Tired of the endless series of viral pictures of “seals”, periodically diluted with hedgehogs and ferrets, the Marie Claire editors decided to make their own top list of animals worthy of affection.
Quokka
This touching animal is a real smiley marsupial! His face looks as if a quokka is smiling all the time. A miracle of nature lives in Australia, which, as you know, is generally rich in marsupials. And if kangaroos used to be very popular in this country, now the quokka has won the palm. It's all about her love... for selfies. Quokka is an extremely friendly animal, is absolutely not afraid of people and is happy to be photographed with the most modern gadgets. And one of the quokkas was even presented to the Duchess of Cambridge and her husband during their official visit to Australia. Kate even fed the smiling animal some grass.
Externally, the quokka is very similar to the kangaroo. In terms of size, it is not very large. It can be compared to a domestic cat or a small dog. It has a brown-gray color, thick and short fur, a long tail. Like all marsupials, the quokka prefers to eat leaves and grass, and live in the shade of trees, closer to moisture.
Bearded Tamarin (Emperor Tamarin)
The tamarin is not just bearded, but also imperial. This species of monkey owes its name to its resemblance to the Emperor of Germany and the King of Prussia, William II. It wasn't that they were indistinguishable, but the noble mustaches were at least practically identical. The jungle emperors live in the wilds of the Amazon - they prefer to hide in impenetrable thickets, probably to rule the world on the sly.
By the way, the main ones in the family of tamarins are females - nature also does not deprive them of mustaches, and sometimes the gray beards of females look much more impressive than those of males. As for the territories, here the bearded monkeys show their regal disposition. One small group lives on an area of thirty or even forty hectares. All strangers are certainly expelled. However, imperial tamarins tolerate the proximity of tamarins of other species. Sometimes these South American monkeys even rally against common enemies. And it’s better not to encounter an angry imperial tamarin, because, despite their tiny size, these bearded monkeys have sharp claws, large fangs and desperate courage. The tamarin will fight to the last for its cubs.
Fennec fox
The fennec fox is a tiny animal with huge ears and a sharp, cute face. In fact, members of the canid family smaller than the fennec simply do not exist in the wild. At the same time, it turned out that this little fox gets along well with humans. can be tamed, and if desired, the fennec can even be taught standard commands. For example, like in this video:
The fennec mainly lives in the Sahara Desert - its large ears help it cope with the heat and also contribute to successful hunting. With such locators, the fox catches the slightest rustle of its intended prey - the fennec feeds on insects and small vertebrates. This animal, it turns out, is completely incapable of living alone - tiny foxes live large families, in which there is always a ruling couple, which is almost impossible to overthrow from the throne.
Common Dormouse
Remember Lewis Carroll's famous tea party in Alice in Wonderland? There in the teapot sat the same dormouse mouse - pretty to the point of disgrace and very small. Of course, in a fairy tale, all animals acquire almost human features, but meanwhile, the representative of rodents and real life incredibly pretty! In general, dormouse is divided into two types - mouse-shaped and squirrel-shaped. It must be said that the squirrel-shaped dormouse is much prettier than the one that lives on the ground. It's all about her stunning tail, which is covered with fluffy fur! In addition, the dormouse is very tiny - an adult can easily fit in the palm of a person.
Their habitats: North Africa, Europe, Asia Minor, Altai, northern regions China and Japan, the northern parts of Scandinavia and, finally, southern Africa, where the only genus of the same name of the African dormouse is found. It turns out that quite recently it was discovered that dormice of all subspecies are rapidly disappearing from the face of the earth. So, until the last babies died out, scientists listed the animals in the “Red Book” and now mice are also bred at home.
Alpaca
Alpaca belongs to the camel family. These touching creatures live high in the mountains in South America. The fluffy bangs give the alpaca a special charm. By the way, it is precisely by the intricate hairstyle that you can distinguish an alpaca from a llama: after all, it usually has a long hair can not be.
The alpaca is quite small in size: its weight does not exceed sixty kilograms, but it has luxurious wool, which is often used to make clothes. Alpaca wool is very soft and at the same time very durable and light, almost waterproof, with an excellent heat-insulating effect. For 6,000 years, alpacas were bred by the Peruvians along with llamas. But if llamas were used as a beast of burden, alpacas were cared for and cherished.
Aye-aye
They say that the name “Aye-aye” appeared thanks to the exclamations made by anyone who saw the animal for the first time. In fact, this animal is called the Madagascar bat and, as you might guess, lives in Madagascar. Once upon a time they tried to classify him as a rodent, then as a primate, although Ai-ai does not resemble either one or the other. It must be said that it does not resemble anything intelligible at all: a small body covered with black fur, eternally surprised eyes and a huge tail, which is longer than the animal itself.
The only part of aye-aye’s body free of fur is... middle finger on the forelimb, more precisely both middle fingers. Actually, this finger is the most important tool for the arm: it uses it to clean the fur, drink water and get food. When searching for beetles and larvae hidden in the bark of a tree, the little hand always uses its miracle finger. First, he taps the trunk with it, finding suitable prey, then gnaws through the bark (here they use sharp teeth), and finally sticks his middle finger into the hole formed, pricks the larva onto his claw and puts it into his mouth.
Little slow loris
In fact full name this big-eyed animal sounds: “Small fat Lori”, small (its size does not exceed 23 centimeters in length) it lives in tropical forests and bamboo groves in Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, parts of China and Cambodia. Sometimes the little fat one is mistakenly considered a lemur, which in fact is not at all the case. Small and thick belongs to its own family - Loriaceae. The most amazing thing is that this handsome guy with short thick hair and incredibly touching huge eyes that are always wide open is poisonous.
On inside elbow joint The animal has special glands, the secretions from which, combined with the saliva of the loris, turn into a powerful poison! This is so unusual for primates that the small loris received first place in the ranking of poisonous animals that are unknown to the general public. The fat fellow lives in the treetops, daring to go out only when it gets dark - the poisonous animal has a lot of enemies, so it sometimes has to hang for hours, clinging to a tree branch, which, fortunately, allows the loris to make a specific paw structure.
African black-footed cat
They look like real domestic cats - small, even tiny, because their weight adult does not reach even one and a half kilograms. In fact, these striped and charming animals living in Africa are real predators! They hunt, like any other representative of the cat family at night - their miniature shapes and appropriate colors help the seals remain completely invisible, and their large ears catch every sound - no one can hide from such animals. Behind the retina there is a special vascular layer that acts as a reflector necessary for night vision. It increases visual ability and causes the eyes to glow bright blue at night.
In Africa they are called “Antlion” - these little ones live, as a rule, in termite mounds and anthills that they themselves have emptied. By the way, insects are not the only favorite food of Black-footed cats - in addition to ants and termites, small predators prefer to eat another 54 species of a wide variety of animals - brave kids do not stop at game that is sometimes twice their own size - for example, dine on a hare for wild cats - The usual thing.
Red Panda
In China, where the red-haired beauty is found, this representative of the little panda family is called the “fiery fox” - the similarity is obvious: a pointed nose, fur the color of a red Sicilian orange! For a long time, the red panda hung around in space without classification: some scientists classified it as a raccoon, others as a bear, but in the end it turned out that these animals themselves are a separate, independent family of little pandas. The red panda lives not only in China - sometimes the animal can be found in Nepal.
This cute animal lives exclusively in Australia and mainly in eucalyptus forests - if for any other animal eucalyptus leaves are a deadly poison, then koalas are not at all afraid of such a nuisance. The thing is that marsupials are incredibly picky - they know how to choose only those plant flowers that are not capable of causing harm to health.
Another stereotype that haunts gray animals is the lack of thirst; allegedly, even the very name of the animal contains a decoding of a popular opinion; from the Aboriginal language the word “koala” is translated as “teetotal.” In reality, koalas, although infrequently, still drink water.
Meerkat
Meerkats can seem like real alarmists. Still would! As soon as these animals hear the slightest sound, they immediately rise on their hind legs, stretch out and control the space. Meerkats are indeed extremely vigilant; for their caution they even received the humorous title of “desert sentinels.”
A small people live in South Africa, mainly in the desert, since their short stature coupled with nervousness does not allow them to enter dense thickets. Among other things, these representatives of the mongoose family have phenomenal vision, which allows them to notice and assess the threat from afar.
By the way, what allows meerkats to live in the desert without any problems is not only their vision and permanent alertness, but also the structure of their eyes - the fact is that the little beauties have a well-developed third eyelid that protects the organs of vision from sand, and around the eye itself there is a dark border that works like sunglasses.
To the question: Which animal is the most eared? given by the author Elena Zakamskaya the best answer is Perhaps the most eared animal lives in Mongolia and China - the LONG-EARED JERBAI (Euchoreutes naso).
He himself is only 9 centimeters long, and his ears are as much as 5 centimeters. That is, his ears are more than half the length of his body.
The tail is up to 16 cm and the feet are half the length of the body. Notable are its elongated conical muzzle, huge ears reaching to the back of the back, and long whiskers, which, when laid back, reach the base of the tail. Characterized by relatively small eyes. Hind limbs five-fingered, with the lateral fingers shortened. The structure of the skeleton has many unique and primitive features. The long-eared jerboa is reddish-gray above, white on the sides and belly. The black and white tassel at the end of the tail is well defined, but not flattened, as in other species, but round in cross-section. The long-eared jerboa lives in sandy deserts Xinjiang and Alashani, where it is distributed among rare thickets of saxaul; sometimes runs into the yurts of nomads.
Source:
Answer from Neuropathologist[newbie]
USH? ANA (Plecotus) - a genus of chiropteran mammals of the Kozhanov family of the suborder bats, includes six species. Body length 4.5–7 cm, tail 3.5–5.5 cm. Earflaps differ from other leather ones in the large size of the ears, which are almost equal in length to the forearm. These bats are common in the temperate zone of Eurasia, North Africa and North America. In the forest zone of Russia (up to 60–63° N) the brown long-eared bat (Plecotus auritus) is found, and in the south of the European part of Russia - the gray long-eared bat (Plecotus austriacus). The Ozark long-eared bat (Plecotus townsendiinges) and the Virginia long-eared bat (Plecotus townsendiinges virginianus) are protected.
Answer from reset[newbie]
Elephant!! ! He was and will be the most big-eared creature))
Answer from .Kisa.[newbie]
elephant
Answer from Black Hundred[active]
The elephant is big and has big ears!
Answer from Natasha[guru]
Answer from Madness[expert]
elephant or hare or long-eared bat.
Answer from Yergey Sorokin[guru]
There are many animals with big ears: bats, long-eared fox, long-eared hedgehog, brush-eared pig, black-eared squirrel, big-eared hamster, long-eared seal and others. U Indian elephant the ears, for example, are half a meter long, while the African one is one and a half meters long.
In nature there is a so-called Brussels ram. But in fact it is not a ram, but just a rabbit. His ears are gathered into balls on the sides of his head and are very reminiscent of ram's horns. If you straighten and stretch them, they reach three meters.
This animal is artificially bred by man.
The fauna of our planet is incredibly diverse. Some representatives of the fauna are so unusual that it’s hard to even imagine! We invite you to meet the funny big-eyed little ones and see their photos.
Galago is a baby mammal belonging to the order of primates. However, it is not very similar to monkeys and lemurs: the tail is like a squirrel, the hind legs are more powerful than the front legs, the muzzle is sharp, and the ears are spoon-shaped. But the most remarkable thing is the galago's eyes: they are simply huge!
The galago lives in Africa and likes a dry climate.
Galago species
There are 25 species of galagos. But the most common are the following:
- Southern.
- Fat-tailed.
- Somali
- Senegalese.
The animals are small in size: the body length of the largest, the thick-tailed galago, does not exceed 35 centimeters. The southern galago is half the size - only 16 cm. It has a lighter color.
Features of behavior
The animal leads night image life. He deftly and silently crawls through the trees, folding his delicate ears into a tube so as not to injure them.
Galago likes to sleep in absolute silence, so he presses his ears to his head so that nothing will distract him from his rest. Waking up in the late afternoon, the galago raises its ears one at a time, listening for danger nearby. His ears are capable of picking up sounds at a very long distance.
Galago prefers to live alone, but sometimes they live in small groups of no more than 10 individuals. They reproduce 1 or 2 times a year. The cubs that are born (usually two of them are born) live with their mother for up to 3 months.
Galagos feed on small vertebrates, bird eggs, insects and plant foods.
Galago cry
During a night hunt with a flock, the animal makes shrill sounds reminiscent of a baby crying. For this he was nicknamed the “bush child.”
Danger
A small harmless animal in the wild faces many dangers. The main one is chimpanzees. The primates attack galagos during their sleep by impaling them with sharpened sticks.
People also hunt small animals, most often for the purpose of selling, because a small animal with big eyes Today it is very popular in the exotic animal market. Unfortunately, many babies die during transportation.
Aye-aye from Madagascar
The Madagascar bat - an animal with large eyes and ears - also belongs to the order of primates and is the only species of the family of bats.
The Madagascar monkey has small sizes (36-44 cm), a long fluffy tail that exceeds the body size by 15-20 cm, and dark brown fur. The head of the aye-aye is quite large, with large hairless ears located on it.
Huge, constantly surprised eyes, large front teeth, huge movable ears and elongated toes earned her the nickname Aye-aye.
The aye-aye is found only on the island of Madagascar, in bamboo thickets or dense forests.
Lifestyle of the Madagascar monkey
Aye-aye is nocturnal, and during the day sleeps in a nest, which it builds from palm leaves on the top of a tree or in a hollow.
Due to the secretive nature of this large-eyed animal, photographs of it are considered rare.
The little hand loves to eat the core of bamboo or sugar cane, it will not refuse fruits and coconuts, and it can eat some types of insects. Aye-aye is a solitary animal. Rarely can live in pairs (female with male during mating season or mother with baby).
Interesting facts about the Madagascar bat
The Madagascar bat is one of the most amazing animals on the planet, here are some facts confirming this:
- The number of these individuals is extremely small, so aye-ayes are included in the Red Book.
- The front teeth of the arm-shaped animal grow throughout its life.
- The animals walk very slowly, since the fingers of the limbs have very long nails.
- The middle finger on the front legs is long and thin, its end is not covered with hair. Aye-aye takes out bugs and insects from the cracks of trees and pushes them down their throats.
- The female brings offspring once every 2-3 years.
- Pregnancy lasts approximately 170 days, babies feed on mother's milk for up to 7-8 months and stay with their mother for up to a year or two.
- The lifespan of the bat is about 30 years (in the zoo).
An animal with unusually large eyes
It would seem that the question: “Which animal has big eyes?” - the answer is clear - “At the biggest one.” But everything is not so simple: the largest animal in the world - the blue whale - is by no means the champion in the largest eyes.
Has the biggest eyes in the world colossal squid. The weight of one of his eyes is 3 kg, and the diameter is 30 cm.
However, the Guinness Book of Records records the animal with the largest eyes (in relation to body size). Similar proportions could be achievable if, for example, a person had eyes the size of a large apple!
What is the name of the animal with big eyes that is so famous? His name is Philippine tarsier.
This animal looks like a cartoon character, instilling horror and awe. Its dimensions do not exceed 10 centimeters (without tail), while it weighs only 120-160 g, and its eyes can reach 1.5 cm.
The large round head has pointed ears, the limbs are thin and graceful, and the fur is red-brown.
The animal lives in the Philippine Islands, or more precisely, in some of the southeastern islands of the Philippine archipelago:
- Leite;
- Bohol;
- Mindanao;
- Samara.
Tarsier can live in a variety of places:
- in bamboo thickets;
- on the treetops;
- in abandoned front gardens;
- in gardens and plantations.
He prefers to settle in forests where human access is limited.
Lifestyle
These cute, bug-eyed babies are actually predators. A hungry tarsier sits motionless, waiting for prey. As soon as it sees its potential prey (lizard, insect or frog), it makes one long leap and captures the prey with amazing accuracy with its front paws. And then he proceeds to dinner, gnawing the victim with sharp fangs.
Tarsiers are also not averse to eating fish, crabs or crayfish.
The animals move quickly and silently through the trees, and rarely descend to the ground.
Tarsiers do not live in captivity. They are too freedom-loving and even in the zoo they cannot find a place for themselves, trying to break free, even at the cost of their lives.
Unusual abilities
This amazing animal with big eyes also has a number of extraordinary abilities:
- They are able to turn their heads 180 degrees thanks to special structure spine.
- The fingertips have suction pads that allow them to stay on tree trunks and branches for a long time.
- The tarsier's eyes are designed in such a way that the animal sees perfectly both at dusk and in bright light.
- During the flight when jumping (and it can have a range of up to two meters), the tarsier can “steer” with its tail, ensuring precision landing.
Lemur loris is a leisurely animal
The slow loris is another animal with large eyes. A loris lemur sitting on a branch looks like a fluffy ball with big eyes. This animal does not have a tail, or rather, it does, but it is very short, only a few centimeters, and under the fur it is completely invisible. The body length of a bug-eyed fluffy can be from 20 to 40 cm, and its weight is no more than 1.5 kg.
Lifestyle
Slow lorises sleep during the day and prefer to be awake at night. They see perfectly in the dark, so they hunt small rodents, birds and insects at night. They also eat nectar and fruits.
Lori is being led single image life, uniting in pairs or groups only for a short time. In the area where one male lives, several females live. A female ready to bear offspring attracts a male with her own urine, which at this time contains special pheromones.
The female bears offspring for about 3 months, after which she gives birth to one baby. The newborn clings to the mother's fur and spends about 14 days in this position.
The male does not take any part in the “raising” of the cub, even in captivity slow loris- Dad trusts the baby to the mother only during feeding.
An interesting fact is that all animals with large eyes see perfectly in the dark.
Dangerous pet with big eyes
Slow lorises thrive both in the wild and in captivity. However, before you get this charming animal with big, kind eyes, you should ask the seller what kind of species your potential family member is.
There are five species of slow loris, and one of them, the little slow loris, is poisonous. On the baby's elbow there are glands that secrete a substance that becomes toxic when it interacts with saliva.
The little slow loris uses this poison to protect its cubs from dangerous predators. He simply licks the baby's fur, and it becomes poisonous.
Other species of slow lorises do not pose a danger to humans.
Taking care of your neighbor
Slow lorises are unusually peaceful animals. They never conflict with their relatives, and when they meet, they take interesting “welcome” poses or groom each other’s fur. Especially for this process, the fat loris carries with it a special tool - a long claw growing on the index toe. All other claws of this loris species are short.
When talking about a species of animal such as the eared fox, it is important to understand that this breed has some individuality. The pleasant animal, affectionately called the fennec, has a rather specific disposition and can even be unsafe if disturbed in its natural habitat. Unfortunately, the valuable fur of the animal led to the fact that the fennec was exterminated en masse by poachers, which significantly reduced the number of the species. However, today the long-eared fox, which is protected by law, is doing great.
Fox appearance
In the photo, the fennec is the most amazing and smallest animal belonging to the canine family. This is the size of the animal not more domestic cat . This cute animal got its name from the Arabic “fanak”, which means “fox”. At the withers it is no more than 22 cm, body length is up to 40 cm, and the length of the tail is about 30 cm. The weight of the animal is up to one and a half kilograms. The fox has a small, pointed muzzle with large eyes.
The muzzle is dotted with small, sharp teeth. Of particular note are the disproportionately large ears. This is the first thing that catches your eye, because their length reaches 15 cm! The fennec's ears break records among predators in terms of the ratio of ear length to head size. But without such ears, the Fenech would not be able to survive in the desert. They perform several important functions:
- detection and determination of the exact location of prey at a considerable distance, including those located at depth (and this takes into account the tiny size of the prey itself);
- implementation of thermoregulation, which is vital for life in the desert. This is due to the saturation of the ears blood vessels, located near the surface of the skin, which promotes intensive removal of excess heat from the body.
Gorgeous appearance and body specificity
The animal's feet, densely covered with fur, help in silently “hiding” prey and protect the skin of the paws from the hot sand. The fennec cat's fur is soft, thick, long, and has a camouflage, “desert” color. The upper part is reddish, the lower part is white. Fluffy long tail with black rump, complements the uniqueness of the portrait of this small animal.
Young fennec cats wear white fur, which darkens with age. The fennec cat, like other canids, lacks sweat glands. Cooling occurs through breathing and huge ears provide significant assistance. Like all foxes, the fennec is the owner of a “violet” gland located in the supra-tail region. Its functions have not yet been clarified with sufficient certainty.
Distribution and lifestyle
The total number of these animals is unknown. Average life expectancy in natural conditions - from five to eight years. The main habitat of the fennec cat population is located in the central Sahara. The distribution area of the fennec tree is quite wide. He meets:
- in the north of Morocco;
- in Egypt, in Sinai;
- on the Arabian Peninsula;
- in Sudan;
- in the Republic of Chad;
- in the south of Niger.
Fenechs “living” in desert areas choose habitats among rare thickets of bushes and grass, because the main sources of food are concentrated in them. Animals dig holes with a widespread network of galleries and holes. This makes you feel comfortable shelter from the heat of the day. Fennecs live in families. The number of “family members”, as a rule, does not exceed ten.
Interestingly, they prefer to hunt individually. If we imagine the small size of the prey, then this behavior is the most rational (there is simply nothing to share). This little fox is capable for a long time do without water. The required amount of liquid is extracted from food. The fennec's kidneys are designed in such a way that the body retains the required amount of water.
Fennec foxes are also indiscriminate in their food, omnivores, and this is understandable - the desert... This animal obtains its main diet by rummaging in the sand. Production objects are:
As already mentioned, the huge size of the ears contributes to happy hunting. Fenechs have learned to put food aside for a rainy day. Fennecs need camouflage coloring (as can be seen in the photo) to hide prey rather than to hide, because natural enemies The fox doesn't. Fennec is very agile and playful. Acute night vision and an excellent sense of smell help him in hunting.
During the breeding season, which occurs once a year, males fiercely defend the boundaries of their territory. They constantly mark her and lead desperate fights with all the “violators” of boundaries. After 50 days of gestation, the female gives birth to up to 5-6 cubs, which stay with the mother for up to 3 months in a mink carefully prepared for this purpose. At birth, puppies weigh about 50 grams. The young grow quickly. At two weeks they begin to see clearly, and at three they are already interested in the world outside the hole.
When the pets are growing up, it is the male who plays the role of the main and only provider of food. At the age of about 3 months, babies become accustomed to hunting independently. At 9 months they are ready to create their own families. However, there have been cases when matured individuals stayed with their mothers and acted as “nannies.” Fenechs are extremely sociable in relation to their relatives, very “talkative”. The range of voice information transmission is quite wide. This is barking and howling, grumbling and growling, squealing and whining.
Fennec fox in your home
Fennec fox, because of its cute face, unusual appearance and small sizes (as confirmed by the photo), is an object close attention poachers. It is intensively caught both for its unusual fur and for sale, for the purpose of further keeping in captivity. Eared fox became fashionable and popular. Everyone wants to have her at home larger number pet lovers.
However, keeping this fox at home is not an easy task. And there are several reasons for this. First of all, fennecs accustomed to being nocturnal, which, naturally, causes understandable inconvenience to the owners. Secondly, fennecs need training from a specialist, because they have a rather bad character. Thirdly, this animal will need a separate room, with maintenance in it of a temperature familiar to a small fox.
Failure to comply with the above circumstances can lead to the animal feeling discomfort, catching colds frequently, and if not properly cared for, may die. In addition, the fennec is an animal with an unpleasant, pungent odor. One of the negative factors of keeping a fennec fox at home is that veterinarians are unfamiliar with this exotic fox and are not always able to provide qualified assistance. We should not forget that Fennec - wild animal, and therefore it is difficult to predict how the little fox will behave with children. Although, oddly enough, there is evidence that the fennec gets along well with domestic cats. They enjoy frolicking together.
Physiologically, the fox is designed in such a way that it can “perform” phenomenal tricks that other animals cannot do. Such dexterity and speed of movement are not just the virtues of an animal, but instincts that preserve life and have been developed over centuries. For fans of this type of fox, you should be aware of the following features of the animal:
This article, of course, cannot fully and comprehensively describe this wonderful animal of an exotic species, its unusual lifestyle, behavior, but the main characteristics of the fennec fox - a small desert fox with prohibitively large ears - are presented. If you are still planning to purchase this fox for home care, then you will at least already know the main difficulties and possible inconveniences associated with the lifestyle of this wonderful animal.
Some animals hit the jackpot when it comes to ear size. If you are talking about a large animal such as African elephant or the much smaller Bush Baby, then this is understandable. But there are many animals with the largest ear to body ratio, making them the creatures with the largest ears in the world.
Of course, elephant ears are significantly larger than those of other animals, but compared to their body size, some small animals' ears are much larger than you might think.
While they may also appear cuter than other animals with smaller ears, many animals with larger ears have them for very good reasons. They are often used for cooling or even pest control. Other animals with long ears able to place them to hear sounds from certain directions or even pick up sounds at frequencies that humans can't even hear. Whatever their reasons for developing large, adorable ears, these animals are record breakers.
Photo: San Diego Shooter/flickr/CC-BY-NC-ND 2.0Serval is one of the species wild cat, found in sub-Saharan Africa, although some have been seen in North Africa and Sahel.
The Serval is a medium-sized cat, reaching between 10 and 20 kilograms. They usually have black markings on their bodies, but their most noticeable feature has to be their oversized ears. Interestingly, their ears are not much larger than those of typical domestic cats, but compared to their head size, they stand out noticeably.
Serval ears are not for fun, but are used primarily for hunting their typical prey, which includes rodents, birds, insects, frogs and small reptiles. They use their keen sense of hearing to locate their prey. They then stalk their prey like most cats and pounce on them from over six feet away so they can bite and snap the neck of their prey. Its ears are not the only enlarged feature found in the Serval, as they are also characterized by the longest leg-to-body ratio of any cat species.
Scientific name: Leptailurus serval
Type: Leptailurus
Fennec fox
Photo: greyloch/flickr/CC-BY-NC-ND 2.0 The fennec fox is a well-known fox species due to its signature large ears. They are the smallest fox species and can be found in North Saharan Africa, the Sinai Peninsula, the Arabian Desert and Southwestern Israel. Their bodies have evolved to help them survive in the arid climates they live in, and their ears feature prominently in this adaptation.
While their ears are incredibly sensitive and aid in hunting - they can even hear animals moving around underground - their main function is to dissipate heat from the fox's small body. This adaptation helps the fox survive in dry, hot climates, but also makes it one of the cutest foxes around. Because of this, some Fennec Foxes have found their way into the exotic pet market and can be bred in captivity and look very similar to dogs.
Scientific name: Vulpes zerda
Type: Vulpes
Aye-Aye
Photo: Elias Neideck/Wikimedia Commons/CC BY-SA 4.0 The Aya Aya is perhaps one of the least attractive lemur species found in Madagascar thanks to its rodent-like teeth that continually grow throughout the animal's life. They have a number of advanced features, including a special thin middle finger, but their ears make one of their most prominent facial features. Compared to other primates, the Aye-Aye's ears are unusual and more cat-like in appearance, although they work well for finding food.
Because of unique way larvae they find fill an ecological niche more similar to a woodpecker than a lemur. They touch trees and use their hearing to find the larvae inside. They then drill a small hole with their large incisors and insert their specialized middle finger inside to extract their prey. The only other animals that seem to do this are the banded possum and the woodpecker, which makes Aye-Aye one of the strangest primates on the planet.
Scientific name: Daubentonia madagascariensis
Type: Daubentonia
African bush elephant
Photo: brainstorm1984/flickr/CC-BY-ND 2.0 Elephants are well known for their enlarged ears and were even featured in a Disney film, but among the two species existing elephants in Africa, the African Bush elephant holds the record because it has highest ratio ears to body. The African Bush Elephant's ears are not just for fun, but also help the elephants survive in the hot, dry climate they find themselves in.
Because their ears are large and flat, they can move them in such a way as to create air currents, which help remove their excess body heat, allowing them to cool down during the hottest parts of the year. They constantly flare their ears to ward off insects and pests that might otherwise irritate them. Their ears are also very sensitive and can be used to communicate at frequencies that humans cannot hear, but elephants can discern great distances. Elephants also stick out their ears as a show of strength when confronted, which helps make their already massive size even more menacing.
Scientific name: Loxodonta africana
Type: Loxodonta
Caracal
Photo: Tambako the Jaguar/flickr/CC-BY-ND 2.0 For a long time, the caracal was classified as a lynx (Lynx), which it resembles in appearance, but due to a number of genetic characteristics he was separated into a separate genus.
Despite this, the caracal is still a little closer to lynxes than other cats, while being much closer to the puma in morphological characteristics. The caracal is also close to the African serval, with which it interbreeds well in captivity.
The caracal has been tamed and domesticated since the time Ancient Egypt when it was used for hunting. These are medium-sized cats, reaching between 10 and 20 kg. with a height of about 60 centimeters at the withers
While their ears are a prominent feature on the head, they are not unusually large for the cat species. What makes their ears unique and places them on this list are the unusual tufts of black fur that are long enough to almost double the length of a cat's ears. These tufts usually extend to about 5 cm and may begin to fall off as the cat ages. Their ears serve the same purpose as other cats, aiding in hunting and even dissipating heat to a small extent.
Scientific name: Caracal caracal
Type: Caracal
Basset Hound
Photo: donjd2/flickr/CC-BY 2.0 There are many dog breeds in the world, but the one with the largest ears is the Basset Hound. Technically, the Basset Hound is not an example of evolution that produced an animal with enlarged ears. Basset Hounds and all dog breeds are the result of specialized selective breeding by people from gray wolf, Canis Lupus. All dogs come from this wolf breed, but as you know, they look significantly different in size, shape, specialization and temperament.
Basset hounds were specifically bred to hunt hares. Their ears may be one of their most noticeable features, along with their short legs, but it's their powerful nose that can detect scents from miles away that deserves the true glory.
They have been bred from bloodhounds for centuries and originated in Britain back in the late 1800s. Their long ears help them track a scent, both focus it towards their nose, and catch some of the smells to help them remember the smell they are following. Catching some smells to help them remember the smell they are following.
Scientific name: Canis lupus familiaris
Type: Dog
Galago or Bush baby
Photo: hl_1001/flickr/CC-BY-NC 2.0 Galagos, better known as Bush Babies, are a species of nocturnal primate native to Africa that are known for their enlarged eyes and ears. Their eyes are adapted to see prey in the dark, while their ears have evolved into sensitive instruments capable of picking up movements and sounds over long distances. They help Galago track insects as they move through the air and appear somewhat flighty in shape.
The typical ears of a bush baby will be enlarged compared to the relatively small head and similar in appearance to a cat. They are well known for their ability to hear, but are most famous for their eyes and their cry, which has been used to scare children indoors at night in Africa. Their cry sounds like a human child and their eyes glow when the light shines on them at night.
Type: primate
Long Ward-Jerboa
Photo: Syt55/Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain The aptly named longhaired Jerboa is a nocturnal mouse rodent, found in the Palearctic ecozone of Mongolia and Western China. They are well known for their oversized ears, which makes it clear where their name comes from. Their ears are more than a third longer than their heads and have tufts of bristly hair.
Another important feature is the Long-Ware Jerboa's legs, which are especially large in comparison to their body to enable the animal to jump long distances as it hunts for its main prey, which includes numerous species flying insects. Its ears are used primarily for protection, as they allow the long-haired Jerbois to hear predators from a great distance. They will also likely help locate local prey nearby and repel their exact location.
Scientific name: Euchoreutes naso
Type: rodent
Mule Deer
Photo: Metaweb (FB) /GNU Free Documentation License All species of deer have relatively large ears, but the Mule Deer has the largest ears compared to other members of the deer family. They are found primarily in the lands west of the Missouri River in the Rocky Mountain regions of North America, but they have also been seen in places such as Kauai, Hawaii and Argentina.
Like all deer species, the Mule Deer's ears have evolved to detect the slightest sound over long distances. They can immediately detect sounds in several directions and alert animals if a potential predator is nearby. This adaptation helps deer survive in climates filled with wolves, coyotes, humans and other animals that are eager to prey on mule deer.
Scientific name: Odocoileus hemionus
Type: Odocoileus
Big-eared leaf-nosed bats
Photo: alanterra/flickr/CC-BY-NC 2.0 There is a common misconception that bats are either blind or have relatively poor eyesight, but this is only because their ears play such a large role in their lives. The truth is, bats can see very well, but their hearing puts us to shame. The bats use a special hunting technique called echolocation, which allows them to find prey in conditions low light thanks to the sounds of their movement and their ability to recognize speed and direction thanks to their amazing hearing.
Of all the many species of bats, the ones with the greatest ear-to-body relationship are the big-eared leaf-nosed bats. These little bats have huge ears compared to the rest of their bodies, and they use them to pick up the slightest flickering sound that an insect's wing makes in flight. They fly quickly and easily collect prey in their habitat, which extends across southern California to Mexico.
Scientific name: Macrotus californicus
Type: Macrotus
Black-tailed hare
Photo: NDomer73/flickr/CC-BY-NC-ND 2.0 Rabbits are well known for their long, floppy or pointed ears, but there are some species of rabbits that are clear winners in the big ear game. The black-tailed jackrabbit is one such species that can be found throughout the western United States and Mexico. Like all types of hares, the ears of these animals are especially long and pointed. They extend from the tops of the head and can be inclined towards sounds heard over great distances.
The main purpose of their ears is protection, as they can pick up the sounds of a potential predator from afar. They are not used for hunting as their food source only includes shrubs, grasses and small trees. They prey on a variety of animals, including coyotes, wolves, bobcats, bobcats, and domestic animals such as dogs and cats. When their ears catch the slightest sound made by one of these animals, the bunny will run in the opposite direction and head towards its hole.
Scientific name: Lepus californicus
Type: hare
Bilby
Photo: stephentrepreneur/Wikimedia Commons/CC BY-SA 2.0 Bilby, also known as rabbit bandicoots, are a small species of desert-dwelling marsupial found in Australia. The Lesser Bilby became extinct in the 1950s, but the Greater Bilby survives to this day, although it remains endangered. Like other bandicoots, they have long muzzle, but their most notable feature is their enlarged ears, which are used to radiate heat from his body.
Bilbas are well known in their native Australia, where their habitat remains under threat. Numerous programs have been started to raise them in captivity and return them to the wild so that they can reestablish themselves in their native habitat. There is currently a very successful breeding program in Perth, Western Australia.
Scientific name: rabbit bandicoots
Type: marsupial
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