The Kokshetau National Natural Park was set up in 1996. The area of 1.34,511 hectares, it is located i Zerenda district of Akmola province and Aiyrtau district of North Kazakhstan province. The territory of th National park is covered with low mountain ranges of Kokshetau Upland in the north-western part of the Kazakh Hummocks. The highest point of the Zerenda Mountains is 588 m, of the Imantau Mountains - 661 m of the Aiyrtau Mountains - 523 m and the Sarymbet Mountain group - 409 m above sea level.
The vertebrate fauna of the park is represented by 283 species.
The territory of the park and the adjusting area is full of many beautiful lakes - Zerenda, Imantau, Shaika, etc. Major rivers here are the Tersbutak, Chaglinka, Zhabai, Babykburluk. Multiple temporary streams run down the slopes of the mountains, in lowlands there are springs and swamps.
The main tree species is the pine occupying the bottom, slopes and peaks of low hills and ridges, plains and hollows between hills. Other trees are the birch (warty and downy) and aspen that mix with the pine One can find here bushes such as juniper, cotoneaster, rose, hawthorn, willow, raspberries, currant. The flora consists of many northern relic plants - ferns, wintergreen, Linnaeus northern, squirrel ear, European star. flower and others. The ladies'-slipper, sundew rotundifolia wintergreen and orchids Fuchs are included n the Red Book of Kazakhstan.
The ungulates living here are Siberian deer, elk, wild boar. In 1983, imported were Askanian deer, which have well acclimatized. Predators inhabiting this nature reserve are wolves, foxes, dog-foxes, badgers, weasels, steppe polecats, martens, minks, lynxes. In recent years, the raccoon dog has migrated here from the northern regions. In the forest, common is the blue hare, in forest edges - brown hares. Birds typical for this region are small woodpeckers, thrushes, redwing, tree pipit, chaffinch, cuckoo, oriole, grouse doves, buntings, warblers, chickadees, warblers. At lakes common are ducks, geese, swans, grebes and on their shores - herons, waders, wagtails. Of red-listed species one can see here the eagle, imperial eagle owl, gray crane. Reptiles are represented by the lizard, patterned snake, plain and steppe viper water snake amphibians by green toad, grass and moor frog; fishes by carp, pike, perch, roach, ide, tench, burbot.
The invertebrate fauna of animals (insects, spiders, mites, molluscs, worms, etc.) ‘s not properly studied yet. It is known that the steppe is inhabited by about 1000 species of beetles, 220 integer bedbugs, 70 species of Orthoptera (grasshoppers, crickets, locusts, etc.), 64 species of spiders. The Red Book species are the black-winged dragonfly, saga steppe and onconotus servillei (grasshoppers), skoliid wasp and cochineals Polish (the source of a natural dye ~ carmine).
The national park has 13 natural monuments of national value: the Green Cape, Smo naya hill, Strekach hill, the Malinovyi cape, Porharnaya hill. Two Brothers hill, Ostraya hill, a waterfall with a cave, Raskolotaya hill Cossack Island of Lake Imantau, Obozreniye hill, Kotelok hill, Relic rock array
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