Nature has populated the Earth with various animals and birds, insects, plants and other living things. Some of them are quite common and numerous, others are very rare and live only in certain parts of the planet. They are called endemic. They are absolutely on every continent. North America is no exception. In this article, we look at the endemic of North America.
The meaning of the term
Endemics are recognized as such representatives of the animal or plant world, which are found only in a certain place and nowhere else on the planet. As a rule, such exclusivity has been formed over thousands of years of evolution and is often explained by the geographical remoteness of the continent or its individual part. Endemic, for example, are rich in rain forests of South America, the Galapagos Islands. Some plants and animals found in North America are also exceptional species not found anywhere else. Amazing representatives of flora and fauna are amazing. Such shapes and sizes can only be invented and created by nature.
Endemic North America: Plants
- Balfour Pine. It got its name in honor of a botanist from Scotland. The tree reaches a height of 22 meters or more. This is an endemic from the state of California, which is divided into two territorial subspecies, growing at a distance of 500 kilometers from each other.
- Elephant tree (pachycormus). It grows in the border zone and Mexico. It got its name for an interesting shape and size. With a height of 4 to 9 meters, it has a trunk thickness equal to half the height. Spreading tree crowns acquire a bizarre and unearthly shape, giving it a high decorative effect.
- Some species of cacti are also endemic to North America, including Capricorn astrophytum, De Negri oregonium, Reichenbach's echinocereus, etc.
Sequoia - America's National Treasure
Evergreen sequoia has a limited range. It grows on the Pacific coast of the mainland. Its main qualities, which are surprising, are its dimensions (height - more than 100 meters), an age exceeding one thousand years, and a huge trunk diameter. At a certain period, these trees were subjected to destructive effects from the human side, they were massively cut down, some simply destroyed, for example, cutting through the passage for cars in them. Now sequoia is evergreen - it is a national treasure.
