Newborn Tibetan antelopes brave survival challenges in UNESCO-listed Hoh Xil

Newborns of Tibetan antelopes under China's first-class state protection have demonstrated the tenacious resilience of life in braving survival challenges in Hoh Xil, a UNESCO natural heritage site in northwestern Qinghai Province.

Situated at an average altitude of 4,800 meters, Zonag Lake in Hoh Xil on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau is a core birth site for Tibetan antelopes. Around May each year, tens of thousands of pregnant Tibetan antelopes begin their migration to Zonag Lake to give birth, and depart with their offspring in around late July.

For the newborn Tibetan antelopes, life is a challenge from the very start. With the oxygen level just half of that on plains as well as fast changes of weather, Zonag Lake prompted the newborn babies to gain the abilities of standing up and walking to nurse around 10 minutes after birth.

In addition, their natural enemies including wolves and bears were always there to ambush them, and the slow-moving ones often became the primary targets.

Each animal species is an integral link in the food chain in Hoh Xil, where greater ecological conservation efforts have made the population of Tibetan antelopes rebound from under 20,000 to more than 70,000, while the numbers of natural enemies are stable to maintain a healthy ecosystem.

Newborn Tibetan antelopes brave survival challenges in UNESCO-listed Hoh Xil

Chinese crested terns, one of the world's rarest seabird species, have been recorded in coastal wetlands in Nantong, east China's Jiangsu Province, for a seventh consecutive year.

Bird photographers captured images of the critically endangered birds on July 23 and 24, with sightings this season reported to be more frequent than in previous years.

With a global population of just over 200, the Chinese crested tern is under China's highest level of national protection. Its rarity and elusive nature have earned it the nickname "the mythical bird" in the country.

The species breeds mainly on uninhabited islands off the coasts of Zhejiang and Fujian provinces in east China. Between July and September, some birds stop in Nantong's coastal wetlands to rest and feed during their seasonal migration.

The repeated sightings underline the role of Nantong's wetlands as a stopover site for rare migratory birds, as Jiangsu continues efforts to restore wetland habitats.

Rare Chinese crested terns return to east China wetland for seventh year