Animals Found in China

China's vast territory (9.6M km², 18 climate zones) hosts ~10% of Earth's vertebrate species. Highlights by class:

Mammals (Flagship & Endemic)

• Giant Panda (Sichuan, Shaanxi, Gansu) — conservation icon.
• Red Panda (Himalayan foothills).
• Snow Leopard (Tibet, Qinghai, Xinjiang, Sichuan).
• Golden Snub-nosed Monkey (Qinling, Sichuan).
• Takin (Qinling, "goat-antelope").
• Tibetan Antelope / Chiru (Changtang).
• Przewalski's Horse (reintroduced, Xinjiang/Gansu).
• South China Tiger (functionally extinct in wild).
• Amur Leopard / Tiger (NE China — border Russia).
• Yangtze Finless Porpoise (critically endangered).
• Baiji (Yangtze River Dolphin) — likely extinct (2006).

Birds (Pheasant Diversity Epicenter)

• Golden Pheasant, Lady Amherst's, Reeves's, Blue-eared, Blood, Elliot's, Cabot's, Sichuan Hill Partridge, Chinese Bamboo Partridge, Chinese Francolin.
• Cranes: Red-crowned, White-naped, Hooded, Siberian (wintering).
• Crested Ibis (recovered from 7 to 5,000+).

Reptiles & Amphibians

• Chinese Alligator (Anhui/Zhejiang — critically endangered, <200 wild).
• Chinese Giant Salamander (world's largest amphibian, farmed > wild).
• King Cobra, Chinese Cobra, Mangshan Pit Viper (endemic), Chinese Crocodile Lizard.
• Turtles: Yangtze Giant Softshell (3 known), Chinese Stripe-necked, Yellow-margined Box.

Fish (Ancient Lineages)

• Chinese Sturgeon, Yangtze Sturgeon (critically endangered).
• Chinese Paddlefish — declared extinct 2020.
• Cyprinid radiation: Silver, Bighead, Grass, Black Carp (domesticated globally).

Invertebrates

• Chinese Giant Hornet (Vespa mandarinia).
• Chinese Mantis (Tenodera sinensis).
• Diverse endemic cave fauna (Guangxi, Yunnan karst).

Conservation Status

China has 2,750+ nature reserves (18% land). Key laws: Wildlife Protection Law (2016, revised 2022), CITES enforcement, national parks system (2021 pilot: Sanjiangyuan, Giant Panda, Northeast Tiger/Leopard, Hainan Tropical Rainforest, Wuyishan).