Reserve Opuksky: photo, year of establishment. Where is the Opuk reserve?

The year of creation of the Opuk reserve is 1998. This unique natural area in the Crimea was created to study and subsequently preserve the flora, fauna and archaeological monuments of the peninsula. In the reserve you can see rare animals, admire the ancient ruins and many other sights.

Location:

Where is the Opuk reserve? It is located in the 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 Koyashskoe and the rocks of Elken-Kaya.

Short description

The area of the Russian Opuk reserve is 1592.3 ha. Of these, 62 hectares are part of the Black Sea water area, including Rocks-Ships, located four kilometers from the shore. The mountain is like a big hill surrounded by steep ledges and deep tectonic cracks. This divides the Opuk into separate blocks, forming an altogether amazing landscape.

Thanks to the climatic and orographic features, unique floristic, faunistic and landscape complexes were formed on the territory of the reserve. And in the whole Crimea they have no analogues.

Flora

The Russian Opuksky Nature Reserve has 766 plant species. 452 of them - the highest vascular, 176 - algae, 113 - a variety of lichens and 16 - bryophytes. The endemic nucleus is 48 species. Many plants are very rare and listed in the Red Book. For example:

• Saffron saffron;
• Shulk tulips ;
• Katran Mithridates and many others.

Fauna

In the Russian Opuk reserve there is 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 protected by the Berne Convention.

Of crustaceans, the permanent inhabitants of the reserve are marble, hairy and stone crabs. There are large populations of rare reptiles: zheltopuziki, skids, steppe adder and others.

The reserve of Opuksky includes over two hundred species of birds on its territory. Of these, 54 nests are built, 33 are wintering, 112 are migratory. Among the birds are 32 rare species found in the Red Book. For example:

• pastor;
• Oatmeal blackhead;
• bustard;
• Ogar;
• Saker and many others.

From mammals live hares, foxes. Of the rare:

• The big jerboa;
• Steppe ferret ;
• The bat is Mediterranean;
• Horseshoe horse large.

In the Black Sea, there are many rare species, some of which are also listed in the Red Book:

• The Black Sea sea horse ;
• Gray scribble;
• gurnard;
• Black Sea salmon;
• Dolphin bows and bottlenose dolphins;
• The Mediterranean monk seal.

Preserve Opuksky: historical and cultural monuments

On the northern slope is located the ancient hillfort of Kimmeric. On the eastern edge of the mountain Opuk - 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 military topographers V. Mospan and D. Vizhull.

sights

The Russian Opuksky Reserve, a photo of which is in this article, has many attractions. There are special overland ecological trails :

• The tract Opuk.
• Between the sea and the lake.
• Coastal.
• Elken-Kaya.

One of the unique sights is the Koyashsky Rose Lake. It is separated from the sea by a two-hundred-foot sandy perrosyp. The pink color of the lake and the rich blue sea beside create a fantastically beautiful sight. This lake is the most salty in the Crimea. On its bottom is a muddy mud. Due to its medicinal properties, it can fully compete with Saka mud. Here, especially on the mud comes a large number of visitors both residents of the peninsula, and guests of the Crimea.

The depth of the lake is no more than a meter. A pink color, it is due to the huge colonies of the crustacean artemia and algae dunaliella. And the drying up tops of the stones that protrude from the lake shine with crystals.

The reserve of Opuksky has a unique animal world. Pink starlings are another of the wonders of this heavenly place. It is the only one in the Crimea, inhabited by entire colonies of these rare birds. The pink starlings arrive in the reserve in May and live until the end of July - only three months. Then fly to Asia.

Another natural living attraction is bats. Their colonies are in the former catacombs of Opuk. Basically, the accumulations of bats consist of withered moths, the population of which reaches up to twenty thousand individuals. In the cave they look like grape clusters, hanging from the ceiling. Mice do not pay attention to tourists - they are used to it. Therefore, they do not react even to flashes of cameras. And tourists who want to photograph the colony of bats come there a lot.

The reserve of Opuksky has its amazing "zest" - Rocks-Ships. The huge statues of stone are located four kilometers from Mount Opuk. If you look from the outside, they really resemble sailboats, that's why they got that name. The official one is Elken-Kaya. Previously, these rocks were connected with the shore, but over time, the "Stone Ships" were at sea. They consist of strong reef limestones. Therefore, any storm is not terrible for them. The highest stone "sailing ship" reaches twenty meters. Among these rocks there is a fresh source. This is a very rare phenomenon. To the stone "ships" constantly come to spawn colonies of sturgeon and beluga.

The ancient settlement of Kimmeric is an ancient landmark. It is the former capital of Cimmeria, which arose in the sixth century BC and existed until the fourth century AD. Tourists can see ancient settlements, a citadel, ancient wells, an ancient port.

This is not all the listing of the attractions of the Opuk reserve. Admire many places, animals and the underwater world, and from the boat, during sea walks. This pearl of the Crimea is one of the Russian miracles.