The study of terrestrial vertebrates of the Ob River basin

Abstract

The paper describes the 300-year history of studying the terrestrial vertebrates in the Ob basin and the current state of researches into amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. We examine the role of the research centres in Western Siberia in studying the terrestrial vertebrates in the Ob basin, from the steppe in the south to the tundra in the north and the uplands of the Altai, Kuznetsky Alatau and Salair. We describe the degree of exploration of the terrestrial vertebrates in 11 Russian regions located in the area. The paper includes discussions of rare species, population, spatial distribution and man’s impact on the animals. We also indicate areas where there is insufficient study.

Keywords:

• Western Siberia
• Amphibians
• Reptiles
• Birds
• Mammals

Acknowledgments

The results were obtained further to a public contract with the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.