look like a triangle. Its hairstyle is similar to that of the Western Black-crowned Gibbon, but the Hainan Gibbon's large ears are recognizable at a glance.
The biggest feature of Hainan gibbon: large ears
The Eastern Black-crowned Gibbon was once thought to be extinct, but was later rediscovered and currently numbers 32. Males with the eastern black crowned gibbon are also black in color, with brown spots on the thorax, and the hair on the top of the head is not long, showing a dome shape, unlike the Hainan gibbon, which is triangular. The female is orange-yellow with a distinct ring of white hairs on her face, interspersed with a little black hair, and a small amount of brown hair on her thorax.
The biggest feature of the Eastern Black-crowned Gibbon: rounded brain ape
The number of eastern white-browed gibbons can be said to be "more" than the previous 4 buddies, less than 200. Its biggest feature, as its name suggests, is that there are white eyebrows above the eyes. Males have a black body color with light grey hairs on the thorax, while females have grayish-yellow hairs.
The biggest feature of the Eastern White-browed Gibbon: white eyebrows
The number of western black-crowned gibbons can be called "super much" compared to the previous 5 buddies, in fact, it is 1000-1300, which is much less than the giant panda. Similar to the Hainan gibbon, the male is black throughout, with erect tufts of hair on the top of its head, which are triangular in the top of the head. Females are black at their infancy and gradually turn yellow by the time they reach adulthood. The best way to distinguish it from the Hainan gibbon is through the ears, and the Hainan gibbon has pairs of large ears.
The biggest feature of the western black-crowned gibbon: the top of the head is triangular, and there are no large ears
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > gibbons</h1>
The living conditions of gibbons in our country are not optimistic and are on the verge of extinction. In 1985, there were still about 20 white-palmed gibbons in Yunnan, but due to the lack of strong protection, no one has seen or heard the white-palmed gibbons after 2000, and the white-palmed gibbons have declared extinction.
The northern white-cheeked gibbon is a national key protected animal and is listed as a critically endangered animal by THE UCN. In 1960, there were about 1,000 northern white-cheeked gibbons in China, and by 1987, the number suffered a major bloodslide, leaving only about 100, and in 1989, the number of them was again sharply reduced to only 40, and in 2009, there were 10 left, and in 2011, it was declared extinct in the wild. The 10 extant are only wild releases from the original captive breeding.
The Hainan gibbon was widely distributed in Hainan in the 1950s, with a population of more than 2,000. Field surveys in 1978 showed that only 30-40 were left, 21 were discounted in 1988, and by the beginning of the 21st century, they had decayed again to 10. In the following years, the population of Hainan gibbons has rebounded, and now there are less than 30, and it is sad that there are only 3 females with reproductive ability, and the species in Hainan is getting closer and closer to the mass extinction.
The Eastern Black-crowned Gibbon was declared extinct in the 1950s, and 50 years later, the Sino-Vietnamese joint survey rediscovered signs of activity on the Sino-Vietnamese border, and everyone was ecstatic to recover. At present, there are 32 in China, from extinction to 32, which can be said to be a big progress.
White-browed gibbons were once widely distributed in Yunnan, China, but by 1992, surveys showed that only 200-300 were left, and many places were extinct, leaving only Tengchong and Gaoligong Mountain. The number has now decreased again, leaving fewer than 200, and while there are far more than the previous four gibbons, poaching habitat destruction has always threatened its survival.
A white-browed gibbon with a sad face
The Western Black-crowned Gibbon is currently the most abundant gibbon, with a global population of about 1300-2000 and about 1000-1300 in Yunnan, China, and they mainly live in WuliangShan and Ailao Mountain in Yunnan. 1300 seems like a lot, but in fact, it is pitifully small, mainly because there are fewer other gibbons, think of the wild giant pandas have more than 1600.
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The period of a large decrease in gibbons coincided with the period of deforestation and great economic development in China. Habitat loss is the main reason for the sharp decline in gibbon populations, so it is not an exaggeration to say that we are the gibbons pushed to the brink of extinction.
Gibbons are different from many mammals, and their reproductive ability is particularly poor, 8-10 years old to adulthood, 3-5 years to give birth to a litter, a litter is basically one, which is very unfavorable to the expansion of the population. Someone secretly hunted, maybe he just hunted one or two gibbons, but this could lead to the direct demise of a small group of gibbons. Therefore, it is also very necessary to crack down on illegal hunters and strengthen control.
Handsome northern white-cheeked gibbon
Some people say that gibbons are left, and even if they are all extinct, they will have little effect on us. That's true, but it's too utilitarian to measure the value of a species. We have driven them to the brink of extinction for our own development, and now we have the power to save them and redeem ourselves.