EXCERPTS FROM MAJOR CHINESE MAGAZINES RETURN OF THE SAND MARTINS Oriental Outlook 29 May In late April,a sandy cliff along the Yongding River in southern Beijing became an unexpected attraction.Speckled with more than...EXCERPTS FROM MAJOR CHINESE MAGAZINES RETURN OF THE SAND MARTINS Oriental Outlook 29 May In late April,a sandy cliff along the Yongding River in southern Beijing became an unexpected attraction.Speckled with more than 100 nests built by sand martins,migratory birds that return to the city each summer,the site has become one of the largest breeding grounds for the species in the Chinese capital.Just a year ago,this fragile micro-habitat was nearly lost to a river management project.Fortunately,a group of bird-watchers spotted the threat in time and alerted city officials.展开更多
On January 12,2011,a very young juvenile Bryde's-like baleen whale was found stranded alive on the east coast of Hainan Island,in the South China Sea.Unfortunately,it died the next morning.This baleen whale showed...On January 12,2011,a very young juvenile Bryde's-like baleen whale was found stranded alive on the east coast of Hainan Island,in the South China Sea.Unfortunately,it died the next morning.This baleen whale showed some unique external morphology and skull features of the Omura's whale(Balaenoptera omurai).Subsequently,it was genetically identified as an Omura's whale using two different mitochondrial DNA markers.This study documents the first confirmed live stranding of a juvenile Omura's whale on Hainan Island,China.Our findings expand the known distribution range of this species in Chinese waters and may indicate that waters around Hainan Island in the South China Sea could be a potential breeding ground for the Omura's whale.展开更多
文摘EXCERPTS FROM MAJOR CHINESE MAGAZINES RETURN OF THE SAND MARTINS Oriental Outlook 29 May In late April,a sandy cliff along the Yongding River in southern Beijing became an unexpected attraction.Speckled with more than 100 nests built by sand martins,migratory birds that return to the city each summer,the site has become one of the largest breeding grounds for the species in the Chinese capital.Just a year ago,this fragile micro-habitat was nearly lost to a river management project.Fortunately,a group of bird-watchers spotted the threat in time and alerted city officials.
基金supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.31870372)the Bureau of Science&Technology for Development,Chinese Academy of Sciences(No.ZSSD004).
文摘On January 12,2011,a very young juvenile Bryde's-like baleen whale was found stranded alive on the east coast of Hainan Island,in the South China Sea.Unfortunately,it died the next morning.This baleen whale showed some unique external morphology and skull features of the Omura's whale(Balaenoptera omurai).Subsequently,it was genetically identified as an Omura's whale using two different mitochondrial DNA markers.This study documents the first confirmed live stranding of a juvenile Omura's whale on Hainan Island,China.Our findings expand the known distribution range of this species in Chinese waters and may indicate that waters around Hainan Island in the South China Sea could be a potential breeding ground for the Omura's whale.
