V modern world in order to be successful and prosperous, a person is forced to be constantly on the move, no matter how late to meet and have time to solve all the things that he planned to do. Of particular relevance are the proverbs: "Movement is life", "water does not flow under a lying stone" and others of the same kind. But for animals, these expressions are even more suitable. In order to survive in wildlife animals all the time must use the capabilities of their body to 100%. Today we will learn about the fastest animals that live on our planet. The ten best runners on Earth are in front of you:
The brown hare is rightfully one of the fastest animals on the planet. Rusaks are not very large animals, their average size: weight - up to 6 kg; body length 60-70 cm. 60 km / h... The maximum speed developed by hares is 80 km / h. Another advantage is the excellent maneuverability of the hare, which they are able to demonstrate by typing great speed, also hares-brown hares swim well.
Hyena dog - predators, distant relatives of red wolves. The proverb of the wolf's legs are fed precisely about them. Hyena dogs do not amaze with their size: the length of the animal's body is 1 meter, weight is 20-40 kg, maximum height at the withers 78 cm. They hunt in packs of up to 10 individuals. Overcoming long distances, in pursuit of prey, develop speed 50-60 km / h... On short ones, they maintain a speed of 70 km / h. Despite the fact that the predators are not striking in their dimensions, they also hunt for large animals. Thanks to their endurance, hyenas fight off the flock, and chase prey until it loses all its strength to resist. Endurance and high speed also save hyena dogs from their enemies - lions and humans.
Greyhounds are the fastest canines. In ancient times, greyhounds were used to hunt hares, foxes, wolves and even large ungulates. Due to their physique and excellent endurance, they are better adapted to the pursuit of hunter's prey than other dogs. Greyhounds maximum possible speed reach already in the first 30 meters of the distance. The highest speed recorded by greyhounds reached 80 km / h, the average is 63 km / h. By comparison, other dog breeds develop speed. 30-50 km / h... Today, greyhounds are increasingly used for dog racing.
Elks, despite their size and external non-agility and stateliness, are capable of developing a sufficiently high speed, if necessary. up to 75km / h... This is with an impressive physique: the elk's body length is 3 meters, the height at the withers is more than 2 meters, the body weight is 360-600 kg, large males can weigh up to 700 kg. Also, males can boast of their horns, which are impressive 180cm and weighing up to 30 kilograms. It's hard to imagine what would become of someone who gets in the way of an elk if he rushes at his maximum speed. Even predatory animals bypass these giants, fearing that they themselves may become a victim after meeting with them.
Lions are rightfully considered the kings of the animal world. Lions are second only to felines in weight. The body length of males is 1.7-2.5 meters, body weight reaches more than 200 kg. Females are inferior in size, their body length is 1.4-1.75 meters, and their weight is 120-182 kg. And of course the mane, which betrays special greatness to male lions. It is the mane that helps the males scare off competitors and attract new females to the pride.
Thanks to powerful legs and strong jaws lions are some of the best hunters in the world. Lions hunt in groups, and if they determine the victim for themselves, this is practically a sentence for the animal. The maximum speed recorded for the lions is 80 km / h, they show this speed at a distance of up to 20 meters. The average speed of the predator is 55-60 km / h... Such results are demonstrated by females, while males are lazier, they sleep 20 hours a day and very rarely take part in the hunt.
Thomson's gazelle does not have large dimensions; its weight is 25-30 kg, and its height at the withers is 0.65 meters. Gazelles live on open area fearing dense thickets... Thomson's gazelle females live in herds of about 50-60 individuals in each flock. But it happens that the livestock of the herd reaches several thousand. Males live in strictly defined territories. The main enemies of the artiodactyl are cheetahs, so nature has awarded Thomson's gazelles with excellent speed. The average speed of the animal is 87 km / h. At a distance of 600 meters, the speed is 68 km / h, and at a distance of 100 meters 94.2 km / h. Another plus for miniature gazelles is the ability to jump high at high speed and excellent endurance.
The Wildebeest is another representative of Africa in the list of the fastest animals. An adult animal reaches a weight of 150-250 kg., And 115-140 cm. Height at the shoulders. Wildebeest is a gregarious animal, herd size is about 500-600 individuals. With annual migration in search of new pastures, such herds cause significant damage environment... The maximum speed of the GNU is 80 km / h, and the average speed 45-50 km / h antelopes can support for an hour.
Unlocks the top three fastest animals the globe Grant's gazelle. Like all representatives of the antelope species, Grant's gazelle does not large sizes, the weight of an adult animal is 45-65 kg, and the height is from 70 to 95 cm.Like Thomson's gazelle and Wildebeest, Grant's gazelles also live in herds and migrate in search of food, the only difference is that Granta can do without water for a long time and therefore their migrations do not depend on the presence of water bodies. The maximum speed that these animals developed was 100 km / h, this result was recorded at a distance of 150 meters. The average is 85 km / h at a distance of 1 km. Speed 50-55 km / h Grant's gazelles can hold on over long sections of the path. This animal is listed in the Red Book.
An honorable second place is occupied by one of the most ancient ungulates North America- pronghorn. Such interesting name animals got hooks from the shape of their horns. The pronghorns are not large animals: the weight is 35-60 kg, the body length is 1-1.3 meters, and the height at the shoulders is 80-100 cm. The pronghorns also shed their horns every year after the breeding season, new ones recover within 4 months.
In the cold season, pronghorns live in herds with a pronounced young leader. During migration, the female moves at the head of the group, and the male closes the herd in order to urge on the lagging animals. In the warm season, females and single males are divided into small groups. Well, the second place in the dispute of the fastest animals, pronghorns take due to the speed of 100 km / h, which they can develop on an area of 200 meters, the average 90 km / h the animal can keep at a distance of 5-6 km. The pronghorns are also capable of overcoming obstacles 2 meters high and 6 meters long while running.
Champion among all land mammals, the fastest animal in the world. The cheetah is a graceful representative of the feline family, the size of an adult animal: weight from 40 to 70 kg, body length 115-140 cm.This predator carries mortal danger for their victims. The cheetah accelerates to 130 km / h in 3 seconds, is able to maintain speed 100 km / h at a distance of 400 meters, maximum speed 120 km / h develops at 100 meters. At short distances, cheetahs are able to compete with racing cars. The cheetah's body is not capable of maintaining crazy speed over long distances.
About huge flocks of birds, herds of animals or schools of fish, which at some point break out of their habitable places and go to long roads, people have known for a long time. Animals are driven on such journeys by the most different reasons: climate change, hunger, ancient instincts for procreation, etc.
At times, communities of migratory organisms reach incredible numbers. Take fish, for example. Believe it or not, one day a shoal of herring was seen in the ocean, in which there were about 3,000,000,000 individuals.
Herring during migration to polar seas can move, plunging to a considerable depth, then be almost at the very surface. And the fish move in such dense schools that some fish, squeezed out by their relatives swimming in a common flock, jump out of the water. Eyewitnesses claim that if you stick the oar into this jamb, it will remain upright.
Pink salmon also move in huge shoals, going to spawn in the rivers.
“In sunny and calm weather,” writes the Soviet researcher M.F. Pravdin, - an unusual noise spread from the middle of the river and flew to the shore. The population rushed to the shore, and here everyone admired for a long time how a huge shoal of pink salmon with a loud noise and with continuous jumping of individual fish went up the river, as if a new river burst into the Bolshaya River. The band of noisy fish stretched no less than a mile, so it is no exaggeration to say that there were more than one million fish in this school ”.
Sometimes in huge flocks on the surface of the water surface they gather and sea snakes... So, in 1932, in the Strait of Malacca, a huge number of randomly intertwined snake bodies were noticed. The living tape, which was formed by the reptiles, with a width of three meters, stretched for about 110 kilometers. There were about a million snakes in this cluster. What was the reason for such a massive accumulation of snakes? - hard to say. But, most likely, it was a marriage gathering.
Birds also form huge flocks, especially during autumn and spring migrations. Often they contain hundreds of thousands of individuals. This is especially true for small birds. However, it is unlikely that the records that the American wandering pigeons set in the century before last will hardly ever be broken.
These birds lived in the United States and southern Canada. When a flock of these birds appeared in the sky, it became as dark as if it was early dusk. And this "eclipse" lasted at times for quite a long time, since the birds with their bodies covered the entire sky from edge to edge for several hours.
American bird watcher Wilson describes a flock of pigeons that spanned 360 kilometers. According to rough estimates of the zoologist, there were about 2,230,000,000 pigeons in this bird community. Another ornithologist - Audubon - reports a flock of these birds, which included approximately 1,115,000,000 individuals!
But not only birds gather in huge flocks. During the migration period, many mammals also form giant communities. So, once on the Taimyr Peninsula, a herd of 300,000 deer was seen from a helicopter.
However, this is not such a large herd of wild mammals. Caribou herds of millions once roamed the American North. For example, one herd for four days in a continuous avalanche moved past the amazed hunters. Subsequently, eyewitnesses of this "march-throw" of animals said that there were about twenty-five million deer in the herd.
Wildebeests living in Tanzania gather in huge herds in search of pastures. Animals move in an endless stream, in which sometimes there are up to one and a half million individuals.
And in 1929, a traveler met a mixed herd of wildebeests and zebras in the Kalahari, which, according to him, had about ten million animals!
Once upon the endless expanses of steppes and semi-deserts South Africa the so-called mountain horses were widespread. V rainy season When the land was covered with abundant greenery, and rivers and lakes were filled with life-giving moisture, these animals wandered in small groups from pasture to pasture. And so it went on until the drought came.
Then the mountain horses left their homes and, gathering in huge herds, moved along the savannah scorched by the merciless sun in search of food and water. Some of these herds had up to a million animals.
Sometimes hunger, and perhaps some internal factors, make them stray into huge "hordes" and squirrels. So, in late XIX century, the city of Nizhny Tagil underwent an unprecedented invasion of these animals.
“The squirrels sometimes walked alone,” writes the famous Russian bibliographer and writer N.A. Rubakin, then in groups, they all walked straight and straight, ran through the streets, jumped over fences and hedges, climbed into houses, filled yards, jumped on roofs. "
The squirrels moved, paying no attention to either the people or the dogs that had gnawed at them. huge amount... People also stuffed a lot of them. And, despite the danger, they still walked. The invasion lasted until the evening. For the night, the animals hid, but as soon as the sky brightened, they continued on their way. Squirrels besieged Tagil for three days.
The fast and wide river Chusovaya flowed outside the city. But she did not stop the countless mass of animals. They threw themselves into the cold waves and, lifting their tails up, sailed to the other side.
Later it turned out that only a small part of the squirrels got to Nizhny Tagil. Most of them passed eight kilometers from the city. This squirrel armada is believed to contain several million individuals.
Massive migratory marches make amazing, weighing from 70 to 100 grams, animals living in the Arctic tundra. And although they are not like that rare mammals, however, you can see them only in special years.
And this is due to the fact that the number of lemmings periodically changes, and within absolutely incredible limits: for three or four years, animals cannot be found with fire during the day, and then suddenly - “ population explosion". Lemmings swarm everywhere like fish in a net. Mystery? Of course! However, as well as their sudden marches, when lemmings suddenly gather in huge flocks and go on long journeys. Moreover, on the way, these peace-loving hairballs turn into very aggressive rodents.
There are many legends associated with these travels of the lemmings. For example, the myth of the collective suicide of rodents. Allegedly, when the number of lemmings increases, they, huddled in huge flocks, head to the sea and together rush off the cliff into the abyss. Today biologists are sure that lemmings' suicides are fiction, although, perhaps, some hitherto unknown mechanisms provoke this phenomenon.
But the fact that lemmings are not at all afraid of water is true. At least, it has long been noticed that during migration, animals are not stopped by cold fast rivers nor wide lakes. They effortlessly swim two or three kilometers and, having got out on land, confidently continue their journey into the unknown. But these tiny creatures swim like this only on calm water: when the wind swoops down and the waves rise, the rodents drown. By the way, it should be borne in mind that in this case it comes about Norwegian lemmings, unlike which Canadian lemmings, for example, do not migrate at all.
And Norwegian lemmings are found exclusively in Scandinavia and on Kola Peninsula, where they hibernate under a three-meter layer, being almost completely safe, since it is difficult for enemies to get to their nests.
Lemmings don't fall into hibernation and therefore reproduce even in the cold. The males smell the smell of a female ready to give birth to offspring at a distance of more than a hundred meters. And as soon as they catch him, they immediately rush to her from all sides and begin a fierce struggle for the right to possess the “bride”.
However, the lucky one does not triumph for long: after a short mating, the female immediately drives him out of the burrow threshold. And already at the end of February she has the first brood, in which there are only three or four cubs. But in the summer there are twice as many of them, and during this period the female can give birth to up to five broods.
But this is how lemmings behave in the years of normal population size. When there are a lot of animals, their character changes dramatically. The animals gather in flocks and begin to migrate. In search of food, they cover distances of hundreds of kilometers. On these trips to the tundra, the females are so stressed that they cannot get pregnant.
Aggressiveness appears in the behavior of lemmings: standing on their hind legs, they, with a furious squeak and grunt, rush at everything that moves - be it a person, an animal or a machine. The bites of an angry rodent are very painful.
Lemmings are terribly gluttonous. The reason for this appetite is the poverty of the diet, which consists mainly of mosses and various herbs. There is no other food for rodents in the tundra. Two-thirds of what lemmings eat is just "ballast" that is not even digested. It is in the "menu" of animals that some scientists see the regulator of the mysterious explosions of the number of lemmings. Lack of food delays the growth and maturation of lemmings - broods become smaller. When there is a lot of grass and moss, the number of lemmings increases rapidly. Other zoologists believe that the number of lemmings depends on the number of their main enemies - the ermine, snowy owl and polar fox.
There is also another hypothesis that links the rise of the lemming population with the defense mechanisms in tundra cotton and sedge plants, which form the basis of their diet. These plants synthesize special substances that block the action of the lemming's digestive juice. But while the animals consume cotton and sedge in moderation, the plants do not release poison in critical quantities.
When lemmings eat everything around clean - and this happens when the number increases tens and hundreds of times - the plants begin to synthesize substances-blockers continuously. As a result, lemmings are unable to digest the grass they eat.
In response, the lemming's body begins to produce more and more gastric juice and, as a result, is depleted much faster than from normal hunger. And the more the lemming eats, the hungrier it gets. The result of such a failure is, in the opinion of a number of scientists, mass migrations.
Who's got what kind of family? Within populations, animals are arranged in different ways. Some, such as bears, tigers, foxes, live alone and meet with their own kind only during the periods of weddings and raising offspring. Others, such as gophers, marmots, other rodents, live in large families, in which all family members are in family relationship... Several families settle close to each other and form a colony. And still others, for example, many species of birds and fish, cloven-hoofed animals, wolves, monkeys live in large groups. It is not necessary that all team members are closely related. In cloven-hoofed animals, elephants and some others, such groups are called a herd. For birds, fish and animals - in a flock. Let's look into the family and the flock and see how and for what such collectives of animals of the same species are formed.
How is the groundhog family doing?
There are interesting representatives of rodents in the world - small animals, marmots. They prefer to live in burrows that they dig in the steppes and forest-steppes. The marmot has a big family, as it used to be in the villages: wife, sons, daughters, grandchildren and granddaughters. There is enough room for everyone in the hole. But that's why there is a lot of trouble. But the marmot loves to sleep - a terrible thing! Hibernation in a marmot lasts up to 9 months a year! No wonder they say: "Asleep like a marmot"! They sleep in a hole with the whole family, curled up in a large ball. The fattest ones, led by the daddy, lie on the edge, and the groundhog mommy - in the middle. When sleeping, the marmot takes one breath every 4 minutes - it saves oxygen. Yes, and the time remaining from sleep, the marmot also does not walk. Scientists, in general, believe that 1/20 of life is outside the burrow of the marmot! The rest of the time he spends in a hole, where he either sleeps, or just lies with his eyes open and thinks. What he thinks - only God knows. Marmots feed on tender green shoots of plants. And here's what is amazing. Marmots don't drink water. They have enough water contained in the shoots of plants. Marmots do not squabble among themselves. But why is such a groundhog big family? Why doesn't he disperse them all? It turns out that not everything is so simple. The groundhog has enemies - foxes, wolves, wild cats, hawks. Therefore, when marmots eat off in their free time from sleep, they eat in turn. While the father is eating, the rest of the family take up a perimeter defense and watch for predators nearby. In which case, an alarm will be given! Then the marmots take turns changing roles. And it’s warmer to sleep in the company! Here is such a family!
Visiting the wolf. Somehow it is not customary to say good things about wolves. But the wolf is one of the most difficult animals on Earth. Usually wolves live in packs of 10-30 individuals. This is probably why wolves have a well-developed sense of the team. Each pack has its own territory, which they mark and carefully guard. There are always two leaders in the pack - a male and a female. In moments of danger or when making important decisions, they take full responsibility. By the way, wolves eat with pleasure our friends - marmots. And attacks of wolves on sheep have been observed since the end of August - immediately after the marmots go into hibernation! While the bulk of the wolves are sowing panic in the herd of sheep, the leaders are developing an attack strategy. On their own command, fresh forces are brought in from the reserve. By the way, wolves hunt sick and weak animals more often - after all, they are easier to catch! Leaders know how to use each of the pack members according to their abilities. The weak and cowards are not expelled from the pack. They are entrusted with less complex and responsible tasks - for example, tracking down small rodents and game. Profits are always distributed fairly. Equality reigns between females and males in the pack, but the leaders always make important decisions! Wolves constantly and carefully study people and do correct conclusions... If the hunters manage to drive the pack, the wolves never run away in a herd, like deer, elephants, or wild horses. The wolves are scattering! You don't know who to chase!
Wolves rarely attack humans. However, people often blame their blunders on the wolves. But one legend claims that in ancient Italy in the 8th century BC, a she-wolf nursed two boys with her milk. After all, wolves are mammals. So, one of the nursed boys, named Romulus, founded a beautiful city Rome.
And let's also look at the crows. The great Russian fabulist Ivan Andreevich Krylov attributed to the raven that which never happens to her. Even the word appeared offensive - I missed it! But it turns out that under no circumstances will the crow miss its prey, let alone a piece of cheese! The famous Moscow naturalist Yuri Sokolov describes such a case. Pies were sold in one place in Moscow. And the local crows realized that the quality of the pies is not very satisfactory for people who throw these pies half-eaten anywhere. And crows, on the other hand, believe that the pies are quite edible, especially if they have a smell. Therefore, they run after the person who bought the pie, knowing for sure that another 20 meters and he, well done, will leave him! Told another story big friend Nature Boris Kalashnikov.
In front of the chained dog was a bowl of grubs. Two crows decided to profit. One of them began to tease the dog and lead him away from the bowl. At this time, the second crow calmly dined on dog grubs. Then the crows changed places, and the poor dog, finding an empty bowl, did not seem to understand anything. Ravens live in large flocks... Everyone in the pack has their own duties: there are observers, scouts and others. Ravens began to settle near people 10-12 thousand years ago. They realized that a person is a more intelligent earner and if you stay close, you can get your share. But closeness to a person is fraught with some dangers. Therefore, the crow very accurately senses and regulates the distance to dangerous objects. She, for example, is not at all afraid and allows old people, small children and pregnant women to come close. The crow knows that this audience is inactive and generally not inclined to chase the crows. Another thing is teenagers who throw a stone and run fast. And the crow is very attentive to a man with a gun! Observe! By the way, crows are one of the most talkative birds. They have many of their signals. AND Moreover, crows can copy up to 200-250 words!
Why live in a flock?
Let's summarize some of the results. It turns out that many animals live in families, herds, or flocks. The sizes of these groups can be different: from a few individuals to several hundred or thousands of individuals. By the way, primitive people also lived in herds of 100-200 people. And here's what is surprising. Each of us still has no more than 100-200 relatives, friends and acquaintances with whom we keep in touch! Count at your leisure! So in terms of the social circle, we are not far from the ancient people! So why should animals live in families, flocks or herds? It turns out that everything is very simple. Collective life is safer and more profitable!
Man is the only mammal on Earth that simultaneously possesses nuclear weapons and your thumb to press the red button on occasion. We are at the top of the food chain. Can't argue with that? Some animals can think - and think differently than we do. Standing sideways thumb the monkeys have.
Ants, bees and rats have an amazing ability of self-organization and self-sacrifice. Only hippos are cooler than gorillas. When a three-ton hippo comes to the watering hole, the crocodiles disappear unnoticed. Fortunately, gorillas are mostly kind, which is not the case with hippos.
What if they really unite against us? ..
Higher primates
The main advantage over humans: incredible strength and speed of movement
King Kong is a fictional character who knocks down a police helicopter in one fell swoop. But half a million gorillas on our planet are extremely real, very strong and at the same time very intelligent. Everything higher primates(like their younger monkey cousins like chimpanzees) run and jump better than human, and they move through the trees better than any representative of the feline. The strength of the gorilla has not yet been measured for certain - there have been attempts, but suicidal.
But some biologists who have conducted research in Tanzania believe that the great apes have already entered their Stone Age.
Fortunately, monkeys are very fond of quarreling among themselves - the war of their tribes takes so much strength that they will not pay attention to humans soon.
Elephants
Population: approximately 500 thousand
The main advantage over humans: amazing memory
Since the elephant is essentially a biological tank, it is better not to make it nervous. Judge for yourself: males weigh up to six tons, have a bulletproof skin, can go through a concrete wall and certainly slap a person with their trunk. The trouble is that during the mating season, the testosterone level in males rises sharply 60 (sixty) times.
Never walk the elephant trail unless absolutely necessary. This is not even worse, but the fact that elephants remember offenders at least in the third generation. Fortunately, if the elephant is not offended, it will not cause any harm to the person.
Crows
Population: in Moscow about 1 thousand black crows and about 200 thousand gray
The main advantage over humans: consistency of actions
A single crow does not pose a serious threat to an adult, unless it is protecting its nest. The trouble is that crows are exceptionally smart and capable, at the slightest danger, to stray into a flock and give a worthy rebuff to the offenders.
A classic example is the so-called Massachusetts behavior of crows. In that American state the crows were too prolific, and the inhabitants decided to shoot them. After two days, all the crows changed their flight plans so that they were on the brink of shotguns, but a little further. One can imagine the annoyance of unlucky hunters. Under cover of night, the crows returned to the people and a little revenge on them for their concern.
Fortunately, the crow is a very curious and playful bird. So, a tame raven, raised by a man, becomes attached to him like the most devoted dog. In general, crows have nothing against a person as long as he does not interfere with them. They really like to hunt for toads - not for food, but out of sports interest: if you peck a toad in the liver, it bursts.
Spiders
Population: not countable
Main advantage over humans: they inspire terror
There are spiders in almost every home on all continents. According to biologists, spiders eat more protein foods each year than all of humanity weighs in aggregate. They are natural born eight-eyed hunters, and they are insatiable.
Fortunately, different types spiders are at enmity and will not be able to unite against us. But rest assured: while you read, you are being watched.
Rats
Population: Uncountable, but there are definitely more rats than people
Main advantage: adaptability to any conditions
Mammals are just like you and me - but we wouldn't be surprised to learn that rats are made of high-strength metal. They eat almost everything, poisons have no effect on them (already in the third generation, rats develop full immunity). They breed with great speed... In cities, rats do not natural enemies except cars.
They are very smart and always work together. In times of hunger for people, rats have become accustomed to robbing warehouses. The males lay on their backs, and the females opened the boxes with chicken eggs and carefully passed the eggs along the chain. The rats were delighted and quickly learned to steal even coffee beans.
Fortunately, rats are not only a threat, but also a benefit: someone has to collect scraps for us.
Ants
Population: According to some estimates, 100 trillion of various species
The main advantage over humans: innate self-organization
Ants have no instinct for self-preservation. The ant does not exist by itself - only in its own society. The anthill is very similar to the utopian human society, that is why he is dangerous. Each ant from birth has a profession: worker, military, supervisor.
The best description of ants belongs to the Brazilian traveler Jose Rivera:
“His cry was more terrible than the cry that announced the beginning of the war:
Ants! Ants! "
Ants! This meant that people immediately had to quit their jobs, leave their homes, fire their way to retreat and seek refuge anywhere. It was an invasion of bloodthirsty Tambocha ants. They devastate vast areas, advancing with a noise like the rumble of a fire. Similar to wingless wasps with a red head and a slender body, they are terrifying with their number and their gluttony. A thick stinking wave seeps into every hole, into every crevice, into every hollow, into foliage, nests and hives, devouring pigeons, rats, reptiles, putting people and animals to flight ...
Then one thought seized everyone: to be saved. They preferred leeches to ants and took refuge in a small pool, plunging into it up to their necks.
Fortunately, ant flocks are always at enmity with each other, and if you do not tear apart their anthill, they will not pay attention to you. An exception is the red tropical ants Tambocha, which eat everything in general, even people, and where they pass, all living things disappear.
Hippos
Population: according to various estimates, 125-150 thousand.
The main advantage over a person: a gigantic waist and an equally vicious character
There are significantly fewer hippos than humans. The numerical deficiency is more than compensated for by the weight of three tons and misanthropy. In Africa, this is the most dangerous mammal. They bite crocodiles in half, and people in their right mind do not even approach a lonely hippo. Biologists have not yet figured out why hippos eat crocodiles. There is a version that they do it simply because they can.
Migrations of vertebrates
People have known for a long time about the huge flocks of birds, herds of animals or schools of fish, which at some point break out of their habitable places and go on long journeys. Animals are driven on such journeys for a variety of reasons: climate change, hunger, ancient instincts for procreation, etc.
At times, communities of migratory organisms reach incredible numbers. Take fish, for example. Believe it or not, one day a shoal of herring was seen in the ocean, in which there were about 3,000,000,000 individuals.
Herring often move in huge shoals
During migration in the polar seas, herring can move, plunging to a considerable depth, then be almost at the very surface. And the fish move in such dense schools that some fish, squeezed out by their relatives swimming in a common flock, jump out of the water. Eyewitnesses claim that if you stick the oar into this jamb, it will remain upright.
Pink salmon also move in huge shoals, going to spawn in the rivers.
“In sunny and calm weather,” writes the Soviet researcher MF Pravdin, “an unusual noise spread from the middle of the river and flew to the shore. jumping out of individual fish went up the river, as if a new river had burst into the Bolshaya River. The band of noisy fish stretched no less than a mile, so it can be considered without exaggeration that there were more than one million fish in this school. "
Sometimes sea snakes also gather in huge flocks on the surface of the water surface. So, in 1932, in the Strait of Malacca, a huge number of randomly intertwined snake bodies were noticed. The living tape, which was formed by the reptiles, with a width of three meters, stretched for about 110 kilometers. There were about a million snakes in this cluster. What was the reason for such a massive accumulation of snakes? - hard to say. But, most likely, it was a marriage gathering.
Birds also form huge flocks, especially during autumn and spring migrations. Often they contain hundreds of thousands of individuals. This is especially true for small birds. However, it is unlikely that the records that the American wandering pigeons set in the century before last will hardly ever be broken.
These birds lived in the United States and southern Canada. When a flock of these birds appeared in the sky, it became as dark as if it was early dusk. And this "eclipse" lasted at times for quite a long time, since the birds with their bodies covered the entire firmament from edge to edge for several hours.
American bird watcher Wilson describes a flock of pigeons that spanned 360 kilometers. According to rough estimates of the zoologist, there were about 2,230,000,000 pigeons in this bird community. Another ornithologist - Audubon - reports a flock of these birds, which included approximately 1,115,000,000 individuals!
But not only birds gather in huge flocks. During the migration period, many mammals also form giant communities. So, once on the Taimyr Peninsula, a herd of 300,000 deer was seen from a helicopter.
However, this is not such a large herd of wild mammals. Caribou herds of millions once roamed the American North. For example, one herd for four days in a continuous avalanche moved past the amazed hunters. Subsequently, eyewitnesses of this "march-throw" of animals said that there were about twenty-five million deer in the herd.
Wildebeests living in Tanzania gather in huge herds in search of pastures. Animals move in an endless stream, in which sometimes there are up to one and a half million individuals.
And in 1929, a traveler met a mixed herd of wildebeests and zebras in the Kalahari, which, according to him, had about ten million animals!
Once upon a time, the so-called mountain horses were widespread over the endless expanses of the steppes and semi-deserts of South Africa. In the rainy season, when the land was covered with abundant greenery, and rivers and lakes were filled with life-giving moisture, these animals roamed from pasture to pasture in small groups. And so it went on until the drought came.
Then the mountain horses left their homes and, gathering in huge herds, moved along the savannah scorched by the merciless sun in search of food and water. Some of these herds had up to a million animals.
Sometimes hunger, and possibly some internal factors, make them stray into huge "hordes" and squirrels. So, at the end of the 19th century, the city of Nizhny Tagil underwent an unprecedented invasion of these animals.
"Squirrels walked either alone," writes the famous Russian bibliographer and writer N. Rubakin, "sometimes in small groups, they all walked straight and straight, ran through the streets, jumped over fences and hedges, climbed into houses, filled yards, jumped on roofs ".
The squirrels moved, not paying attention to either people or dogs, which had eaten them in large numbers. People also stuffed a lot of them. And, despite the danger, they still walked. The invasion lasted until the evening. For the night, the animals hid, but as soon as the sky brightened, they continued on their way. Squirrels besieged Tagil for three days.
The fast and wide river Chusovaya flowed outside the city. But she did not stop the countless mass of animals. They threw themselves into the cold waves and, lifting their tails up, sailed to the other side.
Later it turned out that only a small part of the squirrels got to Nizhny Tagil. Most of them passed eight kilometers from the city. This squirrel armada is believed to contain several million individuals.
Massive migratory marches make amazing, weighing from 70 to 100 grams, animals living in the Arctic tundra. And although these are not such rare mammals, nevertheless they can be seen only in special years.
And this is due to the fact that the number of lemmings periodically changes, and within absolutely incredible limits: for three or four years, animals cannot be found with fire in the daytime, and then suddenly - a "population explosion". Lemmings swarm everywhere like fish in a net. Mystery? Of course! However, as well as their sudden marches, when lemmings suddenly gather in huge flocks and go on long journeys. Moreover, on the way, these peace-loving hairballs turn into very aggressive rodents.
There are many legends associated with these travels of the lemmings. For example, the myth of the collective suicide of rodents. Allegedly, when the number of lemmings increases, they, huddled in huge flocks, head to the sea and together rush off the cliff into the abyss. Today biologists are sure that lemmings' suicides are fiction, although, perhaps, some hitherto unknown mechanisms provoke this phenomenon.
But the fact that lemmings are not at all afraid of water is true. At least, it has long been noticed that during the migration the animals are not stopped by either cold fast rivers or wide lakes. They effortlessly swim two or three kilometers and, having got out on land, confidently continue their journey into the unknown. But these tiny creatures swim like this only on calm water: when the wind swoops down and the waves rise, the rodents drown. By the way, it should be borne in mind that in this case we are talking about Norwegian lemmings, in contrast to which Canadian, for example, do not migrate at all.
And Norwegian lemmings are found exclusively in Scandinavia and on the Kola Peninsula, where they hibernate under a three-meter layer, being almost completely safe, since it is difficult for enemies to get to their nests.
Lemmings do not hibernate and therefore breed even in freezing temperatures. The males smell the smell of a female ready to give birth to offspring at a distance of more than a hundred meters. And as soon as they catch him, they immediately rush to her from all sides and begin a fierce struggle for the right to possess the "bride".
However, the lucky one does not triumph for long: after a short mating, the female immediately drives him out of the burrow threshold. And already at the end of February she has the first brood, in which there are only three or four cubs. But in the summer there are twice as many of them, and during this period the female can give birth to up to five broods.
But this is how lemmings behave in the years of normal population size. When there are a lot of animals, their character changes dramatically. The animals gather in flocks and begin to migrate. In search of food, they cover distances of hundreds of kilometers. On these trips to the tundra, the females are so stressed that they cannot get pregnant.
Aggressiveness appears in the behavior of lemmings: standing on their hind legs, they, with a furious squeak and grunt, rush at everything that moves - be it a person, an animal or a machine. The bites of an angry rodent are very painful.
Lemmings are terribly gluttonous. The reason for this appetite is the poverty of the diet, which consists mainly of mosses and various herbs. There is no other food for rodents in the tundra. Two-thirds of what lemmings eat is just "ballast" that is not even digested. It is in the "menu" of animals that some scientists see the regulator of the mysterious explosions of the number of lemmings. Lack of food delays the growth and maturation of lemmings - broods become smaller. When there is a lot of grass and moss, the number of lemmings increases rapidly. Other zoologists believe that the number of lemmings depends on the number of their main enemies - the ermine, snowy owl and polar fox.
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