Akimushkin Igor Ivanovich (1929-1993)
Born in Moscow in the family of an engineer. Graduated from the Faculty of Biology and Soil Sciences of Moscow State University (1952). Published since 1956.
His first books for children appeared in 1961: “Traces of Unseen Beasts” and “The Path of Legends: Tales of Unicorns and Basilisks.”
Igor Ivanovich wrote a number of books for children, using techniques that are typical for fairy tales and travel. These are: “Once upon a time there was a squirrel”, “Once upon a time there was a beaver”, “Once upon a time there was a hedgehog”, “Building animals”, “Who flies without wings?”, “Different animals”, “Why is a rabbit not like a hare” and etc.
For teenagers, Akimushkin wrote books of a more complex genre - encyclopedic ones: “River and Sea Animals”, “Entertaining Biology”, “The Vanished World”, “The Tragedy of Wild Animals”, etc.
Akimushkin’s focus is on – current issues development, conservation and study of the animal world, study of animal behavior and psyche. He wrote not only books for children and youth; but also scripts for popular science films. A number of Akimushkin’s works have been translated into foreign languages. His most famous work is the book “Animal World”.
“The World of Animals” is the most famous work of Igor Ivanovich Akimushkin, which has gone through several reprints. They summarize a huge amount of scientific material, use more modern scheme classifications of the animal world, many different facts from the life of animals, birds, fish, insects and reptiles, beautiful illustrations, photographs, funny stories and legends, incidents from life and notes from an observer-naturalist. Six volumes of “The World of Animals” by Igor Ivanovich Akimushkin were published one after another over the course of a decade - from 1971 to 1981. They were published by the publishing house “Young Guard” in the popular “Eureka” series. In ten years, readers have managed to grow up and fall in love with these books for the rest of their lives. The first and second talked about mammals, the third - about birds, the fourth - about fish, amphibians and reptiles, the fifth - about insects, the sixth - about domestic animals.
The first book, “The World of Animals,” tells about seven orders of mammals: cloacals, marsupials, insectivores, woolly wings, carnivores, equids and artiodactyls.
Why was Australia inhabited only by marsupials and egg-laying animals before the arrival of humans? Who is stronger: a lion, a tiger or a bear? Secrets behind the needles - about the incomprehensible habits of hedgehogs. Igor Akimushkin invites readers to take him on a fascinating journey into the animal kingdom. In this book, the author talks about the world of mammals. The theme of human responsibility for the fate of animals on our planet runs through the entire book.
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We have two ferrets: black (or forest) and light (or steppe). The first has an all-black tail and a brownish belly with black spots on the chest and groin, connected by a narrow dark stripe. The undercoat on the sides and back is whitish, grayish or yellow and covered with black-brown guard hairs at the ends.
The light undercoat shines through the dark pile, especially if you blow on it, which is why the ferret’s fur, shimmering very beautifully in different tones, plays, as if “opalescent,” with yellowness.
In the steppe polecat, only half of the tail (end) is black, the other (root) is light, yellowish. And the back is light (not black-brown, like the forest one), since the sparse brown awn does not cover the light down well. There is also no middle dark stripe on the belly, connecting the dark spots on the chest and groin.
The range of the forest polecat is almost all of Europe, except for Ireland, Scotland, the Balkans and Scandinavia. To the east - to the Urals, to the south - to the Lower Volga, the Right Bank of the Don and the Sea of Azov. In some places it is still preserved North Africa and here and there in Western Asia. Acclimatized in New Zealand and Australia. The range of the light polecat is South-Eastern Europe, Ukraine, Crimea, the foothills of the Caucasus. The northern border in Europe is Oka, Tatar Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, Gorky and Perm regions. Beyond the Urals - all Southern Siberia(east to the Burey River), Kazakhstan, Central Asia, Northern China and Mongolia.
The dark polecat prefers edges, clearings, ravines, littered and overgrown with bushes, although the animal is a forest animal. The light-colored polecat settles mostly in steppes, meadows, and semi-deserts. In other respects, they are similar in their lifestyle. Both, destroying a lot of harmful rodents, bring great benefits. However, there is also harm from a ferret: when it climbs into a chicken coop and strangles a lot of birds, more than it can eat. Here they tell such a funny, but, unfortunately, not reliable story: the ferret, before boarding the roost, supposedly stupefies the chickens with a gas attack (it has glands under its tail that smell very pungent and unpleasant). So, having climbed into the chicken coop, the ferret “stinks” so much that the chickens fall from their perch from nausea, and he smothers them without any fuss. The steppe polecat, called kurna in Siberian, poisons marmots as if with a “stinking stench,” having climbed into their hole.
Crochet races in early spring, pregnancy lasts 40 days. Cubs - from two to twelve (in the steppe - even up to eighteen!).
From the African ferret, people bred (two thousand years ago!) the domestic ferret, or fret.
He is white with red eyes - an albino.
(However, there are also dirty white and black-brown ones, almost like wild ferrets.) They hunt rabbits with it: they let them into holes, putting a muzzle and a bell on their neck. The purpose of the muzzle is to prevent the ferret from biting and eating the rabbit in the hole, but only to drive it out into the net stretched at the exit. And the bell is to know where underground, in which direction the ferret is making its way. Frettchen hunting is quite popular in Germany.
Mink is from the same genus as ferrets and stoats.
Now in our country there are two types of mink - European and American. This one is larger and only has underlip white, the European also has an upper one. American mink fur is more valuable; it has been successfully acclimatized in many places: in the Bashkir, Tatar ASSR, Altai, Eastern Siberia and Far East, releasing more than 12 thousand imported minks into the wild.
European mink – Europe, Western Siberia east to the Irtysh, Caucasus (in some places). American, or mink, - Canada and USA. There is a native mink in Java.
Minks have webbed feet. Their lifestyle and appearance are somewhat reminiscent of otter burrows: they settle near the water, swim and dive perfectly. They catch fish, frogs, crayfish, mollusks, insects, rodents, ducks, sometimes even geese, American minks - sometimes even hares. They eat berries. Where American and European minks are found, there are crossbreeds between them (the same as with ferrets). But their relations are generally not peaceful: American minks are displacing and even exterminating European minks.
Contrary to their name, they dig holes reluctantly: most often their nests are in hollows above the roots of old willows, in fallen trees, sometimes in a hummock from under which a water rat has been expelled (and its hole has been expanded).
“There are usually one or two exits and entrances from the nesting chamber. Near one of them, already beyond the threshold of the dwelling, there is a restroom. The mink has an innate habit of cleanliness... The floor is covered with dry grass, leaves, moss, pine needles... The animal often fluffs up its bed... He does it masterfully, with his paws and teeth at the same time, then he lies down and curls up into a ball" (V.V. Dezhkin and S.V . Marakov).
Mink rut in early spring, pregnancy is about forty days (for American minks it is 36-37 days, since it has a short latent period). There are two to seven cubs (the American one has up to twelve).
The American mink has acclimatized well in Iceland and Scandinavia. The Swedish Hunting Association even received a subsidy of 25 thousand crowns from the government to exterminate mink where it had become harmful to domestic and wild bird. During the 1959/60 hunting season alone, 18 thousand American minks were caught here. They tried to acclimatize the mink in Chile, but it seems that they were unsuccessful.
Genetics have bred minks of various colors on fur farms: sapphire, pearl, topaz, silver, white, steel and others - more than two dozen color forms. The price of a skin of a new fashionable color at world auctions is sometimes $400. The skin of a sea otter, which is very wearable and much larger than that of mink, costs approximately the same.
The South American giant otter is similar to our common otter, but larger: up to two meters and a quarter long, and weighs up to 34 kilograms. In addition, the giant otter's tail is strongly compressed from top to bottom, like a beaver's, and the glands under the tail are capable of throwing out a stream of foul-smelling liquid, like a skunk. The shrill cries of giant otters can often be heard near Brazilian rivers, but the animals themselves are very secretive and are not easy to see and catch.
The bandage is a special animal. Its habits resemble both the steppe polecat and the American skunk. The lifestyle in general is that of a ferret, and the manner of defense is that of a skunk - a fluffy tail raised over its back as a sign of the first warning. If it is not taken into account, splashes of foul-smelling liquid fly from under the tail. Warning and angry, the bandage does not chirp, like ferrets and many small mustelids, but growls. And the color of the dressing is motley, like that of a skunk or African zorilla. The general background is generally yellowish, and irregularly shaped red and brown spots are scattered across it (very freely and individually, like a hyena dog). The belly and legs are black-brown, and the ears are white.
Steppes, semi-deserts Southeast Europe, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, Western China, our Black Sea region (west to the Dnieper), Crimea, Caucasus, Lower Volga region, Kazakhstan, Central Asia, Altai - the dressing area. Prey: rodents, lizards, birds. Morning and evening dawns are the favorite hunting hours. Burrows, sometimes hollows, are a haven for rest and sleep.
The rut is apparently in August–September. Pregnancy for five months. There are up to fourteen sucklings born in March in the litter.
The animal is rare. The advance of people on virgin lands, and steppe trochees to new territories does not at all contribute to the prosperity of dressings. They seem to be dying out.
Now we will talk about the largest animals of the mustel family. And the first among them is the sea otter, or sea otter: old males weigh forty kilograms. Second place goes to the wolverine: mature females weigh 32 kilograms (but old females weigh only 16).
“This is a kudoy, very kudoy, the very last animal” - this, says A. A. Cherkasov, has long been a characteristic of the wolverine in Siberia. “Thin” - she eats carrion and does not disdain snakes. “She, damned, clouds her vision, so that the dogs see her poorly and lose her from their eyes,” she is disgusting with her stench, which “emits” when the dogs surround the wolverine. She steals all kinds of suppressed animals and birds from traps (however, she manages not to fall into the trap herself!). “The very last beast” - hunting grub, food supplies left in the forest, also steals. And what it doesn’t eat or carry away, it pours its disgusting and stinking liquid on.
Of course, this bad wolverine manner does not stem from a malicious desire to harm people, it is simply the nature of wolverines and many other animals to mark with their scent everything that belongs to them: prey and the boundaries of their lands. For wolverines, they are large - about 150 thousand hectares. The wolverine is voracious and brave. They say that it takes prey from the lynx without fear. She might come across a fox or an otter, or a wolverine might eat them. Roe deer, musk deer, sometimes beavers, young or sick elk, wapiti steals, attacks and crushes.
Large prey is dragged “into the heels, not having the strength to carry it in its teeth.” He drags him to a more secluded place, eats along the way, and drags him again. Then it doesn’t go far: it can’t eat right away, it feeds for several days. Sometimes other wolverines gather for large prey and feast together.
The beast has a rather strange appearance: it is clumsy in a special way, in its own way. The back is arched, the paws are semi-plantigrade, and as it walks, it clumps - “intertwining its legs.” Looks a bit like a small bear. Brown, just as shaggy, but the tail is quite long and fluffy. And the body seems to be compressed from the sides.
They tell a lot of strange things about wolverines. In some places, their bad reputation is tinged with mystical fear: evil spirits seem to live in these animals.
They say that on a steep slope the dogs will catch up with the wolverine, so it will curl up and roll downhill like a ball, “not relying on the speed of its run.” It doesn’t matter if it rolls onto level ground or onto sharp stones: the skin is strong and itself folded tightly. He jumps up and runs under his own power. In the same way - in a lump and hiding its head between its front legs - it seems to fall from the steep slopes onto musk deer and wild goats and “often,” the industrialists told A.A. Cherkassov, “with its weight it either kills these animals or pushes them off the cliffs.” This doesn't look much like the truth. However, what does not happen in the world... When she is hungry, she is unlucky with great hunting; the wolverine catches frogs near rivers and lakes, young ducks, and fish. “She must be good and beautiful when she comes out of the swamp, soaked and covered in swamp mud!...”
However, the wolverine’s fur does not get wet well from water. For this reason, Eskimos line their clothes with its fur along the edges of the sleeves and collars, so that the malitsa, which has absorbed moisture, does not become stiff in the cold.
Wolverines rut either from the end of July or around September. It is still unknown with certainty. Pregnancy is about nine months. There are from one to four young in the litter (February–April). The range is the north of Scandinavia, our European north and Siberia (south to the Leningrad, Vologda regions and Sverdlovsk, but sometimes wolverines run into Belarus, near Voronezh, in the forest-steppe of Kazakhstan), Mongolia, Canada, Alaska, in the USA - the mountains of California.
But one whose skin, one might say, simply repels water, not accepting it at all - the otter. This is understandable: the otter is a water animal. Fish storm!
On occasion, the otter also catches wild ducklings, hares and marsh turtles. Does not disdain water rats, crayfish and frogs. But most of all he loves fish. All sorts of things. And roach, and perch, and bream. Even such fast ones as grayling and taimen. In Ukraine, the diet of otters includes more than twenty species of different fish.
But the otter is not an enemy to the fisherman, but a friend. IN Lately biologists have established such a paradoxical relationship: as soon as otters are exterminated from some reservoirs, there will initially be more fish in them. But then noticeably less. How otters will breed again in those rivers or lakes - again there will be more fish in them! Otters catch a lot of sick fish. Thus, schools of fish are “disinfected”.
When tracking prey, the otter lurks on the shore and watches. Or he’ll put his face in the water to see better. He will notice a school of fish and carefully and silently slide into the river. There, under the water, it will rush forward, and the fish is in its teeth!
If he catches a big fish, he drags it to the shore. He eats there. And it deals with small ones right in the water.
The otter plays cat and mouse with the fish! When you're full and want to have fun. He lets the fish go and waits - let it swim further away. And then chase after her. Catch and release again. The otter generally loves to play. And of all the games, her favorite is skiing down the mountain. In winter - with ice, in summer the best place for such a game is a clay cliff.
Otter families are friendly: until late autumn and even winter, grown-up otters live with their parents or nearby.
The male helps the female raise and protect the children.
In summer, otters apparently live sedentary lives: they do not go far from the hole (the entrance to it is always under water). In winter, they wander: tens, or even hundreds of kilometers pass through snow, getting stuck in it, since otters have short legs. On the ice of a river or lake, sometimes, having run up, they slide on their belly, as if on a sled. (Emperor penguins travel in this way, pushing themselves with flippers.) If there is no hole, the otter, they say, “blows through” the ice: breathes on it, tears it with its teeth and makes a hole for itself - a move to the water. Of course, this is possible (if at all possible) when the ice is not thick.
Otters rut at different times, but usually in February - April. It is unclear how long females are “pregnant”: some researchers prove that it is 270-300 days, others – no more than two and a half months. Young (from two to five in a litter) will be born in April, and in May, and in June - August, and even in December and February!
River otters live in Europe and Asia near forest rivers “with whirlpools and riffles, with ice holes that do not freeze for the winter, and with steep, washed-out banks. Outside the forest zone, they settle along the banks of rivers and lakes with reed thickets” (Professor G. A. Novikov).
Otters of the same species as ours live in North Africa and, as some researchers believe, also in Java, Sumatra and Japan. If we take into account related species, we can say that otters are to a certain extent cosmopolitan. They live in North (Canadian otter) and South America (seven species, including the giant otter), throughout Africa (four species) and in South Asia - Sumatra, Kalimantan, Java, Philippines (apparently three species). There are 17 species in total on Earth river otters and one type of marine.
Some otters sometimes swim from rivers to the sea to fish there. But this sea voyage of theirs is, so to speak, a temporary and irregular phenomenon. However, there is an otter that constantly lives in the sea and on the seashores - this is the sea otter. (Commander and Kuril Islands, Southern Kamchatka. On the other side of the Pacific Ocean are the Aleutian Islands, the southwestern coast of Alaska, and in some places sea otters are found on the west coast of the USA, south to California.)
Previously there were many sea otters, but now there are apparently only a few thousand of them on our islands (and in America there are about 10 thousand). Hunting them is prohibited. Sea otter fur is very expensive.
The common badger lives in Europe and Asia (south to Northern Burma and China). In places where badgers are not disturbed, they settle in entire colonies, and their burrows branch underground over an area of sometimes 25 hectares. The burrows are perfectly clean. Badgers often take bedding - dry leaves, moss, grass - out of the hole in the morning to air and dry. They also have latrines, places for games and for sunbathing.
Sea otters are peace-loving and good-natured animals. “You just relax in their company,” says S. V. Marakov, who devoted a lot of time and effort to studying sea otters on the Commander Islands. Males and females stay separately, away from each other. But both of them are friendly companies. On a summer day, sea otters usually swim several kilometers from the shore in the sea. At dusk they return to the shore. Here the surf strip, bays with underwater and surface rocks and stones, kelp thickets are their promised places. Sea otters lie in the water on their backs for a long time. Some sea otters have their babies sleeping on their chests, curled up comfortably. They are very gentle and caring mothers. But, alas, they have few children: only one child a year. Twins are very rare. Kalanikhas give birth on the shore or on rocks in the sea (some American zoologists claim that sometimes in the water).
The mother already teaches the approximately two-week-old suckling to swim: she puts it on her chest and, holding it with one paw, swims on her back into the sea. It happens with him that he dives to the bottom for prey. And the prey is sea urchins, stars, fish, squids, mollusks, crabs.
Sea otters, having dived, collect echinoderms, place them in folds of skin under the armpit and press them tightly with their paw so as not to lose them. (The skin of sea otters is loosely attached to the body, so it is presumably not difficult for them to perform such an operation.) It happens that they also take a stone with them at the bottom and swim to the top.
The sea otter does not like to dine on the shore. The waves rock him, and he lies on his back. On his chest it looks like a dining table: having placed a stone on it (or without a stone), he takes it out from under his arm sea urchins or shellfish and, having smashed them on a stone (or broken them with his paws), eats them slowly.
He eats and yawns (sea otters, says S.V. Marakov, love to yawn, and they yawn a lot, with obvious pleasure). He yawns and yawns and then falls asleep. Right there on the water, lying on my back. He folds his paws on his chest, buries his muzzle in them and sways on the waves, as if in a hammock. When the cubs grow up, from about six months, the mothers give them to the care of their fathers. They teach them by example how to hunt and preventive defense against killer whales and predatory toothed whales. Many marine animals, from squid to baleen whale, the killer whale is a terrible enemy. And among sea otters, where people do not hunt them, this seems to be the only enemy.
Another animal, well known to everyone, is included in the same zoological tribe with otters and martens - the badger.
We have two types of badgers. Common badger and honey badger. The first has a range of almost our entire country (except for the northeastern regions of Siberia), all of Europe, and in Asia - from Turkey to China and Japan. The second one lives only in Turkmenistan, near the border, and beyond its borders - in Africa, Western Asia and India.
An ordinary badger is not only a forest animal: it lives both in the steppe and in the desert. Only the tundra is not to his liking. It digs burrows in the forest most often in ravines (but not necessarily), and in deserts - in smooth salt marshes and sandy mounds. A badger hole is a grandiose structure for an animal. There are many holes in it, entrances and exits, some tens of meters from one another. The hole is completely clean.
Badgers are unsociable: they do not even tolerate close proximity to their own tribesmen - other badgers.
During the day they sleep in holes, at night they hunt for insects, their larvae, frogs, lizards, snakes, hares, birds, bird eggs - anyone they can overcome.
The badger destroys many bumblebee nests. Enraged bumblebees bite him, and when he can no longer bear it, he rolls on the ground, crushing them. Then he hurries back to the nest to eat both the honey and the baby.
A. A. Cherkasov says that Siberian badgers attack calves and foals, and even supposedly cows, tearing out the udders with their claws and teeth. I have not heard of such cases here.
He also talks very impressively about how, running away from the dogs along the mountainside, the badger rolls down, curled up into a ball.
“He, poor thing, out of fear, rolled down a steep and high mountain, runs into stones, hits them so hard that a special sound is heard - boot-boot-boot - bounces off them like a ball, then again flies, hits again, the boom-boot is heard more faintly, the stones moved from their place also fly and jump after him... Finally, the dogs catching up with the badger quickly rush in the same wake, stumble, tumble - noise, squealing, yapping complete the picturesque picture, which in the moonlight has a special effect."
All in all, fun! But whether this happens or has happened, I cannot say.
Badger almost everything sundial spends in a dungeon, and this is known to be harmful to health. Therefore, having interrupted nap, he goes out to bask in the sun. Lies, sits near a hole in the sun, or wanders around. When the badger cubs are born, their mother also takes them out to “sunbathe.” It must be assumed that there is no rickets.
By winter, badgers become very fat, doubling their weight: old males - up to almost 32 kilograms.
And where the winters are cold, these animals sleep in burrows from about October until April.
The badger is a very useful animal for forestry; it destroys a lot of beetle larvae and May beetles. Where all the badgers have been killed, trees are dying from pest beetles. The badger itself does little harm: it destroys bumblebee nests, and in some places spoils oats, melons, and vineyards. This is his indisputable liability. But the Badgers have more useful things to do.
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A wide variety of animals
Predatory animals stand out among other groups of mammals due to their diversity appearance, biological characteristics, adaptations to the environment. They vary greatly in their biology, giving a wide range of adaptive types: the order of Carnivores currently includes approximately 100 genera and 252 species. Of these, 18 genera and 43 species are distributed in Europe, including the acclimatized raccoon and American mink. Usually the carnivorous order is divided into two suborders - land predators (Fissipedia) And aquatic predators, or pinnipeds (Pinnipedia). Often these groups are considered as independent orders, retaining the name carnivores (Carnivora) only for the first of them. All these different species have a similarity in common. morphological features(mainly in the structure of the skull and dental system) and historical relationships.
Where do they live? beasts of prey
The geographical distribution of the order is very wide. Carnivores are found throughout the globe, not counting Antarctica and small oceanic islands. Particularly large habitats are characteristic of the canine, mustelid, and bear families.
A tramp who settled all over the world
Raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides), with lush sideburns and coloring similar to the American raccoon, it formerly lived in China, Japan, North Vietnam and Korea, but now, by the will of man, it has spread throughout Eurasia. She is a vagabond by nature, little attached to one place, and tirelessly travels long distances.
Lead a terrestrial lifestyle
Most predatory animals lead a terrestrial lifestyle.
The most common foxes
This is a Eurasian red fox Vulpes vulpes
and North American red fox Vulpes fulva. Some scientists consider them to be one species. Their body length is 90 - 105 cm, without a tail, and their weight is 7 kg. The ears are black and the tip of the tail is white. They have excellent vision, hearing and smell.
Lead an aquatic lifestyle
Some land predators live near bodies of water and swim and dive well. Certain species, such as minks and otters, became inhabitants of fresh water bodies, and sea otters became marine animals. These species prefer to feed not on meat, but on insects, aquatic invertebrates and even plant foods. Aquatic predators also include pinnipeds (Pinnipedia): seals, sea lions and walruses.
Brain Perfection
The high level of nervous activity characteristic of carnivores is ensured by the great perfection of the brain. He has good developed hemispheres with three grooves, numerous convolutions, large olfactory lobes.
The number of respiratory movements in mammals
depends on the size of the animal, which determines the different metabolic rates. It is (in 1 minute): for a horse - 8-16, for a black bear - 15-25, for a fox -25-40, for a rat - 100-150, for a mouse - about 200. Ventilation of the lungs not only ensures gas exchange, but it also has thermoregulatory significance. As the temperature rises, the number of respirations increases, and at the same time the amount of heat removed from the body also increases. Thus, in a dog, the ratio of heat transfer during breathing to the total heat loss at an air temperature of 8 ° C is (in percent) 14, at 15 ° C - 22, at 30 ° C - 46.
All senses are well developed
Predators have well-developed all senses. Especially the sense of smell: it is thousands of times stronger than the human sense. The sense of smell gives the predator more information about the world around him than his, also acute vision.
Pupil vertical or round
In foxes, as in cats. the pupil is vertical, oblong, whereas in wolves. jackals and dogs it is round.
Skunks have poorly developed hearing, vision and sense of smell.
Therefore it often happens that striped skunk Mephitis mephitis meets his pursuer face to face. Then he resorts to using his chemical weapons.
What types of ears are there?
The external auricles of most carnivorous species are well developed, pointed, fennec And big-eared fox unusually large, whereas in the arctic fox, ermine, weasel and others they barely protrude from the surrounding fur, and in the sea otter they are underdeveloped. Ears arctic foxes, or arctic foxes short, round. densely pubescent, retaining heat well.
The most big ears Of all the beasts of prey - fennec tree (Fennecus zerda). This miniature fox lives in sandy deserts North Africa, Sinai and Arabian Peninsulas. The weight of the animal is only 1.5 kg. Its body length does not exceed 41 cm, height - 31 cm, while its ears reach 15 cm or more. Huge ears allow him to catch the slightest rustle made by his victims.
Big-eared fox
or draaishakal (Otocyon megalotis) lives in South Africa, it is thin-legged and thin-boned. Her ears, folded together, will cover her entire head. The draaishakal's ears are not pointed, like those of the fennec, but round, like spoons.
The most toothy dog
In the big-eared fox, or draaishakal (Otocyon megalotis) more teeth than any other canid - 50, while the norm is 42. The teeth are small and tuberous. This animal feeds mainly on insects, termites, and locusts.
Wolf of Africa
Hyena dog (Lycaon pictus) It resembles a wolf not in appearance, but in its habits - the organization of round-ups and the discipline of the pack, in which there are up to 60 dogs. Outwardly, especially with their blunt muzzle, they look like hyenas.
The fewer fingers, the easier it is to jump
A hyena dog doesn’t have enough toes on its paws: not five on its front ones. like everyone else in the canine family. and four. The fewer fingers, the faster the animals run. The legs of these dogs are very well developed. It is not difficult for them to drive any zebra or antelope.
Fur
All predatory animals have well developed hairline, varying in density, length, splendor, and color. Many species are characterized by variegated fur color (spotted, striped, etc.), reaching the greatest brightness in the southern forms. In some northern species, a seasonal change in color is observed - whitening of the fur in winter (weasel, ermine, arctic fox) or its significant lightening (polar wolf).
The most expensive fur
The most expensive fur is considered to be sable, sea otter and chinchilla.
Minks different colors
Geneticists on fur farms have bred minks of various colors: sapphire, pearl. topaz. silver, white, steel - more than two dozen color forms. The price of a skin of a new fashionable color at auctions is sometimes up to $400.
Fur animals
Many species of carnivores belong to valuable fur-bearing animals; the skins of animals from northern latitudes and high mountain areas. In the current century, cage breeding of silver-black foxes, blue foxes, American minks and foxes with a completely different and amazingly beautiful coloring of skins from wild animals has become widespread. It takes from 35 to 65 mink skins for a mink coat, 15 beaver skins for a beaver coat, from 15 to 25 fox skins for a fox coat, an ermine fur coat requires the skins of 150 animals, and from a chinchilla - from 60 to 100 chinchillas.
Blue fur
Arctic fox, or Arctic fox Alopes lagopus lives in the Arctic, occurring in icy desert hundreds of kilometers from the mainland. In winter it turns white, and Greenland foxes turn blue. Blue foxes do not lose their pigment in the summer, when they have a dark grayish-blue color, which becomes lighter in winter.
The largest of the mustelids
Old male sea otters weigh 40 kg. Second place goes to the wolverine - the weight of seasoned males is 32 kg, females - 16.
Sable or marten
Sable and marten are easily confused. But the sable’s fur is thicker, silkier, and its tail is half as long as its body. The head is grayish, lighter than the ridge, the marten has a longer tail, and the voice is the same tone as the ridge, and the light spot on the throat is always clear.
With and without tail
Most carnivores have a long, often fluffy tail, and only bears have big panda and a number of others, it is small and hidden in fur. Representatives of two genera of raccoons and civets have a prehensile tail. The fox's tail is the most noticeable part of the graceful figure of the animal. The tail serves as an excellent steering wheel for the fox (it can turn ninety degrees when running), and also serves as a balancer when it is necessary to run along a fallen tree across a spring or river. And it's also a good blanket for when the fox curls up to sleep. The ermine has a small tail with a black tip. By moving the dark spot left and right, the nimble predator confuses its pursuers and allows itself to be discovered by its relatives.
Short-legged dog
This bush dog (Speothos venaticus), which lives in dense thickets tropical forests Central and South America. Her body is massive and long, including her head, 60 cm, and her legs are short. no higher than 30 cm. The tail is short 15 cm. It is sometimes tamed, it gets used to people quickly, is quite smart and obedient. The owner is not greeted by wagging his tail. and a strange trembling of the slightly open corners of the lips, which at the end of the muzzle are at the same time tightly compressed.
The belly is darker than the back
Bush dog (Speothos venaticus) has a dark brown color, and its belly is sometimes darker than its back. This deviation from the norm is very rare in the coloration of animals and indicates that bush dogs most spend time in the shadows and twilight.
Fennec fox (Fennecus zerda)
cannot tolerate prolonged direct sunlight and therefore spends the day in a hole
The tallest animal in the canine family
...This maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus), which lives on the steppe plains of Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina and southern Brazil. His height at the withers and body length are the same. To dig out a rodent, it digs the ground not with its front paws, like dogs. but only with teeth. At night, maned wolves scream in an unusual and eerie way. People are never attacked.
Dingo is Australia's only carnivorous predator
Wild dog Canis dingo has long been a difficult mystery for zoologists. This second feral dog is the only predator in the native fauna of Australia. Apparently, dingoes were brought there back in the Stone Age by hunters and fishermen who arrived from the Malay Archipelago. It is no coincidence that the dingo is close to the wild Sumatran and recently extinct Javanese dogs. In Australia, dingoes that escaped from their owners or were abandoned by them found excellent living conditions - a lot of game, a complete absence of enemies and competitors, multiplied and settled almost throughout the continent.
Claws are different
Each paw of predators has at least four toes, while bears and dogs have five. They are armed with claws, especially sharp in cats, which (with the exception of the cheetah) can retract (some civets also have retractable claws). On the contrary, in certain species of otters and in the sea otter, the claws have turned into something like nails.
Cheetahs
Ferrets
Ferrets spend most of the day in a state of rest. On a strong healthy sleep it takes them 20 hours.
Anal glands
A number of species have well-developed anal glands, which secrete a sharp-smelling content that serves to mark territory, and sometimes (in the skunk) for protection from enemies. A skunk sprays an odorous liquid at a distance of 15 feet. A person can detect the smell of a skunk within a mile. The skunk has two glands under its tail, they look like two papillae and are activated as soon as the skunk raises its tail, so the skunk cannot bite and smell at the same time. The animal can arbitrarily direct the stream of odorous secretion and regulate its intensity. The skunk aims at the enemy and shoots a stream of liquid that can hit at a distance of 2.7 meters or more. Sometimes it acts with one gland, sometimes with both. Each contains 5-6 rounds of ammunition. And the skunk always warns of its intentions: it raises its tail and stomps its feet. At one time, it can dispense 1 tablespoon of a thick, viscous, yellowish liquid (chemical name butylmercaptan), which can be recognized at a distance of up to 20 miles. The secretion causes pain in the eyes, but does not lead to blindness.
Some mustelids have glands under their tails with an unpleasant odor - a kind of chemical defense against pursuers.
Violet gland
The violet gland is especially large and fragrant in the fox during the breeding season. It is placed on the top of the tail. almost at the very root, a centimeter from it. Hunters assure that if a fox is wounded and its strength is running out, all it needs to do is turn back and inhale the violet aromas, and with them vigor. Most likely the violet gland spreads the secretion. helping the groom find his way to the bride.
Fox croaking like a frog
this is a fennec(Fennecus zerda), He’s just a baby, the size of a kitten, and he weighs about half a kilogram. And his cry is not animalistic. and some kind of frog chatter.
Ermine
can chirp, hiss like a snake, and even bark.
Dressing - ferret or skunk
The bandage is a special animal. His habits are reminiscent of the ferret and the American skunk. The lifestyle in general is that of a ferret, and the manner of defense is that of a skunk: a fluffy tail reared over its back - as a sign of the first warning. if it is not taken into account. splashes of foul-smelling liquid fly from under the tail. and some of the dressings are mottled, like those of a skunk or African zorilla.
Bear or raccoon
Possessing the characteristics of a bear, raccoon, cat, marten, big panda
does not belong to either one or the other. According to the number of many anatomical similarities with the American striped raccoon. The panda is considered a giant raccoon. The giant panda is quite impressive in height: length up to 1.8 m, and weight up to 150 kg. Translated, panda means “bamboo eater.”
Panda's sixth finger
The sixth finger helps the clumsy panda handle thin bamboo stems - one wrist bone has lengthened and functions as thumb on our hand, opposed to all others.
Can't do two things
“Scented” skunks cannot do two things at once: they either emit an unbearable aroma or bite.
raccoon
Kinkajou (Potos flavus), the arboreal raccoon from South and Central America, and the South Asian binturong from the civet family are the only predatory animals endowed with tails capable of grasping branches. The kinkajou’s tongue is also remarkable - that tongue can squeeze into any crevice and extract as much honey as the animal wants. The kinkajou's middle name is potto. Also called one African lemur. They are really similar, they are not relatives. Kinkajou often coexists on a tree with another tree raccoon - Olingo (Bassaricyon gabbii), which is very similar to it, but the olingo does not have a prehensile tail.
Climbs trees
Hunters say that, escaping from hound dogs, Red fox can climb a tree, even upright ones. American gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) from the USA and Mexico lives only where there are trees. She is the only representative of the wolf family that can climb trees well. In some places they are even called tree foxes. They freely climb up the trunk to the crown, walk along the branches, rest there, hide from persecution, and, on occasion, destroy the nests of squirrels and birds.
Tree raccoons
Coati (Nasuella olivacea)- very active small raccoons that spend the whole day worrying about food. With their tails raised high, they dig into the ground with their long muzzles or mobile noses; others prefer to look for prey in the trees. As soon as they sense danger, there is a loud whistle, and the whole flock is in the trees. And at night, coatis sleep - also in trees.
Minks look like otters
Minks have webbed feet. Their lifestyle and appearance are somewhat reminiscent of otter minks: they settle near the water, swim and dive perfectly. They catch fish, crayfish, shellfish, and sometimes even geese.
Fox tricks
Sometimes the fox pretends to be dead and doesn’t even blink an eye when they lift it by the tail and put it in a bag. Another trick is that the fox will take a tuft of sheep's wool or hay in its teeth and go into the lake to take a dip. Fleas do not like to swim and seem to crawl from legs to back, from back to head, and from there onto hay or fur. After which the fox throws the flea piece. Only, it seems, these are fairy tales.
Hobo Skunks and Homebodies
Striped skunks live in an area 1-1 1/2 miles in diameter, but cover only a small part of their land at night. Some skunks do not like to move away from home. but there are also tramps who travel 6 miles from home.
Half-fox, half-jackal
Maikong - Cerdocyon, With teeth he looks like a fox, and with round pupils and habits he looks like a jackal. Long-legged mikongs hunt in packs, mainly in the dense forests of South America.
In Asia there are pandas, in America there are raccoons.
Apart from two pandas, there are no other raccoons in the Old World, but in America there are 16 species of them. Raccoons are plantigrade, like bears, and their claws are semi-retractable or non-retractable. In some ways they resemble bears, in some ways they resemble martens.
The smallest predator
Weasel- this is the smallest predator, 20 cm long, which hunts game that sometimes exceeds it in size. Weasels live in Eurasia, North Africa and North America. To maintain body temperature, weasels must constantly feed; they eat food weighing a quarter of their body weight per day. They are excellent climbers, get into underground tunnels and bird nests, are brave in fights, and often make holes for themselves in old shelters or nests of their victims.
The largest marten
... this is hard. who lives in Sikhote-Alin, the Amur region and South Asia. She is taller than a sable. length with tail - a meter or more. and weighs three to six kilograms. The color is variegated, black-brown. Kharza is a brave and united beast. She hunts mainly for musk deer. moose calves, wild piglets, wapiti and wild deer.
The smallest of raccoons
...this is kakemisel (Bassariscus astutus), or cat squirrel. He is a little tall more squirrels, fluffy tail 37 cm long, everything else is about the same. Yellowish-gray, the ears are large, and the tail is completely, from root to end, in black and white rings. Forest animal, secretive. In summer it feeds mainly on insects and plants, in winter on rodents. It lives in the western United States and Northern Mexico, and the larger Kakemisel, or Guayanoche, lives in Central America.
The smallest foxes
One of the smallest foxes lives in North America - this dwarf fox (Vulpes velox). This is a secretive nocturnal animal that lives in Southern Canada and the northern United States. It is two-thirds the size an ordinary fox. She eats small mammals. mainly rodents, insects, passerine birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish. Vulpes velox is the size of a cat, 30 cm at the withers, 79 cm in length from head to tip of tail. Its weight is 2.3 kg. Males are slightly larger than females. Vulpes velox is a very rare species, last time This fox was seen in Saskatchewan in 1930, since then it has practically disappeared from its usual habitats in Canada and the United States. By the 1990s, its population had declined by 90%.
Another little fox is the long-eared one fox Vulpes macrotis, which lives in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico
Raid
Roundup hyena dogs (Lycaon pictus) They organize according to all the rules: first they surround the herd of wildebeest, then they all rush in at once. If the chain of fierce beaters is broken. with a howl and a squeal they set off in pursuit. But they do not run haphazardly, but with intent: alone, right behind the herd. others are contrary. The tired are replaced by those who saved their strength. Rarely does anyone in the savannah escape from them. They are not afraid of people. People scream, throw sticks at them, and dogs right next to them tear the hunted animal to pieces.
Complex social life hyena dogs
IN packs of wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) There is a strict hierarchy and discipline. And even division of labor. Some hunt. others are watching over the puppies. After a successful drive, the hunters rush to the puppies and... bowing their heads towards them, they vomit the meat they brought from their stomachs. The carcass of a half-eaten animal is always left for the nannies. And those. Having passed their duty, they immediately rush to her before the vultures steal everything.
These dogs, fierce for the enemy, live peacefully among themselves. Each flock wanders around hunting area, which is up to 1,500 square miles. When two hunting parties meet in the wild savannah, their friendliness knows no bounds - they jump, sniff each other, and play. And they part without quarrels. If one of the dogs falls behind and gets lost during the hunt, his companions will not leave him. Immediately, hearing the alarm call, the entire flock rushes without delay to the lost comrade.
Foxes have a cat-like personality
They never live in packs; they also hunt alone. True, sometimes foxes gather to eat a wounded roe deer or its cub, but this is not a flock, but a randomly formed group, when each comes for its share.
Unsociable jackal
Black-backed jackal (Canis mesomelas), living in Africa, does not like to communicate with its relatives. These African jackals do not often gather in small flocks: usually only when they sense that the lion has killed the antelope and has not eaten it all. It is their custom to pick up scraps from lions. The saddleback jackal got its name from the black, saddleback-like coloring of its back. The end of his tail is also black.
Marten traveler
The marten walks both on horseback - from tree to tree, and below, on the ground. runs 6-10, or even 17 km per night, especially if the winter is poor in food. It will let a rare spruce pass without checking to see if a squirrel is sleeping on it in a nest. The marten grabs protein right from the nests. The marten eats a lot of different fruits and berries. undigested marten seeds are spread throughout the forests, as if sowing them with these berries. Up to two hundred yew seeds are found in the stomachs of martens in the Caucasus
Asian jackals live together
Common or Asian jackals (Canis aureus)– animals with highly developed social organization. They are monogamous, and the cubs - and there are from 4 to 6 in a litter - are raised by both parents. When family members scatter in different directions, they give each other signals by howling, and when they meet, they wag their tails and sniff each other. Special meaning has a procedure for joint licking, and this important element of behavior means more than a hygiene requirement. The mother diligently licks the puppies, thus expressing her affection. Licking is part of the courtship ritual. Jackals howl before going out to hunt, and this howl, similar to a scream, is picked up by other jackals. They hunt alone or in pairs; in the latter case, one of the partners drives the prey to the other.
Nomadic wolves
Red wolf, wolf (Cuon alpinus) from Asia belongs to a nomadic tribe. Red wolves, united by several families, quickly devastate the area in which they linger for a short time. They are constantly on the move, covering vast distances through the forests and mountains of Tibet. India, Sumatra, Java. Body length 76-103 cm and tail - 28-48 cm, weight - 14-21 kg. They feed mainly on various wild ungulates.
Slow foxes - corsacs
Corsac (Vulpes corsac) - long-legged red fox with large ears and a short muzzle. Their teeth are relatively small. The size of the corsac is slightly smaller than the usual red fox, about 50-60 cm. The corsac lives in the steppes and deserts of Asia, in the south of Ukraine and the Volga region, as well as in the foothills of the Caucasus and Transbaikalia. It is difficult for one fox to catch prey, because the corsac runs slowly, and an ordinary dog can catch up with it without difficulty.
Foxes that live in packs
Corsacs (Vulpes corsac) They live in steppes and semi-deserts, dig holes and stay away from agricultural land. They are the most social animals of all foxes, in their burrows they live in packs, packs and hunt. Corsacs do not have a hunting area. over which they fight with trespassers, and they often migrate south if the food supply becomes scarce.
Prolonged sleep or deep hibernation
During the winter, some carnivores go into a long sleep (brown and black bears, raccoon dogs) or into real deep hibernation (badger, raccoon).
Arctic foxes don't hibernate
They remain active. Their food in winter consists of dead whale carcasses and leftovers from polar bears, as well as young seals. Arctic foxes are also called arctic foxes.
A dog that sleeps in winter
Raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides) has an unusual habit for a dog - she sleeps in a hole in the winter, from November to March or February, having accumulated fat during the fall. During the thaw, the dog awakens and wanders through the forest hungry, hoping to get hold of some prey.
Skunks sleep in winter
And in the fall they actively feed, gaining fat reserves under the skin. From the end of October they retire to their dens for the winter, but do not sleep all the time, as bears do. With slight warming (near zero) and with little snow cover, they leave their shelters and wander around the surrounding area. Up to 10 skunks can gather in one hole, although some animals prefer to spend the winter separately.
Is the panda sleeping?
In winter, when everything is covered with snow, the giant panda climbs into a hole, and although it does not hibernate like bears. it is possible that on a short time still falls asleep.
Ferrets and sloths sleep for a very long time
Swiss zoologist P. Hodiger traveled for several years across countries and continents, finding out how much different animals sleep. It turned out that they sleep most of all african lions. Another record belongs to ferrets and sloths. Sloths sleep 15-18 hours. Ferrets also sleep up to 20 hours a day. Zebras and antelopes sleep the least.
How does a sea otter sleep?
Sea otter, sea otter (Enhydra lutra) sleeps during the day, and so that the sun does not blind her eyes, she covers them with her paws. When falling asleep at night, the otter climbs into the seaweed so that it does not get carried away by the current. In the 18th and 19th centuries, these otters were hunted to extinction along the California and Alaska coasts, and have been hunted to extinction since the 1970s. In the United States, there is a program for introducing sea otters into nature, and the population is gradually recovering.
Minks don't dig holes
Contrary to their name, minks are reluctant to dig holes: most often they settle in hollows over the roots of old willows, in fallen trees.
Coatis are good swimmers
Coati raccoons from South and Central America they swim well and love water. There are small membranes between the fingers of the nose. Their behavior is like that of all raccoons. rinse both paws and paws in water various items, and your tail.
Harmful ferret
When will this pest get into the chicken coop? will strangle a lot of birds, more than it can eat.
The domestic ferret is 2000 years old
From the African ferret, people bred the domestic ferret, or fret. This happened 2000 years ago. They hunt rabbits with frets: they let them into their holes, wearing a muzzle and a bell around their neck. The ferret cannot eat the rabbit, but drives it into a net stretched at the exit.
Fennec fox hunting near a mink
During the day Fennecs (Fennecus zerda) They hide in deep, cool holes, and in the evening they come out to the surface and listen sensitively with their huge ears to what is happening around them. He barely heard a rustle or rustle - and he was already sneaking towards the sound.
War cry of dogs
About the exit wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) hunting becomes known by the loud, rather melodious cry “ho-ho!”, which the animals exchange among themselves. In addition, they produce a sharp, angry bark and, like monkeys, a special chirping sound.
Sable on the hunt
The sable has a hunting territory of 25, 700, or even 3000 hectares. He marks it with odorous glands and droppings, which he leaves in visible places - mousehills, stumps, trees. He approaches black grouse and wood grouse carefully, quietly, then burps at the bird a meter and a half away. But the capercaillie is strong, and flies for several meters, or even a mile, with the sable clinging to it. More often than not, the sable ends such a flight in disgrace.
There is nothing worse than the caress of an animal
Where the weasel settles, there will be no mice. Weasel even strangles a hare. And having caught a black grouse by the neck, it sticks so tightly that it will never come off, strangles the scythes on takeoff and, having bitten their throats, falls to the ground with them and is never killed itself. The weasel swims well, but almost never climbs trees. It climbs, but not high.
Weasel and horses
The belief about the brownie, who weaves the mane of horses, tickles them and rides them until they sweat, is based on real facts. While hunting for mice in the stables, some weasels may have become addicted to climbing onto horses and, after biting their skin, licking droplets of horse blood. After all, strangling a rabbit. black grouse. pigeon Weasels usually do not eat meat, but only lick blood. Some horses. Sensing affection, they become so excited. that they begin to shake. The mere smell of weasel terrifies them.
Seagulls pick up scraps after an otter
Seeing an otter feeding, seagulls circle above it in the hope of picking up scraps.
Ermine is a good hunter
...
his hunting area is 50-100 hectares. and the daily search is 3-8 km. It preys on rodents, frogs, lizards, snakes, fish and birds, but on occasion it can also threaten large animals and birds: hare, black grouse and, allegedly, even wood grouse. When threatening, the ermine opens its mouth so wide that the lower jaw becomes at right angles to the upper, and in this case its head looks like a snake.
Arctic foxes follow polar bears
live arctic foxes Alopex lagopus in the tundras of Eurasia and America. on some polar islands and often follow polar bears. like jackals after lions: they feast on their scraps in times of famine.
Declining numbers of many species of fur-bearing animals
may be due to a lack of natural food. If a lot of snow falls in the forests of Western Siberia in winter, and before that the ground was also saturated with autumn rains, a lot of water forms in the soil. This moisture fills the entire space under the snow, which creates unfavorable conditions for the survival of mouse-like rodents, which are the main food for fur-bearing animals - ermine, weasel, marmot, fox, raccoon dog, etc.
Crab-eating fox
Maikong (Cerdocyon thous) or Savannah fox, called a crabeater fox. However, it does not eat crustaceans more often than many other animals. The maikong inhabits the open, wooded and grassy plains of South America from northern Argentina to Colombia and Venezuela.
They don't eat weasels
Large predators - foxes and cats - do not eat weasels and only kill them by mistake. But falcons and owls do not disdain caresses.
Hyena dogs vs lion
The lion himself, if the dogs are very hungry, prefers to get out of their way, otherwise they will tear him apart, especially if he is old or too young.
When the hunter and the game change places
Black-backed jackals, having gathered in a flock, they dare to attack a python that has eaten a hearty meal, unless, of course, it is very large and has eaten so much that it has become heavy and lethargic. But if the python is hungry, the roles often change: the jackal turns from hunter to game.
Are lions or hyenas the main hunters in Africa?
Tiger vs red wolves
It is bad for a tiger if he encounters a pack of red wolves where there is no flat tree nearby. which he will have time to quickly climb. The dogs pounce on the striped predator and tear at it from all sides. There is no animal, except the elephant, that could alone withstand the onslaught of red wolves for a long time
Azarov's foxes follow the jaguar
These South American foxes of the genus Dusicyon, gray, big-eared and bushy-tailed. They usually live alone or in pairs in bushes, avoiding forests. A jaguar is for them what a lion is for a jackal: they pick up scraps after it, following in its tracks.
Tools for sea otters
Previously, it was believed that only monkeys among animals could use tools. It turns out that this is not entirely true. Sea otters (sea otters) are able to extract shellfish from their strong shells, using two stones as a hammer and anvil.
Burying supplies in the ground
When there is more production than arctic fox If he eats it, he will bury it in the ground and use his muzzle to dig into the hole and level it. that you can’t even see where he was digging. The burial may contain lemmings, mice, partridges, hares, fish, the corpse of a seal and a whale.
Bowel length
exceeds the body length of a person - 3-4 times, a wolf - 4 times.
Not all carnivores love meat
Some of Carnivora's predators are omnivorous - these are bears, foxes, badgers and mongooses. Many small carnivores are insectivores. The acidity (pH) of animal urine depends on the nature of the food. In carnivorous and omnivorous animals, the urine is acidic, while in herbivores it is alkaline.
There are more vegetarians in the south
Plant foods - fruits, fruits, berries, and less often vegetative parts of plants - are included in the food of almost all foxes, but especially in the south of their range.
What do coyotes eat?
Charles Sperry analyzed the stomach contents of 8,339 coyotes (Canis latrans) from the western USA. Their diet is as follows: rabbits 33%; carrion 25%; rodents 18%; livestock (sheep and goats) 13.5%; deer 3.5%; birds 3%; insects 1%; other mammals (skunks, weasels, shrews, moles, snakes and lizards) - 1%; plants 2%.
Vegetarian diet of the jackal
Asian jackal (Canis aureus) feeds on a wide variety of foods, mainly small animals and birds, as well as lizards, snakes, frogs, dead fish, locusts, beetles, other insects, snails, etc. Important role its diet includes carrion and prey remains large predators, all kinds of garbage. The jackal eats many fruits and berries, including grapes, watermelons, melons, plant bulbs, and wild sugar cane roots.
Do not eat meat from animals killed by lightning
Predatory animals do not eat the meat of animals killed by lightning.
Corsacs don't drink water
Like other predators, the corsac dog can withstand hunger and even after a week or even two it remains fully active. The corsac, a typical inhabitant of semi-deserts and dry lowland steppes, does not need water.
Fenech willingly drinks water,
but, apparently, it can do without it for a long time, since it is often found far from watering places.
Coatis can't stand cigarettes
Coati raccoons Smokers from South and Central America cannot be tolerated. They say that tame coatis snatch a burning cigarette from the owner’s hands.
Jackal lives under the house
As shelters, it usually uses various natural niches and depressions, crevices among stones, sometimes holes of badgers, porcupines, foxes, and occasionally digs them on its own. There is a known case when a jackal settled under a residential building.
Badger and fox
In the spring in an abandoned badger hole, and sometimes in the same hole with him, but in different holes, the fox brings offspring. The badger, surviving the fox, seeks to bury it. the fox ruins his life by doing dirty tricks under his nose. The neat badger abandons his hole and settles in another place.
Fox towns
A pair of foxes occupies an area of 3 to 8 sq. km. Foxes dig holes themselves or (and very often) occupy those belonging to badgers, marmots, arctic foxes and other animals, adapting them to their needs. Foxes settle on the slopes of ravines or hills, choosing areas with well-drained sandy soil, protected from flooding by rain, melt and groundwater. The burrow has several entrance holes leading through long, sloping tunnels into a vast nesting chamber. The dwelling is well hidden in dense thickets. It is unmasked by far-stretching trails, and nearby there are large outbursts of soil near the entrances, numerous food remains, excrement, etc. Lush weed vegetation often develops in fox towns.
Temporary housing
As a rule, foxes use permanent dwellings only during the period of raising young ones, and during the rest of the year, in particular in winter, they rest in open dens in the snow or in grass and moss. However, to escape persecution, foxes often burrow at any time of the year, hiding in the first hole they come across, of which there are many in their habitats.
Erasing the cubs
The most famous raccoon (Procyon lotor) nicknamed the gargle for his habit of washing all food and even inedible objects in water. He rinses thoroughly and for a long time. Some raccoons even wash their newborn cubs with such senseless zeal that they have happened. died after being washed.
Family life of raccoons
Coati noses ( Nasua nasua
) live in small groups of about a dozen females and young. Adult males live alone and are called "coatimundi". only when it’s time to reproduce do they come to the company of juveniles and females - each to their own. And if another coatimundi comes here, the fights can be brutal. a week before 4-5 cubs are due to be born. the nose leaves the pack. builds a nest in a tree and gives birth there. She feeds the sucklings in this nest for five weeks, and then leads them to their temporarily abandoned comrades.
The raccoon dog is extremely prolific
- brings up to 19 puppies. This helped her spread throughout the continent. The female gives birth to offspring in an old badger hole. Males do not fight over females. Children will be born, and the legal father does not abandon them. and when the puppies grow up, he brings them prey.
Sable breeding
Sable rutting in the summer, but females only give birth to cubs next spring, in May: pregnancy lasts 253-297 days. Fertilized eggs do not develop for 7-10 months, and then within a month and a half the embryos grow and mature by spring. The male sable helps the female and brings prey to the offspring. But the family does not live long; in June the sables leave their parents.
The rarest among mustelids
American black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes) differs from other ferrets in the coloring in the eye area - it looks as if he was wearing a mask over his eyes. It was once ubiquitous across the prairies from southern Canada to northern Mexico. At one time it was considered completely extinct, but then it was rediscovered. This type of ferret feeds on onion dogs and mice, and when in the 1980s, 98% of the population prairie dogs was exterminated in the USA. The black-footed ferret has also virtually disappeared. In 1985, only 18 trochees remained in the wild. They were taken into protective custody, then multiplied in captivity, after which they were released into their habitats.
Only 500 jackals left
Ethiopian jackal (Canis simensis) outwardly it looks like a dog with a fox head; a black field stretches along the middle of its back, sharply demarcated from the red sides and limbs. It lives in the mountains at an altitude of about 3000 m above sea level. It feeds mainly on small rodents and hares. The number of Ethiopian jackals is about 500 individuals. This species is listed in the International Red Book
Rare fox
This Afghan fox (Vulpes cana), which lives in Eastern Iran, Afghanistan and Northwestern Hindustan. The Afghan fox is extremely small - its body length is only 40-50 cm, its tail is 33-41 cm, and its ear height is about 9 cm. Its biology has not been studied at all; there are no complete skulls and very few skins in collections. Therefore, any information about this animal is of great interest. The species is listed in the International Red Book.
New Andean dog
This animal is known from skins and skulls; researchers have never encountered it alive. ears Andean wolf (Oreocyon hagenbecki) small and rounder; His muzzle is massive and wide. Its skull was larger (31 centimeters in circumference) than the skulls of ordinary maned wolves (an average of 24 centimeters in circumference for every twenty individuals). Its fur (blackish-brown) is not only darker, but also much thicker: the length of the fur on its back reaches 20 centimeters. Its paws are shorter and thicker, and its claws are more powerful. The Andean wolf lives in harsher conditions, while maned or pampas (Chrysocyon jubatus), prefers the open spaces of plains. It may turn out that it's simple new variety maned wolf. And only additional and mainly more complete information about this animal will help accurately determine its species. Animal world The Andes have been so little studied that it will be many years before the mystery of the mountain wolf is solved.
Weasel - good luck
If at the beginning of your journey you come across weasel ( Mustela nivalis
), then according to Welsh beliefs, it will bring you good luck. In other countries, a weasel crossing your path is equivalent to a black cat. And it’s especially bad to meet a white weasel. It is very similar to the stoat, but the stoat is larger and has a black tail tip. In addition, the ermine molts and turns brown in the summer, and white weasel does not shed and remains white. Only weasels living in Scandinavia turn white for the winter.
Dangerous in terms of epidemics
Wolf, jackal, raccoon dog Along with domestic dogs, in some cases they are hosts of the rabies virus and become very dangerous to humans.
Animals come out to man
...to populated areas, to landfills in search of food. These unfortunate animals are immediately declared rabid. This is wrong. The animals simply have nowhere to go; they have no food. These animals are in poor physical condition and their functions are impaired. Even if they come to populated areas, they do not find enough food there.
Norway is cleared of predatory animals
The Association of Norwegian Forest Owners has announced its intention to seek the destruction of wolves in Norway, as well as a reduction in the numbers of other large predators and bears, lynxes and wolverines.
RIVER HUNTERS
What animals lead a semi-aquatic lifestyle?
Among the predators, forest lakes and rivers are favored by the otter and mink from the mustelid family: the otter belongs to the genus of otters, and the mink to the genus of weasels. The otter is a medium-sized animal (5-10 kg) and a real thunderstorm of fish. But where otters are destroyed, the fish often begin to get sicker and die.
Otter fur, which is highly valued, with guard hairs and silky, very thick underfur, is almost not wetted by water. In terms of strength, it simply has no equal. The skin on the head and back is dark brown or dark brown, on the belly it is lighter, with a silvery tint.
The otter's body is elongated, squat, with short legs and a long, laterally flattened tail. She swims and dives superbly, staying under water for 3-4 minutes. At this time, her nostrils and ears are closed with special valves.
Mink is also a valuable fur-bearing animal. In appearance, it is similar to a ferret, but stockier, with shorter and denser hair. There are now two species living in Russia - the European mink (500–800 g) and the acclimatized American mink, larger (up to 1.5 kg), whose fur is more valuable.
The natural color of the animals is from reddish-brown to dark brown, lighter on the abdomen, darker on the legs and tail. Sometimes on the chest White spot. However, on fur farms, minks of a wide variety of colors are bred: sapphire, pearl, topaz, silver, white, steel... More than 20 color varieties!
Where and how do otters live?
In summer, the otter’s habitat stretches in a narrow strip 2–6 km long along both banks of the river. Usually she has a permanent hole, which the predator digs herself, but she also has several temporary shelters for rest.
“The otter... on land... runs quickly, as if gliding, rises on its hind legs, even climbs trees (growing obliquely), but in water it feels as if in its native element, like a fish.”
A. Bram “Animal Life”
Cubs (2–4) are born in spring, summer, and winter. Otter families are friendly; grown otters live with their parents or nearby until late autumn. The male helps the female raise and protect the children.
In summer, the whole family lives in a permanent hole on the river bank, and does not go far from it. The only entrance is always under water, and for ventilation there are 1-3 narrow passages, they go outside somewhere in the bushes and are carefully camouflaged.
Otters are very playful, and their favorite pastime is skiing down the mountain: in winter - from an icy one, in summer - from a clay cliff straight into the river!
When the animal is full and wants to have fun, it plays cat and mouse with the fish.
Unlike its bloodthirsty relatives, the otter never catches more than it can eat. It hunts ducklings, hares, frogs, crayfish, in the summer it eats beetles, small rodents... But its main food, of course, is fish.
When tracking prey, the otter lurks on the shore and looks into the water, sometimes lowering its muzzle there to see better. Noticing a school of fish, it will silently slide into the river, rush... And the prey is in its teeth! He drags the big fish to the shore, and deals with the small ones right in the water.
The otter feeds mainly on fish. In winter, when there are fewer fish and ice holes freeze, they have to migrate, covering 10–15 km per day.
In winter, otters wander, walking tens and sometimes even hundreds of kilometers, getting stuck in the snow with their short paws. On the ice of a river or lake, having run up, they slide on their belly, as if on a sled.
When there is no hole, the otter “blows through” the ice: it breathes on it, tears it with its teeth and makes a hole for itself if the ice is not too thick. Imperceptibly it swims on its back under a motionless pike and grabs it by the belly near the head. He will drag a large fish onto the ice, eat the middle, and throw the rest away. Foxes and stoats readily pick up these scraps.
Following the otter's tracks, fishermen find schools of fish in deep reservoirs in winter.
Sometimes it happens that a predator gets caught in a net stretched under the ice and suffocates. And it also happens: an ice fishing enthusiast sees in the water, instead of a large fish... a mustachioed muzzle. A captive otter screams shrilly, breaks the fishing line with a sharp jerk, and most often leaves.
Most dangerous enemy otters - lynx, lying in wait for her near water bodies.
What are the habits of a mink?
Contrary to their name, these animals are reluctant to dig holes, and more often they make nests in low hollows or trunks of fallen trees. Sometimes the animal drives a water rat out from under a hummock, and expands the hole, putting things in order: a mink is a born tidy. The floor is covered with dry grass, leaves, moss, and bird feathers. He shakes his bed with his paws and teeth. And at one of the exits, outside, he sets up a “restroom.”
Minks do not climb trees well. Like otters, they live near the water, swim and dive well, and their paws are also webbed. They feed on small fish, frogs, crayfish, insects, and rodents. Sometimes they catch ducks, even geese, and “American women” catch hares. Where the European mink meets the black polecat, there are crosses between them - these animals are called cuff mink. But European and American minks do not interbreed. The “Americans,” larger, stronger and more fertile, are gradually displacing, and in some places even exterminating, the “Europeans.”
In the wild, the mink is extremely secretive and cautious, and if you see it near the river, consider yourself lucky.
On fur farms where American mink are bred, about 20 varieties with magnificent fur of platinum, black, white, blue, and sapphire colors have already been bred.
Good afternoon my dear nature lovers! Today I will tell you about interesting building animals, how, using their building instincts, they build shelters for themselves. And I’ll start my story with such a rare cute animal, the muskrat.
The muskrat does not have the ability to build above-water dwellings, but it builds underground houses very well. This is a whole labyrinth of underground passages, often ending in dead ends.
These dwellings have several nesting rooms. When the level of reservoirs changes, the muskrat digs new house, which eventually becomes multi-story. In addition to nesting holes, there are also feeding holes in which the animal deals with its prey.
All entrances to the dwelling, located in shallow water, have unique access routes in the form of trenches on the muddy bottom. They resemble river beaver channels.
In winter, when shallow water freezes over the trenches, an ice arch forms and tunnels appear. They allow the muskrat to reach deep places in complete safety.
In the spring, during the flood period, life poses difficult problems for the animal. The entire huge area of the floodplain is filled with water, and the holes are also filled.
However, the animals have adapted to this and wait out the high water, escaping in tree hollows and influxes.
Surges are all kinds of debris and rubbish that are deposited by the current onto any obstacles in the floodplain, most often into thickets of trees and bushes. In the thickness of the influx, the muskrat makes lairs and calmly uses them. Often its upper neighbors are hares, various ones, and even foxes.
Temporary homes for water rats
It’s hard for the water rat in the spring too. Not only in floodplains, but also in other places, after the snow melts, the winter quarters of these rodents are filled with water. Like the muskrat, the animals use all kinds of temporary homes in the spring. They gather in large groups on bushes, branches and in the hollows of flooded trees.
After the low waters recede, the animals begin to move to various summer quarters. In wet forested areas, water rats often take up residence in old stumps. The exit from such dwellings goes under water. The round nest is lined with soft and dry grass on the inside.
In the shallow bays formed at the site of clearings, very original underground houses of water rats were found. The animals took a liking to numerous stumps, gnawed holes in them, and made nests. A whole rat town formed in the stumps. Above, on the stumps, these rodents set up feeding tables and it turned out to be a real table and home.
In open sedge-tussock bogs, rats build nests in the upper part of large hummocks, and in reed thickets - in thick layers of dead plants and even in muskrat huts, but not inside, but in their thick and loose walls. Along the banks of small rivers, streams, ponds and oxbow lakes, the animals dig holes several meters long, often with two exits - underwater and surface: the enemy will not be taken by surprise - you can escape either into the water or onto land.
It happens that almost the entire life of a water rat is spent away from bodies of water, in meadows in burrows. After all, it does not need water as much as the lush grassy vegetation of humid places. However, by the will of nature or man, the water rat sometimes finds itself in interesting positions.
On the Rybinsk Reservoir, entire rat settlements on floating peat bogs traveled with their inhabitants across the expanses of water.
In winter, the rat does not need water. She does not reach cattail rhizomes or reeds from the bottom and does not swim under the ice hundreds of meters from the shore, like a muskrat or a beaver. Therefore, many animals go out into the fields in the fall, where they begin preparing for winter. First of all, they make countless tunnels, and soon vast areas of farmland are turned into rats.
During the years of rat scourge, you cannot even take a step on them, so as not to fall into the underground houses of rodents. Everywhere you look there are black piles of discarded earth. They can be counted up to 4000 pieces per 1 hectare. And there are no exits in sight. The absence of an external passage is a trick, a way of protecting against terrestrial, small predators - stoats and weasels: after all, they can easily climb along the passages of a rat.
Water rats come out in an original way. This pile of earth serves as the door to their home. The animal pushes its head through a loose earthen lump and hurries to stock up on food for the winter
- onions and potatoes,
- water horseradish bulbs,
- roots of other plants.
Rats fill their underground storehouses with cereal seeds, primarily rye and wheat. The seeds germinate in warm passages in winter and provide the owners with fresh, juicy and fortified food.
With the onset of winter, when loose, deep snow covers the ground, water rats build a large network of ground snow passages and even ground nests. They are placed in the willow bushes, in weeds and represent a grass ball with a diameter of 20-30 centimeters.
Foxes hunt for animals scurrying in countless snowy passages, trying to grab them, but that was not the case. Prey often disappears from under the nose of a predator into underground houses and becomes inaccessible: it is reliably protected by the armor of a frozen layer of earth.
Living conditions of construction animals
Last on the list of construction rodents is nutria. Living conditions in her homeland, in the jungles of South America, did not require complex building instincts from her. Therefore, her temporary homes are simple and monotonous.
In all reservoirs with dense, rich aquatic vegetation, the animal builds something similar to a duck’s nest, only larger in size. Nutria drags long bunches of plants onto a bed of reed or cattail stems. A recess is made at the top for the nest. The height of this flooring is about 30-40 centimeters.
Nutria makes several similar nests. Stray males and immature individuals often do not bother with construction at all, but rest anywhere. Their roosts are usually found along the shores of a reservoir.
Such carelessness is sometimes punished by predators, especially wolves, jackals or jungle cats. It's a big surprise for them to catch a nutria on the ground by surprise - this is for them! Nutria meat is particularly tender and has a pleasant taste.
In bodies of water where vegetation is poor and there is nowhere to build a nest, nutria dig holes. Their underground houses are very simple, 2-3 meters long, running straight from the water. The entrance to the burrow is only half under water, so even the elementary rule of camouflaging the door with nutria is often not followed.
Nutria almost never build temporary homes themselves, but try to use natural shelters. Almost all the animals' nests are located in the hollows of fallen trees. Sometimes minks settle in the cavities of hummocks, apparently having eaten the owner of this dwelling, a water rat, and expanding her room.
The animals are reluctant to dig holes on their own. The nesting chamber usually has one or two entrances and exits, and there is a latrine not far from one of the thresholds of the dwelling. Cleanliness is innate in minks. In northern cats, it appears already in the third month of life.
The interior decoration of a mink house is not tricky. The animals gnaw and scrape out the core of the hollow, creating a nesting chamber. The floor is lined with dry leaves or grass, pine needles or moss. Mink depending on the weather
- then leaves the entrance open and basks in the draft,
- then he covers it with a bunch of grass during cold weather.
The animal regularly fluffs its feather bed expertly with its teeth and paws at the same time, and then, curling up into a ball, goes to sleep in a warm and soft bed. In summer, on hot days, the bedding is temporarily thrown outside to dry, and the animals enjoy the cold floor of the home, lying on it, either on their backs or on their stomachs.
In addition to permanent nest holes, animals have many temporary stopping points where they rest while exploring their hunting area. But still, European and American minks are tightly attached to a certain area.
Another thing is the otter. She does not live in one place for a long time and wanders around her hunting area in search of fish. The scope of its migrations is enormous and sometimes amounts to several hundred kilometers. However, during the period of birth and raising the young, the female is forced to live in one place, which is provided with food on the site.
The otter digs underground nesting houses with difficulty - because its claws are weak. Usually it somewhat widens and deepens the washouts on river banks. The passage to its burrow goes under water and ends in a spacious chamber covered with dry grass, leaves, and moss.
For ventilation, 1-2 holes lead upward. They also serve as emergency exits during floods. In some warm areas of our country, the otter settles without a hole, in dense thickets, and gives birth to cubs here.
Otters find all their temporary underground shelters near bodies of water. In winter, animals make excellent use of the voids under the ice near the coast, and then not only their temporary homes, but even traces of them will not be seen. In the habits of otters one can already discern some features of those semi-aquatic animals for which the construction of a permanent roof over their head becomes optional.
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The mink (in Latin Lutreola), one of the most valuable fur-bearing animals in the world, does not actually dig any minks. IN wildlife it tends to settle near water, in the trunks of fallen trees or hollows. The only exception is if the mink suddenly likes the hole of a water rat. In such cases, she mercilessly drives the owner out of there, expropriates the hole and carries out its planning. The owner of precious fur is also a very good housewife who loves comfort. She expands the rat hole, lining the floor with leaves, dry grass, bird feathers, and moss. He fluffs up the bedding with his teeth and paws, makes several exits from the house and sets up a “latrine” near one of them, the farthest one.
The mink is a very dexterous, beautiful and graceful animal with a narrow, long body, a cute, intelligent muzzle and unusually beautiful silky fur. The animal's paws are equipped with swimming membranes; it hunts a lot in the water, swims and dives superbly, and feeds on fish, crayfish, frogs, insects, and rodents. However, it can catch a duck and even a goose.
There are two types of minks living in Russia: European and American. The European one has long lived in Europe and the Trans-Urals, and the American one was brought to us at the beginning of the twentieth century, exclusively for breeding on fur farms. American women apparently quite often managed to escape into the wild, where she adapted perfectly and began to actively reproduce. We must assume that these were mass escapes, since European and American mink do not interbreed. Oddly enough, the European mink is much closer to the black polecat than to its American namesake. In those places where they live at the same time, minks mate with ferrets and even give birth to offspring, a hybrid called “mink-cuff”.
As a result of the expansion of American minks, there were so many that they began to significantly displace and even exterminate European ones. Until the fifties of the 20th century, its numbers increased unusually and in some forestry even threatened the natural balance. However, in the sixties, mink fishing assumed the scale of barbaric destruction. Now hunting for it is strictly regulated and limited winter time, after the females have already hatched and raised their cubs.
The American mink is larger than the European mink, it is as tall as a sable, and its fur is dark brown in color. Blue and white minks are artificially bred breeds and are not found in the wild.
Adults are not afraid of the cold, they do not hibernate, swim and hunt in ice water, hide under the snow, but cubs up to two months of age cannot maintain a constant body temperature. At minus ten degrees and below, they experience a state similar to clinical death. However, the female can warm them up and bring them back to life even after several hours of such suspended animation.
The mating season for these animals begins in early spring, and by the end of spring the cubs already appear. One female brings up to seven babies. Most mink habits are similar to the lifestyle of other animals. birds of the weasel family.
On our website you can also buy stuffed animals made in our workshop.
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