The year of creation of the Opuksky Reserve is 1998. This unique natural area on the territory of Crimea was created for the study and subsequent preservation of the flora, fauna and archaeological sites of the peninsula. In the reserve you can see rare animals, admire ancient ruins and many other attractions.
Location
Where is the Opuk Nature Reserve? It is located in Crimea, on the southern side of the Kerch Peninsula. Mount Opuk is part of the reserve. It was in her honor that he was named. Also, the territory of the reserve captures Lake Koyashskoye and the rocks of Elken-Kaya.
Short description
The area of the Russian Opuk Reserve is 1592.3 ha. Of these, 62 hectares are included in the Black Sea area, including the Ship Rocks, located four kilometers from the coast. The mountain is like a big hill surrounded by steep ledges and deep tectonic fissures. This divides Opuk into separate blocks, forming an amazing landscape as a whole.
Thanksclimatic and orographic features on the territory of the reserve formed unique floristic, faunal and landscape complexes. Moreover, they have no analogues in the entire Crimea.
Flora
Russian Opuk nature reserve has 766 species of plants. 452 of them are higher vascular, 176 are algae, 113 are various lichens and 16 are bryophytes. The endemic core consists of 48 species. Many plants are very rare and are listed in the Red Book. For example:
- Crimean saffron;
- Schrenk tulips;
- katran of Mithridates and many others.
Fauna
The Russian Opuk Nature Reserve has a very diverse fauna, consisting of more than a thousand species. Most are spineless animals. 30 species of mammals, 411 fish, 205 birds and 9 reptiles. Many are very rare and listed in the Red Book, 8 are on the European list and 87 are under the protection of the Berne Convention.
Of the crustaceans, the permanent residents of the reserve are marble, hairy and stone crabs. There are large populations of rare reptiles: yellowbellies, runners, steppe vipers and others.
The Opuksky Reserve has more than two hundred species of birds on its territory. Of these, 54 make nests, 33 winter, 112 are migratory. Among the birds there are 32 rare species that are in the Red Book. For example:
- pink starling;
- blackhead oatmeal;
- bustard;
- burn;
- Saker Falcon and many others.
Mammals include hares and foxes. Rare:
- big jerboa;
- steppe ferret;
- Mediterranean bat;
- large horseshoe.
There are many rare species in the Black Sea, some of which are also listed in the Red Book:
- Black Sea seahorse;
- grey screed;
- guinea cock;
- Black Sea salmon;
- Azovka and bottlenose dolphins;
- Mediterranean monk seal.
Opuksky Nature Reserve: historical and cultural monuments
The ancient city of Kimmerik is located on the northern slope. On the eastern edge of Mount Opuk is the Citadel. There are several ancient settlements located in different areas of the reserve. Thanks to the work of archaeologists, they have survived to this day. Each of them is unique and has its own "zest". On the western slope of Mount Opuk there is a Monument to the military topographers V. Mospan and D. Vizhullu.
Attractions
The Russian Opuk Nature Reserve, the photo of which is in this article, has many attractions. There are special overland ecological trails:
- Opuk tract.
- Between the sea and the lake.
- Coastal.
- Elken-Kaya.
One of the unique attractions is the Koyash pink lake. Separates it from the sea only two hundred meters of sandy embankment. The pink color of the lake and the rich blue of the sea nearby create a fantastically beautiful sight. This lake is the mosts alt price Crimea | At its bottom is silt healing mud. In terms of its healing properties, it can quite compete with the Saka mud. A large number of visitors come here especially for the mud, both residents of the peninsula itself and guests of Crimea.
The depth of the lake is no more than a meter. And it acquires a pink color due to the huge colonies of the Artemia crustacean and Dunaliella algae. And the drying tops of the stones protruding from the lake shine with crystals.
The Opuksky reserve has a unique wildlife. Pink starlings are another of the wonders of this paradise. It is the only one in the Crimea where entire colonies of these rare birds live. Pink starlings arrive in the reserve in May and live until the end of July - only three months. Then they fly to Asia.
Another natural living attraction is bats. Their colonies are located in the former catacombs of Opuk. Mostly, bat concentrations consist of pointed-eared bats, the population of which reaches up to twenty thousand individuals. In the cave, they look like bunches of grapes hanging from the ceiling. Mice do not pay attention to tourists - they are used to it. Therefore, they do not even respond to camera flashes. And there are quite a lot of tourists who want to take pictures of the colony of bats.
The Opuksky Nature Reserve has its own amazing "zest" - Rocks-Ships. Huge stone sculptures are located four kilometers from Mount Opuk. When viewed from the side, they really resemble sailboats, which is why they got their name. Official - Elken-Kaya. Previously, these rocks were connected to the shore, but over time, the "Stone Ships" ended up in the sea. They consist of strong reef limestones. Therefore, any storm is not terrible for them. The highest stone "sailboat" reaches twenty meters. Among these rocks there is a fresh spring. This is a very rare occurrence. Colonies of sturgeon and beluga constantly come to the stone "ships" to spawn.
The ancient city of Kimmerik is an ancient landmark. This is the former capital of Cimmeria, which arose in the sixth century BC and existed until the fourth century AD. Tourists can see the ancient settlements, the citadel, ancient wells, the ancient port.
This is not all the sights of the Opuk Reserve. You can also admire many places, animals and the underwater world from a boat during boat trips. This pearl of Crimea is one of the Russian wonders.
