Xisha Islands are located in the southern waters of my country, close to my country's southernmost island Zengmu Shoals Islands, and are in the same tropical monsoon climate zone as Nansha Islands.
Looking at the Paracel Islands in the distance
The island area is about ten square kilometers, and the sea area is 500,000 square kilometers. In its eastern area there is an East Island with an area of about 1.7 square kilometers. The area of the East Island is about the area of 8 bird's nests. area.
It was on such a fairly large island that scientists were surprised to find a herd of bison that numbered 1,400 .
Xisha Islands Climate
Xisha Islands itself covers a large area, and Dongdao is the second largest island in Xisha Islands. Compared with other islands, it has vast geographical advantages .
At the same time, the East Island has a tropical monsoon climate, with abundant rainfall throughout the year. Coral reefs and shell sand bodies provide sufficient nutritional value to the soil. There are many types of plants on the island and they grow luxuriantly.
East Island Reef - Baishazhou North Reef
In addition, it is close to the equator, the winter will not be cold, the plants will not wither, and the herbivorous animals will have abundant food resources throughout the year.
The disadvantage is that the summer is too hot, but this does not seem to have much impact on cattle animals. They can escape the summer heat in the closed jungle, and the rich freshwater resources on the island provide drinking and Cool down.
Thinking about it, it doesn’t seem strange to find such a herd of bison on the East Island.
A herd of East Island bison in different colors
But in fact, there are many birds, few animals, and few carnivores on this island, and large animals are also hard to find.
Because the range of activities of large animals in the island is restricted, and after several ups and downs in the Xisha Islands, large animals have long been eliminated. It can be said that this is a paradise for birds.
Bird Paradise
There are many birds on the island. On the one hand, birds from the north migrate south to spend the winter due to the cold winter. The low-temperature environment here throughout the year has become an important choice for them to migrate.
Dongdao - Bird Paradise
Due to the migration process of birds, the longer the distance, the more risks come with it. For example, there is no food and resting place on the vast sea.
The Xisha Islands are just a short distance from the mainland and suitable for the migration of most birds, so the Xisha Islands have become the choice of many birds.
On the other hand, the rich islands, dominated by marine birds, provide them with sufficient food supplies. There are no large carnivores growing in the habitat, and the environment they are in is very safe.
The habitat of birds has also brought good news to the island..
Birds: I don’t live in vain
The island group increases the fertility of the soil through the precipitation of bird droppings and promotes the growth of plants. The vegetation on the island is usually shrubs, and the main species are silver tree and grass. Pittosporum .
Therefore, it is actually quite unexpected that scientists can find a herd of bison on such an island.
Dongdao, what surprises do you have that we don’t know about?
The bison didn't look like it fell from the sky at all.
Xishadong Island is surrounded by the sea. Although bison can swim, it is unrealistic to float across the ocean, so it is impossible for these cattle to migrate here on their own.
It is difficult to say that it is a large animal native to the island.
Niutang Ice Breaking
Just when scientists were struggling to think about the origin of these bison, a major discovery made them clear up the clouds.
After a search on the island, experts discovered a pile of cow dung at the Niutang in the eastern part of the Paracel Islands. It was because of this pile of cow dung that the experts discovered the origin of this mysterious group of bison.
This also starts with the climate on the island.
The Paracel Islands are located in a tropical monsoon climate area, with high temperatures in summer.
There will be a period of drought every year. Sometimes in summer, the rain has not yet fallen, and the weather is hot and hot. The cattle gather together and go to the cattle pond to escape the summer heat and cool down.
Niutang can store fresh water from previous rains and provide stable water resources for cattle. Under high temperatures, cattle can also soak in the water to cool down. In the long run, this place has been called a gathering place for cattle.
The calf is bathing in the cow pond
The cow dung has been deposited in the cow pond for a long time, gathered together, and is very well preserved.
After that, experts quickly launched an investigation and conducted stratified sampling and collection of cow dung in Niutang. From the bottom to the latest layer, and from the center to the surrounding areas of Niutang, they conducted sampling and comparison with .
Bison: Do you also want to study our daddy?
The results show that the cow dung here can be traced back to 350-400 years ago, which was in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties.
Migration due to wars
The change of dynasties in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties can not help but remind people of the numerous political powers, the people were displaced due to frequent wars, and the people were in dire straits.
Later, experts looked through history books and found that the society was in turmoil at the end of the Ming Dynasty and the beginning of the Qing Dynasty. The endless wars between the Ming Dynasty and the Qing soldiers made the people miserable. At that time, the war spread from the north to the south.
Until the end, a group of anti-Qing and Fuming forces were still roaming in Xiamen , Fujian and other areas to resist.
The people in the south had no choice but to move further south to the nearby Paracel Islands to avoid the erosion of the war.
brought with him at that time, in addition to some ordinary chickens and ducks, there were also domestic cattle.
Domestic cattle
Cattle are necessary tools for farming in ancient times, and our country is a large agricultural country with farmers as the mainstay. It is a deep-rooted concept to rely on cattle for a living.
So no matter how difficult the situation is, the cow is naturally indispensable.
On the one hand, it is to open up fields in new places and continue the farming tradition of our ancestors. On the other hand, cattle are also a symbol of wealth and hard work. Farmers bring cattle to the Paracel Islands to express good wishes for their future life.
In this way, the cattle were brought to the Paracel Islands. From the first dozen, multiplied and multiplied, and gradually developed and expanded .
When people left the islands one day, they left some cattle on the island. After development and evolution, this part of the cattle lived on the abundance of the island and became bison.
The bison we see today evolved from domestic cattle. It is worth mentioning that
has gone through some tortuous developments.
Animals have never stopped evolving.
There are no indigenous people in the Paracel Islands. After some fishermen landed on the Paracel Islands, they planned to make a living by fishing and settle here.
Later they discovered the bison living on the islands and planned to start hunting them.
Although the fishermen at that time did not have advanced hunting tools, they still relied on the outstanding wisdom of mankind to kill bison one after another.
The number of bison is limited, but human desires are unlimited.
As fishermen hunt bison more and more frequently, the reproduction rate of bison is difficult to keep up with .
This bison is quite handsome
Within a period of time, the number of bison dropped sharply, with only fifty at the lowest.
Bison give birth around 270 days into pregnancy, usually with one calf, but rarely with two calves.
People began to protect the bison herds after realizing that they were causing ecological damage to the bison. Since the bison have no natural predators on Xishadong Island and the food source is very abundant, the recovery speed of the bison herd is quite fast. A scene of relaxing on the vast East Island.
The reproduction of bison also needs to be controlled. Although the vegetation coverage rate on the island is high, allowing the bison to reproduce without limit will cause the vegetation to be eaten indefinitely. The most important thing is that there are no natural enemies of bison on the island. They are Island The overlord on .
After the vegetation is gnawed by bison, it will inevitably affect the living space of the birds on the island, leading to the loss of bird habitat.
Xisha Red-footed Booby
Birds no longer provide nutrient support for the growth of plants on the island, which seriously affects the growth of plants. Without bird droppings to provide nutrients for the soil, the growth cycle of plants may be lengthened or the growth may be abnormal. Eventually the bison's own food sources will be affected .
The biological diversity on the island provides guarantee for the stable development of the island. The island provides a habitat for creatures, and a closed ecological chain is formed between the two.
Nature is so wonderful. They rely on each other to develop and work together to build a better life.
