China is a
country which has great variety of living things, including animals. The
diversity of animals in China includes 346 species of amphibian, 562 species of
mammals, 4936 species of fish and 403 species of reptiles. Aren’t they amazing?
Besides, China is also popular for being a country that has the third largest
number of mammals in the world.
You might know the mascot of China, the giant panda. This animal is endemic to China. You can also see some other animals native to China, such as sable, dugong, Asian elephant, Tibetan macaque and many more. Let’s see these 7 outstanding native animals of China that you don’t want to miss!
Belonging to the family of bear, the body of the giant panda is can be as big as a bear. A giant panda can be easily noticed by its thick black and white coat of fur. The black fur covers its long wrist bones, legs, muzzles, shoulder and eyes.
This animal can weigh up to 330 pounds, and it can spend up to 12 hours a day for eating! The giant panda mostly feeds on plants and meat, with bamboo as its majority of its diet. This animal can be found easily throughout Southwest China.
Giant panda is the mascot of China and that’s why it becomes one of the animals that are made as countries symbols.
It is the species of macaque and it is the largest species found in Asia. The Tibetan Macaque has some other names, such as Stump-tailed, Pere David’s Macaque or the Short-tailed Tibetan Macaque.
It has several characteristics, such as long and thick fur, dense fur on its head and around its ears. This long and thick fur is beneficial for protecting it from cold, especially during winter.
Some Tibetan Macaques are black, while others are greyish brown. The males and females Tibetan Macaque have different by the color of the skin. The females have red skin around their eyes.
Macaques have some outstanding skills as elaborated in things about macaque skills that should be known. They are amazing animals!
Dugongs can be easily found through the Pacific Ocean, specifically in the warm coastal water. They are really big, yet they are vegetarians. They mainly feed on underwater grass.
Their behavior and appearance are similar to manatees (mainly known as sea cow, one of the slowest animals in the world). However, they have distinctive feature, which is their tails are fluked, just like the whales’. Dugongs can spend up to 6 minutes in the water. They can be found alone, in pairs or even in large herds.
Pallas cat, which is also known as manul, is a small wild having almost the same size as domestic cats. However, Pallas cat has thick and dense coat that is able to keep it warm, especially during the cold weather or season.
There is an interesting fact about the fur; it can change color depending on the season. It turns fox-red during spring, and grey during winter.
The sable belongs to the species of marten, a small animal which is omnivorous. The sables are commonly inhabiting the forests of China, Russia, the Ural Mountains through Siberia and northern Mongolia.
They can weigh between 2-5 pounds and 15-20 inches long. They mainly feed on meat of birds, small mammals and fish as well. They belong to the same family as mink, badgers, otters and ferrets.
Regarding
to their body, they have brown to dark color that is almost black. The patches
on their neck that has the same color of salmon enables them to be easily
noticed. They have good sense of smell and hearing for hunting their prey.
- The Golden-snub Nose Monkey
It has another popular name, which is Sichuan snub-nosed monkey. This is a rare species of monkey as it can only be found in Central and Southwest China. The golden-snub nose monkeys can be easily noticed by their long golden-brown guard hair on their backs.
They got their name from the nose that is really unique and different with the other common monkeys. Their nose doesn’t have any protruding nasal bones. This nose is believed by some scientists to be helpful to avoid frostbites.
Indonesia is also a home for some species of monkeys. Take a look at the monkey species in Indonesia and learn how each species is distinctively unique!
Compared to the other species of elephants, Asian elephant has slightly smaller body, especially to African elephants. They have different features from the African elephants, one of which is their smaller rounded ears.
These ears are helpful for them to cool their body during radiation. Their trunk is used for drinking, showering, breathing, smelling and also grabbing something. Read differences between African elephant and Asian elephant to get more ideas on how they are different!
They mainly
feed on bark, grass, roots, and fruits. The Asian elephants are famous as they
are really helpful for humans to do some activities, such as carrying humans
and also falling trees.