FAUNA OF THE KURILSKIY NATURE RESERVE
Citation
Kozlovsky E, Pirtskhalava-Karpova N, Sundukov Y, Tikhonova V (2020). FAUNA OF THE KURILSKIY NATURE RESERVE. Version 1.2. State Nature Reserve Kurilsky. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/trkfbu accessed via GBIF.org on 2024-08-17.Description
Monitoring and inventory of the species of the Kurilsky Nature Reserve is carried out since 1984. Vertebrates compose 2 species of cyclostomates, 41 of fish, 3 species of amphibians, 5 species of reptiles, 281 species of birds and 29 species of mammals. 4668 species of invertebrates have been recorded. The fauna of the reserve is represented by 5027 species, 90% of which are invertebrates. Among vertebrates, the richest in term of speciesis ornitofauna – 281 species, including 125 nestling species. The Red book of the Russian includes 33 species of birds. The rarest and most interesting birds are the following: the island subspecies of fish owl (Ketupa blakistoni), Japanese crane (Grus japonensis), Steller's sea eagle (Haliaeetus pelagicus), the mandarin duck (Aix galericulata), Japanese green pigeon (Treron sieboldii), varied tit (Parus varius and crested kingfisher (Megaceryle lugubris). There are 29 species of mammals registered in the reserve. The largest representative is the brown bear (Ursus arctos); it is remarkable that in the territory of Kunashir Island there are individuals with an unusual gray color. The red fox (Vulpes vulpes), mountain hare (Lepus timidus), Siberian chipmunk (Eutamias sibiricus), sable (Martes zibellina), weasel (Mustela nivalis) are most frequently referenced. In the waters of the Kunashir and on the cliffs of the islands of the Lesser Kuril Ridge, the Steller sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus) can be observed. The sea otter is also observed near the islands (Enhydra lutris gracilis) [Voronov, 2004]. Large rookeries of the spotted seal (Phoca largha) and harbor seal (Phoca vitulina) are located along the coast of Kunashir Island. 3 species of mammals (Steller sea lion, harbor seal and sea otter) are rare and listed in the Red book of the Russian Federation. 5 species of reptiles: the Japanese five-lined skink (Plestiodon finitimus), Japanese four-lined ratsnake (Elaphe quadrivirgata), Japanese rat snake (Elaphe climacophora), Japanese forest rat snake (Elaphe japonica), mamushi (Gloydius blomhoffii blomhoffii) most often observed in the area of hot springs. There are 3 species of amphibians near the perennial impounded and intermittent water bodies: the Siberian salamander (Salamandrella keyserlingii), Japanese tree frog (Hyla japonica), the Hokkaidō frog (Rana pirica) [Rastitelnyi zhivotny mir..., 2002]. 39 species of fish are foundin the water bodies of the reserve, among which there is a rare species – the Sakhalin taimen (Parahucho perryi).Taxonomic Coverages
Geographic Coverages
When the Kurilskiy Nature Reserve was established, special geographical situation of Kunashir Island, unusual and rich nature, concentration of the rarest representatives of flora and fauna, scientific and economic value of natural and historical objects, as well as fragility and vulnerability of the island ecosystems were taken into account. The reserve occupies a part of Kunashir Island, the islands of the Lesser Kuril Ridge–Demin, Lisy, Shishki, as well as the islets of Kira, Peshchernaya, Parus, Svecha. The total area is 65,861 ha, and the total area of the protective zone with the sea area is 74,475 hectares. Kunashir Island extends from the north-east to the south-west for 123 km, width of the island varies from 7 km in the isthmi to 30 km in the north. The reserve occupies 44.2% of its territory and consists of three sites. Located in the north and north-east of the island, the Tyatinsky site has an area of 50,345 ha. Its northern part occupies the foothills and mountains of the Dokuchaev Ridge. The highest part of the northern part is Ruruy Volcano (1485 m) and the highest part of the north-eastern one is Tyatya Volcano (1819 m). The Alekhinsky site with an area of 15,416 ha is situated in the south-western part of the island. It is characterized by small elevation differences. Its central part is occupied by the caldera of Golovnin Volcano (Golovnin Mountain, 541 m). The third site is occupied by Demin Island and other islands of the Lesser Kuril Ridge with a total area of 100 ha.
From the west, the island is washed by the Sea of Okhotsk with the warm Soya current, from the east – by the Pacific Ocean with the cold Oyashio current. Therefore, the marine monsoon climate is characterized by an abundance of precipitation. For the period of observations between 2000 and 2017, the average annual rainfall was 1367.7 mm, more than 41% of which fell in summer. The described territory is characterized by mild winters, long rainy springs, foggy cool summers, and relatively dry and warm autumns. According to the weather station of Yuzhno-Kurilsk, for the period between 2000 and 2017, the average annual temperature was +5.7ºC, the coldest month was February with the average monthly temperature of 4.8ºC, the absolute minimum was –17ºC. The warmest month was August, the average monthly temperature was +15.9ºC, the absolute maximum was +30.5ºC. The highest atmospheric circulation was observed in late autumn and winter. Strong, gale-force and even hurricane-force winds blew during the given period (43 m/s in 2014).
Bibliographic Citations
- Kuril Islands, 1964, in Sidorenko A.V. (ed.), Geologiya SSSR. T. 31. Kamchatka, the Kuril Islands and the Commander Islands, pp. 511–642, Nedra, Moscow (in Russian). -
- Kusakin O. G., Ivanova M. B., Tsurpalo A. P., 1997, A check-list of animals, plants, and fungi from the intertidal zone of Far Eastern seas of Russia, 167 p., Dal'nauka, Vladivostok (in Russian). -
- Zharkov R. V., 2014, Thermal springs of the South Kuril Islands, O. V. Chudayev (ed.), 378 p., Dal'nauka, Vladivostok (in Russian). -
- Flora and fauna of the Kuril Islands (Materials of the International Kuril Project), S. Yu. Storozhenko, V. V. Bogatov., A. S. Lelei (eds.), 2002, 163 p., Dal'nauka, Vladivostok (in Russian). -
- Voronov G. A., 2004, Hunting and commercial teriofauna of the Kuril Islands: ecological and biological characteristics, economic development, protection and enrichment, Bulletin of the Sakhalin Museum, no. 12, pp. 339–358, Sakhalin Regional local historyMuseum, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk (in Russian). -
- Sundukov Yu. N., 2015, Registration of the Eastern Japanese Mamushi on Kunashir Island, Bulletin of the Sakhalin Museum, no. 22, pp, 271–279, Sakhalin Regional local history Museum, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk (in Russian). -
- Sundukov Yu. N., 2017, Ground beetles (Coleoptera, Carabidae) of the Yury Island, South Kuril Islands, A. I. Kurentsov's Annual Memorial Meetings, no. 28, pp. 101–110 (in Russian). -
- Griroryev E. M., Nevedomskaya I. A., Kostenko V. A., 2005, Mammal (Mammalia) of protected areas of the Southern Kuriles, North Pacific Islands Biologocal Researches, no.10, pp. 1-18 (in Russian). -
- Nechaev V. A. and Fujimaki Y., 1994 Birds of the Southern Kuril Islands Publisher Hokkaido University, pp. 1-123 -
- Antipin M. A., Bobyr I. G., Yakovlev A. A., 2015. Registration of new and rare bird species in the southern Kuril Islands in 2008-2015 / / Rus. ornithol. J. vol. 24. Express issue No. 1175. S. 2801-2816. -
Contacts
E.E. Kozlovskyoriginator
position: Researcher
State Nature Reserve Kurilsky
Zarechnaya 5
Juzhno-Kurilsk
694500
RU
N.R. Pirtskhalava-Karpova
originator
position: Researcher
State Nature Reserve Kurilsky
Zarechnaya 5
Juzhno-Kurilsk
694500
RU
Y.N. Sundukov
originator
position: Researcher
State Nature Reserve Kurilsky
Zarechnaya 5
Juzhno-Kurilsk
694500
RU
V.A. Tikhonova
originator
position: Researcher
State Nature Reserve Kurilsky
Zarechnaya 5
Juzhno-Kurilsk
694500
RU
E.E. Kozlovsky
metadata author
position: Researcher
State Nature Reserve Kurilsky
Zarechnaya 5
Juzhno-Kurilsk
694500
RU
N.R. Pirtskhalava-Karpova
metadata author
position: Researcher
State Nature Reserve Kurilsky
Zarechnaya 5
Juzhno-Kurilsk
694500
RU
Y.N. Sundukov
metadata author
position: Researcher
State Nature Reserve Kurilsky
Zarechnaya 5
Juzhno-Kurilsk
694500
RU
V.A. Tikhonova
metadata author
position: Researcher
State Nature Reserve Kurilsky
Zarechnaya 5
Juzhno-Kurilsk
694500
RU
Natalya Ivanova
user
email: natalya.dryomys@gmail.com
E.E. Kozlovsky
administrative point of contact
position: Researcher
State Nature Reserve Kurilsky
Zarechnaya 5
Juzhno-Kurilsk
694500
RU
N.R. Pirtskhalava-Karpova
administrative point of contact
position: Researcher
State Nature Reserve Kurilsky
Zarechnaya 5
Juzhno-Kurilsk
694500
RU
Y.N. Sundukov
administrative point of contact
position: Researcher
State Nature Reserve Kurilsky
Zarechnaya 5
Juzhno-Kurilsk
694500
RU
V.A. Tikhonova
administrative point of contact
position: Researcher
State Nature Reserve Kurilsky
Zarechnaya 5
Juzhno-Kurilsk
694500
RU