Taiwan's Thriving Features and Biological Diversity             Taiwan is located in the subtropics and is usually warm and rainy. With an area of 36,000 square kilometers, Taiwan has many undulating mountain chains and steep valleys stretched across its length and breadth, with some mountains reaching an altitude of almost 4,000 meters. Taiwan's varied topography gives the island a variety of different ecosystems, including ocean, island, river mouth, swamp, lake, river, forest, and sand dune environments. Consequently, Taiwan is endowed with a wide range of flora and fauna, with some 4,000 species of vascular plants and 150,000 species of fauna living on the island. Indeed, whether examining Taiwan's plants and animals or looking at its marine ecology, the island's location on the boundary of the "Palaearctic Region" and the "Oriental Region" give the island the special characteristic of being a "confluence" of wildlife and environments.   Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas japonica)             Green turtles are herbivorous reptiles that eat large quantities of algae and seaweed. The turtle's name is derived from the coloring of their fat, which is green from absorbing the chlorophyll in their food.   Mikado pheasants (Syrmaticus mikado)           Mikado pheasants (Syrmaticus mikado) are a special species endemic to Taiwan that can be found in a variety of habitats: in dense bushes, mixed forests, and conifer forests between middle and high altitudes; in the lower layers of bamboo groves; and in areas with steep slopes .   Birdwing butterflies (Troides magellanus C. and R. Felder)       (movie!)            Birdwing butterflies (Troides magellanus C. and R. Felder), also known as "Orchid Island pearl luster butterflies" because of the pearl luster color of the male's hindwings, are one of the larger species of butterflies. The flight of the birdwing is quite special-with the insect often gliding through the air instead of actually flying-and will sometimes scare away small birds. Birdwings are found on Taiwan's Orchid Island and in Luzon and Mindanao of the Philippines. Red-clawed mangrove crabs (Uca arcuata)            Red-clawed mangrove crabs (Uca arcuata) are the most commonly seen of the ten species of fiddler crabs found in Taiwan, and are also widespread off the coasts of southeastern China, Japan, and Korea. They have reddish bodies that are sometimes variegated in color and a network of stripes on the back of their shells. Formosan giant stag beetles (Dorcus formosanus Miwa)            Formosan giant stag beetles (Dorcus formosanus Miwa) are a species of beetle indigenous to Taiwan commonly found in low- and middle-altitude mountainous areas. The beetles, which are attracted to light, have two large protrusions on either side of the head, a prothorax whose front edge is concave in shape, and vertical stripes on the tips of their forewings consisting of lines of tiny dots. Two-toned woodtufts (Kuehneromyces mutabilis)            Two-toned woodtufts (Kuehneromyces mutabilis) are tiny, saprophytic mushrooms with sticky, tannish-brown caps, feather-like scales, and rings on their stalks. A common species found throughout the world, the two-toned woodtufts in Taiwan appear during the autumn and winter, growing together in clusters on the stumps and logs of broadleaf trees in middle-altitude mountainous areas. Ladybells (Adenophora uehatae Yamamoto)            Ladybells (Adenophora uehatae Yamamoto) are perennial herbaceous plants that flourish on clastic rock located on Taiwan's highest mountains, usually at elevations between 3,000 to 3,800 meters above sea level. The plants blossom between July and September, producing blue, bell-shaped flowers.