Photo shows a Xingan salamander, a wild animal species under national first-class protection in China. (Photo/Wang Shaoneng)

Mao'er Mountain National Reserve is located in the north of Guilin city, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. The reserve is home to south China's tallest peak with a height of 2,141.5 meters above sea level.

It boasts rich biodiversity, with 491 wild vertebrate species from 155 families across 34 orders of 5 classes.

The nature reserve is home to 12 species of wild animals under national first-class protection in China, including leopards, clouded leopards, Elliot’s pheasants, dwarf musk deer, pangolins, Xingan salamanders, yellow-breasted buntings, jackals, large Indian civets, small Indian civets, and Asian golden cats.

Additionally, there are 60 species of national second-class protected wild animals inhabiting the reserve, such as Chinese giant salamanders, Tibetan macaques, and black bears.

Among these protected species, Xingan salamanders are quite special as they are known as a "living fossil". The species is only found in high-altitude marshy areas above 1,900 meters within the Mao’er Mountain National Reserve.

Photo shows an Elliot's pheasant, a bird species under national first-class protection in China. (Photo courtesy of the management office of Mao'er Mountain National Reserve)

Photo shows a leopard cat in Mao'er Mountain National Reserve in Guilin city, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. (Photo courtesy of the management office of Mao'er Mountain National Reserve)

Photo show a silver pheasant in Mao'er Mountain National Reserve in Guilin city, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. (Photo courtesy of the management office of Mao'er Mountain National Reserve)

Photo shows a golden pheasant in Mao'er Mountain National Reserve in Guilin city, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. (Photo courtesy of the management office of Mao'er Mountain National Reserve)

Photo shows a tufted deer in Mao'er Mountain National Reserve in Guilin city, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. (Photo courtesy of the management office of Mao'er Mountain National Reserve)

Photo shows a black bear in Mao'er Mountain National Reserve in Guilin city, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. (Photo courtesy of the management office of Mao'er Mountain National Reserve)

Photo shows Tibetan macaques in Mao'er Mountain National Reserve in Guilin city, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. (Photo courtesy of the management office of Mao'er Mountain National Reserve)