Rare Treasures and Extraordinary Creatures
Birds and Beasts, Rare Animals. Hunan's First Discovery of a Dinosaur-era Rare Animal — the Chinese Salamander. In November 2002, nine amphibious reptiles resembling "baby fish" were found in Qiyang County. Identified as the Chinese salamander, this was Hunan's first discovery of the species, numbering nearly ten thousand. The Chinese salamander is an amphibian...
This article has been compiled from historical materials in the "Zhangjiajie Tour Guide Network" (33519.com · City Overview section). Some administrative divisions, population, socioeconomic data, and policy information may be outdated and are for reference only; for the latest situation, please refer to official releases by the local government and scenic areas.
Birds and Beasts, Rare Animals
Hunan's First Discovery of a Rare Dinosaur-Era Animal — Chinese Giant Salamander (Hynobius chinensis)
In November 2002, nine amphibious reptiles resembling "giant salamanders" were discovered in Qiyang County. Upon identification, they were "Chinese Hynobius" (Hynobius chinensis) — the first discovery of Chinese Hynobius in Hunan Province, and in numbers reaching nearly ten thousand. The Chinese Hynobius belongs to the class Amphibia and is an ancient rare animal from the dinosaur era. Its existing numbers are extremely scarce, and scholars classify it as an endangered animal. It is a rare species of the living fossil category and an internationally protected ancient rare animal, of great value for studying animal evolution, human origins, and the ecological environment of ancient animals.
New Snake Species Discovered in Hunan's Mangshan — Mangshan Pit Viper
In October 1989, a new snake species never before discovered by humans was found in Mangshan, Yizhang County, named the "Mangshan Pit Viper." It was announced as the 50th newly discovered venomous snake species in China and can be called the king of the world's venomous snakes. In June 2004, a survey report by the State Forestry Administration showed that only 300 to 500 Mangshan Pit Vipers survive in the wild, on the brink of extinction, and stated that they are more endangered than the giant panda and urgently need rescue protection.
Hunan's Discovery of the World's Highest-Level "Critically Endangered Species" — Peach Blossom Jellyfish
In July 2006, 14-year-old Zhou Can, a boy from Taiping Tea Farm in Tiaoma Township, Changsha County, discovered a peach blossom "jellyfish" while fishing. The peach blossom jellyfish is an ancient and rare coelenterate on the verge of extinction. It originated 550 million to 1.5 billion years ago and is listed by the state as a "critically endangered species" at the highest level in the world. The peach blossom jellyfish is a "living fossil in water" and the only jellyfish species in the world that lives in freshwater. Also known as the peach blossom fish, it is white and transparent, grows in temperate freshwater, and measures about 0.1 to 1 centimeter in diameter. Its shape resembles a peach blossom, and it mostly appears during the peach blossom season, hence its name.
A species endemic to China discovered in East Dongting Lake, Hunan — the naturally rewilded milu deer
The milu deer is a species endemic to China, a typical wetland animal, and a large herbivore. An adult milu deer is about 200 centimeters long and about 130 centimeters tall. The milu deer has the longest tail among deer species, reaching more than 30 centimeters. In 1900, the milu deer became extinct in its native China. From 2006 to 2007, three small naturally rewilded milu deer populations totaling 27 individuals were monitored in the Dongting Lake area. In late March 2008, three populations totaling 48 milu deer were monitored again. About 50 or more milu deer inhabit the Dongting Lake area.
A rare turtle discovered in Hunan — the mandarin duck six-eyed turtle
A rare pair of mandarin duck six-eyed turtles, one female and one male of the same size, was discovered in Taoyuan County. The turtle's head has three pairs of eyes arranged symmetrically; the two eyes near the neck are golden yellow and can glow at night. The turtle's shell evenly displays chrysanthemum-like patterns, and the golden-yellow plastron bears mysterious black markings closely resembling oracle bone script. It makes sounds like a frog's croak and eats like a chicken pecking at food.
A crocodile-like, turtle-like animal discovered in Yongzhou — the strange giant turtle
Mr. Lü of Lengshuitan District, Yongzhou City, caught a strange giant turtle near the Songjiazhou Reservoir in the Xiangjiang River basin. This giant turtle, weighing about 4 kilograms, has a very distinctive appearance: a pointed triangular head, a body covered in shield-like spines, a back with protrusions like crocodile skin, and a tail more than ten centimeters long. Its open mouth is the size of an adult's fist, and it looks very fierce. It is understood that the huge creature Mr. Lü caught closely resembles the American snapping turtle. The snapping turtle is the most ferocious of all turtles. It lives in freshwater and likes to lie hidden in watery mud, sand, shrubs, and weeds. How did this giant turtle appear in the Xiangjiang River basin, and is it really a snapping turtle? Identification by animal experts is still needed.
A strange soft-shelled turtle captured by a Zhuzhou resident — the white soft-shelled turtle
In July 2009, Mr. Liu, an elderly resident of Gongyuan Road in Zhuzhou, Hunan, accidentally caught an all-white soft-shelled turtle while fishing in the Xiangjiang River; even the vertebrae on its back could be seen clearly. This "white soft-shelled turtle" weighed only 1 jin and 2 liang (about 0.6 kilograms) and was about 30 centimeters long, yet it had a very fierce temperament — at the slightest provocation, it would open its mouth and bite. There are two reasons a wild soft-shelled turtle may turn white: first, long-term life in the depths of water or in caves lacking sunlight, degenerating to white because of the environment; second, albinism caused by genetic mutation.
The "giant panda in water" discovered in South Dongting Lake — the Chinese sturgeon
The Chinese sturgeon is a national first-class protected animal and is extremely precious, long known as the "giant panda in water." It has a evolutionary history of 140 million years to date. In October 2007, the elderly fisherman Wang Jiancao and his wife Xiao Huanzhen of Yuanjiang City caught a "strange fish" while fishing in South Dongting Lake. Technical experts from the Yuanjiang City Fishery Administration Station identified this fish, about 60 centimeters long and about 1.8 kilograms in weight, as a juvenile Chinese sturgeon. That same day, the Chinese sturgeon was released back into Dongting Lake.
A rare national first-class protected animal discovered in Huping Mountain — the Oriental white stork
At the end of 2008, villager Zhang Ziyin of Changling Village in the Huping Mountain National Nature Reserve discovered 8 Oriental white storks and black storks at Nianzi Bay, Gucheng Slope. The Oriental white stork has white feathers, black wings, long red legs, and a long, hard black beak. It weighs about 4.5 kilograms and is more than 1 meter long. This is the first time Oriental white storks and black storks have been discovered in a small mountain wetland like Huping Mountain, and it will be of great significance for research on bird behavior, ecology, and migratory bird banding.
A celestial auspicious beast resembling a qilin discovered in Zhangjiajie — the unicorn
In 1984, a unicorn, also known as the Tianmen auspicious beast, was discovered near Tianyan. It resembled the qilin of legend, with a body like a one-year-old yellow calf, hemp-gray all over, four hooves like a cow's, and a single horn at the center of the top of its head. Chinese unicorns are relatively complex, with at least 6 forms, among which the most important is the half-male, half-female qilin, along with two others: the male qi and the female lin. Another famous one is the xiezhi.
A rare monkey species on Tianmen Mountain in Zhangjiajie — the rice monkey
On Tianmen Mountain there is a rare monkey species — the rice monkey. According to the Republic-era Dayong Historical Manuscripts, this monkey is also called the haba monkey. It is extraordinarily clever, small in size, only three or four cun tall, and can hide in a person's sleeve. In 1983, workers at the Tianmen Mountain Forestry Farm accidentally caught one and kept it in a cage. As a result, this rice monkey had a very violent temper; after being caged, it went on a hunger strike in protest, tears streaming from both eyes. The workers could not bear to see it and released it back into the wild. Since then, people have occasionally still seen rice monkeys active in the forest.
A legendary rare animal discovered in Zhangjiajie — the hou
In the 1980s, workers guarding the forestry farm at the top of Tianmen Mountain said they saw red figures darting about, and also saw many strange beast hoofprints in the snow on the mountain. The hoofprints looked like the character "pin" written upside down; though shallow, they were clearly distinguishable and very large — some were even the size of a small bowl. According to the Qing Tongzhi "Continued Yongding County Gazetteer": "In the second year of Tongzhi (1863 AD), in the south of the county there was a strange beast, as large as an ox, with a tail like a round fan, a broad mouth straight as a basin, red hair all over its body several chi long, which devoured people and all manner of vicious beasts; some believed it was a hou." Comparing the two, it really does seem like the legendary hou.
A rare bird that can forecast the weather — the gaga chicken
A weather-forecasting chicken has been discovered in Zhangjiajie. This chicken is called the rock chicken, also known as the gaga chicken, named for its "ga ga" call. Its feathers are generally gray, and it moves rather slowly, appearing somewhat clumsy. Each usually weighs four or five jin, with larger ones reaching seven or eight jin. The rock chicken generally also lives in high mountains and steep ridges, and likes to eat wild fruits and small insects. The rock chicken has a special ability: it can forecast the weather, predicting sunshine and rain in advance. If in the early morning you hear the rock chicken calling "ga ga" loudly at the mountaintop and flying down the mountain, then it will rain that day; conversely, if you see it flying up the mountain, the weather will clear. This is based on years of observation by local mountain people and awaits further exploration and study.
A nationally key protected animal, the "longevity chicken" — Temminck's tragopan
The Temminck's tragopan of Zhangjiajie is distributed in the high mountains and steep ridges at an elevation of about 1,000 meters in the scenic area. The Temminck's tragopan, also known as the longevity chicken or water-carrying chicken, is a bird with high ornamental and economic value. It has now been listed in the national key protected wild animal list as a national second-class protected animal. The face and throat are bare without feathers or sparsely feathered; the crest on the back of the head is orange-red, and there is a yellow fleshy horn above the eye. During the breeding season, the fleshy skirt under the throat of the male becomes larger and more colorful, like a hanging "large water sac," so locally it is called the "water-carrying chicken." The flesh skirt of the yellow-bellied tragopan has purple-red spots, and the red patches along the edge of the skirt resemble the character "shou" (longevity), hence it is also called the "longevity chicken."
The "flight champion" among birds — the Amur falcon
The Amur falcon has been discovered at the Zhangjiajie forestry farm. It is a migratory bird, commonly called the black-flowered harrier. The Amur falcon is one of the fastest birds over short distances. According to scientific measurement, its usual flight speed can reach 360 kilometers per hour, making it the flight champion. This bird generally lives in mountains and stream valleys, and mostly builds its nests in crevices on cliffs and precipices. It begins laying eggs in late March, with 3 to 4 eggs per clutch. Both male and female share incubation duties, but the female does most of it, and the incubation period is 28 days. The chicks must stay in the nest and be fed and raised by their parents for more than a month before bidding farewell to their parents, leaving the nest, and living independently.
A highly skilled reptile — the yellow sparrowhawk
A highly skilled reptile has been discovered in Zhangjiajie — the yellow sparrowhawk. It is very small in size and unimpressive in appearance, not showing ferocity like a fierce tiger, but it is very cunning and clever. It has a sharp mouth and sharp claws, moves swiftly, and is highly skilled. It dares to fight not only ordinary beasts but even tigers. So no matter which mountain it is, as soon as the yellow sparrowhawk arrives, many wild beasts are so frightened that their hair stands on end and they tremble all over. The yellow sparrowhawk moves with great agility; it can not only climb vines and cling to kudzu, go up trees and into holes, but also climb mountains and scale cliffs, and when it jumps, even monkeys are no match for it. It has two special tricks: first, acting in groups; second, gouging out eyes.
A flying fox in the mountain forests — the flying squirrel
The flying squirrel (commonly known as the "flying fox," and some also call it the "flying rat") is often seen gliding about in the four major scenic areas of Wulingyuan and is a relatively precious animal. The flying squirrel is about 3 chi long in the body and about 2 chi long in the tail. The hair on its body grows long and thick, looking much like a fox's tail. Between its forelimbs and hindlimbs there is a membrane connecting the front and back limbs, so it can glide through the mountains and forests, and while gliding it can make a kind of whooshing sound. The mountain people gave it a name — flying fox, meaning a fox that can fly.
The smallest reptile among musk deer animals — the forest musk deer
The musk deer, also known as the river deer, fragrant deer, roe deer, and mountain donkey, is generally divided into the forest musk deer, the original musk deer, and the horse musk deer. The musk deer in the four major scenic areas of Wulingyuan belongs to the forest musk deer and all live in forest areas. It belongs to the mammalian order Artiodactyla, family Cervidae and family Moschidae. The forest musk deer is the smallest species in the genus Moschus. Its body length is 60–80 centimeters, shoulder height 45–50 centimeters, and body weight 8–10 kilograms. Neither male nor female has antlers. There is a musk sac at the front end of the reproductive organ on the abdomen. The tail is thick and short, and the tail fat gland is well developed. The limbs are slender, with the hind limbs longer than the forelimbs. The body hair is coarse, hard, and dark in color, appearing brown-gray or pale grayish-brown; individuals are smaller than the horse musk deer. The lower jaw, throat, under the neck, and down to the chest form a clearly defined white or orange-yellow area. When pursued urgently, it has the characteristic of climbing slanted trees or leaning fallen timber.