Original title: Enter the rainforest secret of Hainan Unveil the habitat of the elves
Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park is home to many species of flora and fauna unique to Hainan and is one of the hotspots for biodiversity conservation in the world
Rainforest Secret Realm The Habitat of the Elves
Located south of the Tropic of Cancer, the tropical monsoon blows abundant water vapor, and the humid and high temperature environment of Hainan Island has bred the most concentrated, best-preserved and contiguous "continental island-type" tropical rainforest in China. The 4,269-square-kilometer Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park stretches out the greenery of the sky.
Lowland hills, mountain rainforests, alpine ravines, wetlands, meadows... In Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park, diverse topography, complex habitat types, diverse plant communities and abundant food sources provide a vast space for the reproduction of various species.
In addition to the "arms race" for space, resources, and sunlight, in this three-dimensional green world, the real rainforest law is interdependence and symbiosis. All things have animism, the same breath, the same destiny.
The Hainan Tropical Rainforest, with 3653 species of wild vascular plants, 540 species of terrestrial vertebrates, and many unique animal and plant species and germplasm gene banks in Hainan, is an important area for the conservation of tropical biodiversity in China and one of the hotspots for global biodiversity conservation.
Hainan gibbon
mammalia
I couldn't stop crying at the apes
The early morning sunlight sees through the forest gap, indicating a new day in the Bawangling area of Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park.
"Whoops, whoops, whoops..." Followed by a long melodious sound, followed by a short burst of ape chirping, rhythmic volume from low to high, resounding throughout the valley, for a time overpowering all the birds and insects in the rainforest, is exclusive to the "indigenous people" of this rainforest - The "ritual sense" of life of the Hainan gibbon.
From 7 to 9 to 35, in the past few decades, with the joint efforts of all sectors of society, the population of Hainan gibbons has grown steadily, and the living space of this group of rainforest "elves" in the Bawangling forest area has become more and more spacious.
As the flagship species of the integrity and authenticity of the Hainan tropical rainforest ecosystem, the survival status of the Hainan gibbon directly reflects the health of the tropical rainforest ecosystem and is also a window to show the effectiveness of the construction of Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park.
Hainan rabbit
Like the Hainan gibbon, another "aboriginal" of Qiongdao Island, hainan po deer, which inhabits the mountainous hills, is also a witness to the rebirth of the desperate situation, and this group of "wilderness spirits" in the process of recovery is currently mainly distributed in the area of Baisha Bangxi, Oriental Datian and Macaque Ridge.
Hainan slope deer with "C" shaped antlers are cute in appearance, while the slender neck and slender limbs give them a healthy posture. Whether it is a long ravine or a tall bush, the deer on the slope of Hainan can take off in the air and sweep through.
Hainan po deer
This group of unruly beings has also been drastically reduced in number due to the influence of human activities, and at one point only 44 were left. From endangerment to rebirth, after a series of efforts such as setting up a protected area, carrying out the transformation of the slope deer habitat and artificial domestication and breeding, the harmonious scenery of "yo yo deer singing, eating wild apples" has reappeared on Qiongdao Island.
Unlike the Hainan gibbon and the Hainan po deer, which live in groups, the Smallest and Most Colorful Hainan Rabbit among Chinese hares prefers to live in isolation. Day and night, dusk or dawn is the most active, in the dangerous tropical rainforest, excellent escape, jumping and hiding ability is the Hainan rabbit to avoid predators.
Crimson-breasted parrot
birds
Warblers chirp in the air
When you think of the sounds in the rainforest, there must be a clear sound next to your ears, and the birds chirp incessantly. From the canopy to the deciduous layers under the forest, the leafy foliage that runs in a vertical and horizontal network creates an excellent ecological niche for birds.
At present, Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park has 296 species of birds in 19 orders and 69 families, accounting for 20.5% of the number of bird species in China, and the Hainan Mountain Partridge, Hainan Peacock Pheasant and Hainan Willow Warbler are the three endemic species of birds in Hainan.
Under the towering trees, the fallen leaves pile up everywhere to make a "rustling" movement, it turned out that several olive-brown birds with black horizontal spots were shaving, with a white stripe that extended backwards to the back of the neck, so that people could identify their true bodies - the Hainan Mountain Partridge, which was the first endemic species of Hainan birds to be found.
As a member of the pheasant family, the Hainan mountain partridge, which is similar in appearance to the native chicken, is very "grounded". Don't look at their appearance, the high-pitched chirping of male birds during the breeding season is very spectacular, can be heard from several kilometers away, and can be called the king of sounds among birds. In addition, the Hainan Mountain Partridge will also perform male and female bird duets.
However, the narrow distribution area, with less than 10,000 in the wild, makes the Hainan mountain partridge wear the "hat" of national key protected wild animals and global vulnerable species.
Even more scarce than the Hainan mountain partridge is the Hainan peacock pheasant, which is listed as "CR" (critically endangered) on the Red List of Biodiversity in China.
Opening its tail feathers like peacocks and closing its tail feathers like pheasants, this exotic-looking rare pheasant has two unexpected "faces", and the well-protected primary forest areas such as Bawangling, Jianfengling, Diaoluoshan and Limushan are its main distribution areas.
Sunrise view of Pinnacle Ridge
What is even more surprising is that the flying Hainan peacock pheasant is accustomed to "down-to-earth" on weekdays, even when it encounters predators, it will not choose to fly to the tree to escape, but hide in the dense trees for the first time.
In the tropical rainforest, it is not only the hundred flowers that bloom, but also the birds that fly. With its exquisite posture and bright colors, the Hainan willow warbler has captured the hearts of many bird lovers, and the subtropical secondary forest of this island is their favorite habitat.
To nominate a "master of color collocation" among rainforest birds, the Crimson-breasted Parrot definitely lives up to expectations. As the only wild tropical parrot in Hainan and a national second-class protected animal, the crimson-breasted parrot is extremely rare, and the only record of certainty in recent years is in the Parrot Ridge area of Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park.
Amphibians and reptiles
A wide variety of colours
The ancestors of amphibians and reptiles that have survived on the earth for hundreds of millions of years have appeared on the stage of history as early as the early Cretaceous period, and have thrived in the survival of the fittest in nature.
"The world of two reptiles (amphibians and reptiles) in Hainan is so rich and fascinating that I applied to be a Hainanese and have been engaged in research on two reptiles here for a long time." The reason why Zhao Ermi, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, expressed such sentiments is that the humid and complete ecosystem in the original tropical rainforest of Hainan provides an ideal paradise for amphibians and reptiles to inhabit and reproduce.
As a well-known amphibian, the frogs in the tropical rainforest have a particularly gorgeous figure, and the parrot ridge tree frog is undoubtedly a very special existence. This is a kind of elf that lives only on the high mountains of Parrot Ridge, with a turquoise body and hidden tracks.
Round-nosed monitor lizard
Duck-billed frog
The parrot ridge tree frog is a high-altitude organism that inhabits areas above 1200 m above sea level, with a narrow distribution range and a very single habitat type, which is only distributed near seasonal waterholes in the high-altitude area of the Parrot Ridge Reserve.
According to the latest classification and new species research statistics, 101 species of reptiles in 2 orders and 20 families are recorded in Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park, which accounts for 20.3% of the number of reptile species in China.
Parrot Ridge tree frog
Scholars from the name of Mu Tropical Rainforest have found a large number of rare reptile traces in Qiongdao, such as pythons and round-nosed monitor lizards, and the Hainan brittle snake lizard, the Hainan ridge snake, the pink chain snake, the Hainan neck snake, the Zhou's eyelid tiger, the Bawangling eyelid tiger, and the Hainan eyelid tiger are unique to the world.
The eyelid tiger, named for its movable eyelids, is a nocturnal animal that is good at preying on insects. With round, convex eyes and short, flexible claws, this gecko-like reptile mostly inhabits karst landscapes, the ground of tropical rainforests or monsoon forests, the stone crevices or caves on the banks of streams and rivers, attracting attention with its rich body color and stunning iris.
"The first time I saw it, I felt like it should be a new species." This is the first impression of the Chinese eyelid tiger by Zhou Runbang of the Forestry Bureau of Hainan Province. After morphological and molecular analysis and identification, the Chinese eyelid tiger has also become the fourth endemic eyelid tiger species in Hainan after the Bawangling eyelid tiger, the Hainan eyelid tiger and the Zhou's eyelid tiger.
Unlike the more docile "close relative" eyelid tiger, the adult individual of the round-nosed monitor lizard can reach a maximum of more than 2 meters, because the whole body is covered with black scales, there are small golden spots on the back, 5 toes per limb, and the toe end is advantageous, also known as the "five-clawed golden dragon". In recent years, this aggressive endangered species has also appeared frequently throughout Hainan.
The Hainan warty salamander, which "collides" with the lizard, is also considered to be the "indigenous" of the rainforest mountains, with a flat and wide head, four legs and a slender tail that make the avoidance more flexible, and a regular row of spherical knots on each side of the body, like rivets in armor, which has become the most prominent feature of these little guys.
Although resembling a lizard , the Hainan warty salamander belongs to the amphibian order. Not only are the translucent round follicles laid all over the waterhole, but the Hainan warty salamander will also stage a ritualistic "courtship battle" in the waterhole.
Bole tree
moss
Plants
How wonderful it is to live in harmony
The vast rainforest is like a huge green labyrinth, with old trees and new branches intertwined, vines and feathers shading the sky, and various magical ferns shaped like bird's nests are attached to the branches... Gymnosperms, quilts, mosses, ferns and algae combine to support the lush plant kingdom and form a variety of breathtaking rainforest wonders.
Hainan rough
Roots stuck into the rock, destroying the rock's hard structure, and years of rain erosion and erosion slowly deposited the initial soil layers. Not only do they owe their credit to the formation of fertile soils, but the shade under the canopy of trees can also create diverse niches for the creatures below, and their trunks can also be used for epiphytes to settle...
Fujimoto Plant
Among the many tropical rainforest plants, tall trees play an extraordinary role in maintaining the stability and sustainable development of natural ecosystems. Among them, the natural distribution of Polei, Qingmei and Tieling in Hainan is an iconic tree species that can help the tropical rainforest to "verify the right body" - dipterocarp plants.
Hainan rough and handsome, gorgeous Bole tree is known as "the dragon and phoenix in the plant"... In the fiercely competitive "rainforest tree world", even the 25-meter-high oil dan is not a "king".
Alsophila
The pinnate leaves, about 1 meter long, are scattered at the top of the stem and stretch out in all directions, like a large umbrella that stretches out, and under the umbrella is a small and exquisite "golden pagoda", which is the male petals of the cycad around the pillar head.
In the low-mountain rainforest or shrubland of Hainan Island at an altitude of 100 to 1000 meters, the wild Hainan cycad occupies this land in a very strong ornamental form. The title "living fossils of the plant kingdom" reveals that cycads are one of the most primitive taxa of seed plants in existence.
Hainan Cycads
The nest ferns, which are attached to the large trees of the rainforest, grow vigorously in mid-air, and the clematis ferns are randomly clustered like weeds on the bottom of the cave and on the rock walls... In addition to the tall tree ferns, in the rich fern "home base" of Qiongdao Island, there are terrestrial, epiphytic, stone and aquatic ferns, opening up a huge living space in all corners of the rainforest.
Perhaps towering trees are synonymous with tropical rainforests, but in this rich plant paradise, there are some "mini" creatures that we overlook, bryophytes, small and small, growing close to the ground between cool, moist crevices and rocks.
As the most primitive taxa of higher plants, mosses can accelerate the weathering of rocks during their growth, promote the formation of soil, and become "pioneers" and "pioneers" in nature. Rich tropical mosses thrive on Qiongdao Island, and Hainan has become one of the key areas for the study of bryophyte diversity in China.
Lisay cricket
Insects
Dancing butterflies
The "mini phoenix" lisy silk cite has a focused eye, a delicate mantis nymph that is transparent as a glass body has a smooth posture, and a jumping spider has a cute head... The above are all the rainforest insects "sentient beings" under the photographer Zhou Anti-American macro lens.
Dead leaf butterfly
The alternating multi-layered structure of the plant community, the extremely complex habitat, and the grass and flowers of the leaf fern provide a good environment for a variety of insects to provide nutrients and habitats. In a tropical rainforest, it is much easier to find a hundred insect species than a hundred insects of the same species.
These tiny bodies also possess "master-level" wisdom. The wing veins mimic leaf veins, the black spots on the wing surface resemble the mold of dead leaves, and the "dead leaf butterfly" uses the dead leaf mimicry to successfully integrate with the rainforest environment to avoid natural enemies. Also the masters who have reached the pinnacle of "camouflage" are the orchid mantises, do not be deceived by the delicate and blooming orchid imitation, which is an excellent and cruel "ambush hunter" in the insect world. Using the bristles of the larvae to form a beautiful cage-like cocoon, the moss moth's hands-on ability does not live up to the name of the "master builder" of the insect world.
In the tropical mountain rainforest of Hainan, there are nearly 500 species of butterflies, accounting for about 87% of the butterfly population collected on Hainan Island, and the rich butterfly fauna is also a reflection of the wide variety of plants in this habitat.
Leaf beetle
Dressed in a bright emerald green, golden yellow patches dotted between the glittering wings, a few mysterious silver gray and black light added a bit of nobility, worthy of the "queen of butterflies" called. As the only first-class protected butterfly in China, the golden-spotted beaked butterfly is an endemic species in China and is known as the "national butterfly".
At the same time, the "Chinese butterfly king" is also distributed in the tropical mountain rainforest of Hainan: the butterfly and the golden butterfly. These two species of butterflies with similar morphology are the largest species of butterflies in China. When flying, the black and yellow part of the hindwings is full of golden light, dazzling and dazzling, and has a high ornamental value.
）
Know more
name:
Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park
area:
4269 square kilometers
species:
3653 species of wild vascular plants
540 species of terrestrial vertebrates
296 species of birds in 19 orders and 69 families
2 orders 20 families 101 species of reptiles
Endemic birds of Hainan:
Hainan mountain partridge
Hainan peacock pheasant
Hainan willow warbler
The only wild tropical parrot in Hainan:
Hainan endemic eyelid tiger species:
Hainan eyelid tiger
Zhou's eyelid tiger
Chinese Eyelid Tiger
Pinnacle Ridge endemic plant species:
Spike water jade cup
Photo courtesy of Li Tianping, Jiang Enyu, Su Xiaojie, Lu Gang, Chen Yuancai, Cheng Fangan, Liao Gaofeng, Hainan Provincial Forestry Bureau (Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park Administration) (Wang Yingchun)
【Source: Yunnan Net】
Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author, if there is an error in the source or infringement of your legitimate rights and interests, you can contact us through the mailbox, we will deal with it in a timely manner. Email address: [email protected]