My Science School

Seoraksan National Park is known for its floral diversity. With the mountain changing its colour according to each season, Seoraksan Mountain offers a picturesque landscape any time of the year.

There are about 1,013 species of plants. Pine trees such as the Siberian pine occupy the southern slopes while the northern slopes of the mountain range are characterized by oaks and other deciduous trees. Dwarf pines, hawthorns, and Manchurian firs can also be seen here in abundance.

Many species of animals have been identified and classified so far. This includes the Siberian flying squirrel, kestrel, Chinese minnow, and spotted barbell. The Park also hosts some of the endangered species like the Tristram’s woodpecker, Korean goral, and Korean musk deer.

 

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Chitwan National Park is the first national park in Nepal. The Park is famous for the protection of one horned rhinoceros, royal Bengal tiger and gharial crocodile. Chitwan also harbours the world’s largest terrestrial mammal- the wild elephant, and also the world’s smallest terrestrial mammal- the pygmy shrew.

Almost 70 per cent of the Park is constituted by sal forests, moist deciduous vegetation found in terai regions. Grasslands and riverine forests can also be found here. 68 species of mammals, 544 species of birds and 126 species of fish have been recorded in the Park.

22 globally threatened species including the critically endangered Bengal florcian can be found here, as well as the red-headed vulture.

 

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Jigme Dorji National Park in Bhutan is unique in many ways. It is one of the oldest and largest protected areas in the Himalayas. All the three climate zones in Bhutan meet here. It is the only place in Bhutan where the national animal, flower, bird and tree-takin, blue poppy, raven, and cypress-exist together. Also, it is the only national park where the snow leopard meets the Bengal tiger. Some of the most dangerous glaciers in Bhutan can also be found here.

Jigme Dorji National Park is endowed with a high number of endangered plants and animals. It is a treasure trove of medicinal plants, natural hot springs and medicinal waters. It is one of the most biologically diverse regions in the Eastern Himalayas. It is home to the takin, snow leopard, clouded leopard, Bengal tiger, bharal or Himalayan blue sheep, black musk deer, Himalayan black bear, red panda, Ussuri dhole, and spotted linsang. The Indian leopard, serow, sambar, barking deer, goral, marmot, pika and more than 300 species of birds too can be found here.

 

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Komodo National Park in Indonesia protects both terrestrial and marine ecosystems. The Park is famous for protecting the unique Komodo dragon, an endemic lizard.

Komodo National Park is made up of three major islands: Komodo, Rinca and Padar. It includes one of the richest marine environments in the world composed of coral reefs, mangroves, seagrass beds, seamounts, and semi-enclosed bays.

Over the past 60 years, the population of Indonesia has increased by a shocking 800 per cent. The population outburst has had an impact on the forest cover and the marine ecosystem. The Timor deer population in the Park is being poached. In addition to this, destructive fishing practices such as the use of dynamite, and cyanide severely threaten the Park’s marine resources by destroying both the coral reefs, and the fish population.

 

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Divided into 5 blocks- light forests, scrubs, grasslands, tanks and lagoons, Yala National Park in Sri Lanka is home to 44 varieties of mammal and 215 bird species. Among its most famous residents are the world’s biggest concentration of leopards, majestic elephants, sloth bears, peacocks, and crocodiles. The tsunami of 2004 was a game changer for this Park.

The waves that struck Yala were at least 20 feet high. It devastated the scrub forests and grasslands. The tsunami altered the Yala coastline forever; around 60 per cent of the area along the coastline has changed and the damage was worse closer to the sea.

It is surprising to note that animals were not harmed by the waves. This incident supports the theory of the sixth sense of animals that took them out of the path of the on-coming waves. Findings based on two elephants with electronic collars suggest that their reactions based on quick comprehension of clues may have prompted all the animals to escape the waves. Sadly, this faculty does not work for humans!

 

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Two of the world’s largest karst regions are in Vietnam. The Phong Nha National park was set up in order to protect these regions and the limestone ecosystem that thrives on it. The protected area of Phong Nha covers at least 300 caves and grottos. This marvellous rock formation hosts scores of plants, animals, insects and reptiles, some of them even listed on the World Red Data Book.

Tropical dense moist evergreen forests thrive on these limestone formations, 800 metres above the sea level. As the seedlings can only grow in holes and cracks in the limestone where soil has accumulated, the regeneration of the lost vegetation is generally slow.

Phong Nha is home to many endangered species like the pig-tailed macaque. But, it is interesting to note that some new species have been discovered in the Park including a species of eel and a gecko.

 

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Imagine strips of mountains painted like rainbows. Sounds almost unbelievable, right? There is a stretch of multicoloured hills in China that look like painted rainbows, in Zhangye Danxia National Geological Park.

Just like a tiered cake, the landscape of Zhangye Danxia was formed by layers called strata. Wind and water eroded these layers over time and the sediment that settled hundred over the years. Changes in climate affected the rate of erosion and the appearance of the sediment. Now, when the layers eroded, a new colour of sediment came out forming anothersheet of rock over the hill. This process happened many times, producing different sheets of different hues.

We know that mountains are formed when the Earth’s tectonic plates push against each other. Around 50 million years ago, the plate that carried India pushed against the one that carried the rest of Asia. The collision was very powerful and as a result, a large mass of colourful hills popped out of the surface of where Zhangye Danxia is today.

 

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Slipper orchid is a sub-family of the orchids of which, the lip of the flower is slipper shaped. If you want to see the white Ang Thong lady’s slipper orchids, you ned to travel to Thailand’s Ang Thong National Marine Park.

Ang Thong is an archipelago of 42 islands out of which at least 40 are uninhabited. It has limestone mountains, thick jungle, white-sand beaches, waterfalls and hidden caves and lakes. One could find scores of exotic plants and animals in around hundred kilometres of protected sea and land.

Ang Thong is rich in marine life. Apart from a variety of fish, one can also spot brown seaweed, crabs, sea fans, clams and mussels. The animal species are limited; 16 mammal, around 50 bird, 14 reptile and 5 amphibian species can be found here.

 

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Gunung Mulu National Park is one of a kind. Seventeen vegetation zones exist within the Park zones exist within the Park which spans less than 550 square kilometres. The Park is famous for its special kind of rocky terrain. Gunung Mulu, a 2,377 metres high sandstone pinnacle dominates the Park. It also has the largest cave in the world- the Sarawak Chamber.

Gunung Mulu is a biodiversity hotspot; half of all Borneo’s plant, animal and fungal species can be found in Gunung Mulu. The rainforests of Gunung Mulu host 2,142 non-flowering plants and at least 2,000 species of flowering plants. The count of invertebrates in the Park is surprising; around 20,000 species that includes 360 types of spiders, 147 varieties of dragonflies, 281 kinds of butterflies and approximately 4,000 species of beetles live here.

 

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Hwange National Park is famous not only as the biggest national park in Zimbabwe. All of Zimbabwe’s specially protected animals can be found in Hwange. Also, it is the only place where gemsbok and brown hyena occur in reasonable numbers. It is also famous for the National Leopard Project, a survey that aims to find out the number of leopards and their hunting areas.

Hwange is home to over 100 mammal and 400 bird species. The number of animals in the Park is also relaed to the number of water holes. The herbivores of the Park constantly move and reside in various parts of the Park based on the availability of water. Even the number of major carnivores like lions are related to the availability of pans and waterholes.

The population of elephants has been increasing significantly in Hwange for the past ten years. This has put a strain on the resources of the Park.

 

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There are less than 900 mountain gorillas in the world. These critically endangered animals cannot live in captivity. They can only live in dense forests like Bwindi in Uganda.

Around 400 mountain gorillas live in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, which is half the world’s population of the species. These mountain gorillas are gentle and many of them are familiar with the presence of tourists.

Bwindi is one of Uganda’s oldest and most biologically diverse rainforest. Apart from gorillas, you can also find other primates like baboons and chimpanzees.

The forest in Bwindi is rich in flora and fauna. It supports more than 120 mammals. Around 400 species of birds can be seen in Bwindi. The Park also has a huge population of butterflies and frogs. There is abundant plant life in Bwindi; more than 1,000 flowering plant species, including 163 species of trees and 104 species of ferns thrive here.

 

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The flora of the Addo Elephant National Park is quite distinct. The Park is home to many endemic plants including succulents and geophyte plants. However, many of these plants are under severe environmental pressure; some plants are even under the threat of extinction.

The original mission of the Park was to reintroduce certain mega-herbivores, like the African elephant and black rhino. While efforts were made to protect these mammals, the effects they have on the land were largely overlooked. As the population of these animals increased, certain plants were overgrazed. Around 77 species of South African endemic plants have been listed as ‘vulnerable to elephant browsing’.

 

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The orange-hued sand dunes in the Namib-Naukluft National Park are the tallest in the world; some of these sand dunes are as tall as 00 metres and that is the same as the height of the Nurek Dam, one of the tallest dams in the world.

Namib-Naukluft National Park lies between the coast of the Atlantic Ocean and the edge of the Great Escarpment. The Park consists of the Namib Desert, the Naukluft mountain range, and the lagoon at Sandwich Harbour. The Namib Desert is considered to be the world’s oldest desert.

The wind that forms the sand dune of the Park also brings in moisture in the form of fog off the Atlantic Ocean. The burnt orange colour of the dunes is a sign of their age; it develops over time as the iron in the sand gets oxidized. The height of the dunes decreases near the coast.

A surprising number of animals thrive in this hyper-arid region including snakes, geckos, hyenas, gemsboks and jackals. The lagoons also attract a large number of birds.

 

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An elephant requires around 70-150 kilograms of food a day. The Kruger National Park has enough resources for around 10,000 elephants. It would become a problem if the number of elephants increases.

Have you heard of something called culling? Culling is a deliberate reduction of the population of a wild animal. This is often done by selective slaughtering. In 1994, culling of elephants at Kruger was stopped. The authorities tried translocating them instead.

However, the population had increased to 16,900 in 2012. The increase in the elephant population has affected the vegetation of the Park.

Kruger National Park is the oldest national park in South Africa. UNESCO has declared Kruger as an International Man and Biosphere Reserve.

 

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Forests, grasslands, swamps, mangroves, lagoons, beaches… Loango National Park has got them all. Entering the Park is like looking at a collage of different landscapes. All these exist right next to each other which makes it possible for an impressive range of wildlife to thrive.

One could spot gorillas, chimpanzees, mandrills, elephants and even humpback whales at Loango. Nowhere else in world can you see elephants, hippos and even gorillas foraging on the beach. That would definitely look like a fairy tale.

The Park also has a sizeable crocodile population. The Loango coast has the world’s largest concentration and variety of whales and dolphins after South Africa. Naturalist Michael Fay called Loango ‘Africa’s last Eden’.

 

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