Global InformationOpuvani do information
| Opuvani do | |
|---|---|
| Oпүвaхи до | |
 | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 1,584 m (5,197 ft) |
| Coordinates | 42°36′10″N 18°32′55″E / 42.60278°N 18.54861°E |
| Geography | |
  Opuvani do Location in Montenegro | |
| Location | Montenegro |
| Parent range | Orjen |
The Opuvani do (Serbian: Windy valley) is a sinkhole at the northern slope of the Velika Jastrebica in the Orjen mountain range located in Montenegro. It creates a major refugium to arcto-alpine and alpine biota in a region with warm winters. As the 60 m deep sinkhole is prone to cold-air pooling, frequent freeze-thaw cycles create favourable conditions for periglacially formed features (i.e. solifluction, periglacially patterned ground).[1] The sinkhole is at 1584 m elevation and consists of 4 interconnected sinks. The major sink is laterally elongated, 440 m long. The outflow of the cold air is at 1647 m and the depth of the basin atmosphere is 63 m.
In 2020, a relict population of the Alpine salamander (Salamandra atra) was reported from the sink, which fills a 200 km wide distribution gap in the species range.[2]
- ^ Cikovac P, Hölzle I (2018) Glacial relicts in the Mediterranean Dinarides, a phenomenon of cold-air pool microclimates. Botanica Serbica 42(1):74
- ^ Pavle Cikovac & Katarina Ljubisavljevic 2020: Another isolated relic population of the Alpine Salamander (Salamandra atra Laurenti, 1768) (Amphibia: Caudata: Salamandridae) in the Balkans. Russian Journal of Herpetology, Vol. 27/2: 109-112 (PDF)