In this post there will be scary, nasty, cute, kind, beautiful, incomprehensible animals.
Plus a short comment about each. They all really exist
Watch and be surprised
SNAP TOOTH- a mammal from the order of insectivores, divided into two main species: the Cuban slittooth and the Haitian. The animal is relatively large compared to other types of insectivores: its length is 32 centimeters, its tail is on average 25 cm, the weight of the animal is about 1 kilogram, and its body is dense. 
MANED WOLF. Lives in South America. The long legs of the wolf are the result of evolution in matters of adaptation to the habitat; they help the animal to overcome obstacles in the form of tall grass growing on the plains. 
AFRICAN CIVET- the only representative of the genus of the same name. These animals live in Africa in open spaces with high grass from Senegal to Somalia, southern Namibia and in the eastern regions of South Africa. The size of the animal can visually increase quite significantly when the civet raises its fur when excited. And her fur is thick and long, especially on the back closer to the tail. The paws, muzzle and tail end are completely black, most of the body is spotted. 
MUSKRAT. The animal is quite famous due to its sonorous name. It's just a good photo. 
PROCHIDNA. This miracle of nature usually weighs up to 10 kg, although larger specimens have also been observed. By the way, the length of the echidna’s body reaches 77 cm, and this is not counting their cute five to seven centimeter tail. Any description of this animal is based on comparison with the echidna: the legs of the echidna are higher, the claws are more powerful. Another feature of the echidna’s appearance is the spurs on the hind legs of males and the five-fingered hind limbs and three-fingered forelimbs. 
CAPIBARA. Semi-aquatic mammal, the largest of modern rodents. It is the only representative of the capybara family (Hydrochoeridae). There is a dwarf variety, Hydrochoerus isthmius, which is sometimes considered as a separate species (lesser capybara). 
SEA CUCUMBER. HOLOTHURIA. Sea capsules, sea cucumbers (Holothuroidea), a class of invertebrate animals such as echinoderms. Species eaten as food are commonly known as sea cucumbers. 
PANGOLIN. This post simply could not do without him. 
HELL VAMPIRE. Mollusk. Despite its obvious similarity with octopus and squid, scientists have identified this mollusk as a separate order Vampyromorphida (lat.), because it is characterized by retractable sensitive whip-shaped filaments. 
AARDVARK. In Africa, these mammals are called aardvark, which translated into Russian means “earthen pig.” In fact, the aardvark is very similar in appearance to a pig, only with an elongated snout. The structure of the ears of this amazing animal is very similar to that of a hare. There is also a muscular tail, which is very similar to the tail of an animal such as a kangaroo. 
JAPANESE GIANT SALAMANDER. Today it is the largest amphibian, which can reach 160 cm in length, weigh up to 180 kg and can live up to 150 years, although the officially recorded maximum age of the giant salamander is 55 years. 
BEARDED PIG. In different sources, the Bearded Pig species is divided into two or three subspecies. These are the curly bearded pig (Sus barbatus oi), which lives on the Malay Peninsula and the island of Sumatra, the Bornean bearded pig (Sus barbatus barbatus) and the Palawan bearded pig, which live, as the name suggests, on the islands of Borneo and Palawan, as well as on Java , Kalimantan and small islands of the Indonesian archipelago in Southeast Asia. 
SUMATRAN RHINO. They belong to the odd-toed ungulates of the rhinoceros family. This type of rhinoceros is the smallest of the entire family. The body length of an adult Sumatran rhinoceros can reach 200–280 cm, and the height at the withers can vary from 100 to 150 cm. Such rhinoceroses can weigh up to 1000 kg. 
SULAWESI BEAR COUSCUS. An arboreal marsupial living in the upper layer of lowland tropical forests. The fur of the bear cuscus consists of a soft undercoat and coarse guard hairs. Coloration ranges from gray to brown, with a lighter belly and limbs, and varies depending on the geographic subspecies and age of the animal. The prehensile, non-haired tail is approximately half the length of the animal and serves as a fifth limb, making it easier to move through the dense tropical forest. The bear cuscus is the most primitive of all cuscus, retaining primitive tooth growth and structural features of the skull. 
GALAGO. Its large fluffy tail is clearly comparable to that of a squirrel. And his charming face and graceful movements, flexibility and insinuation, clearly reflect his cat-like traits. The amazing jumping ability, mobility, strength and incredible dexterity of this animal clearly show its nature as a funny cat and an elusive squirrel. Of course, there would be a place to use your talents, because a cramped cage is very poorly suited for this. But, if you give this animal a little freedom and sometimes allow him to walk around the apartment, then all his quirks and talents will come true. Many even compare it to a kangaroo. 
WOMBAT. Without a photograph of a wombat, it is generally impossible to talk about strange and rare animals. 
AMAZONIAN DOLPHIN. It is the largest river dolphin. Inia geoffrensis, as scientists call it, reaches 2.5 meters in length and weighs 2 quintals. Light gray juveniles become lighter with age. The Amazonian dolphin has a full body, with a thin tail and a narrow muzzle. A round forehead, a slightly curved beak and small eyes are the characteristics of this species of dolphin. The Amazonian dolphin is found in the rivers and lakes of Latin America. 
MOONFISH or MOLA-MOLA. This fish can be more than three meters long and weigh about one and a half tons. The largest specimen of the sunfish was caught in New Hampshire, USA. Its length was five and a half meters, there is no data on weight. The shape of the fish’s body resembles a disk; it was this feature that gave rise to the Latin name. The moon fish has thick skin. It is elastic, and its surface is covered with small bony projections. The larvae of fish of this species and young individuals swim in the usual way. Adult large fish swim on their sides, quietly moving their fins. They seem to lie on the surface of the water, where they are very easy to notice and catch. However, many experts believe that only sick fish swim this way. As an argument, they cite the fact that the stomach of fish caught on the surface is usually empty. 
TASMANIAN DEVIL. Being the largest of modern predatory marsupials, this black animal with white spots on the chest and rump, with a huge mouth and sharp teeth has a dense physique and a stern disposition, for which, in fact, it was called the devil. Emitting ominous screams at night, the massive and clumsy Tasmanian devil looks like a small bear: the front legs are slightly longer than the hind legs, the head is large, and the muzzle is blunt. 
LORI. A characteristic feature of the loris is its large eyes, which can be bordered by dark circles; there is a white dividing stripe between the eyes. The face of a loris can be compared to a clown mask. This most likely explains the animal's name: Loeris means "clown". 
GAVIAL. Of course, one of the representatives of the crocodile order. With age, the gharial's muzzle becomes even narrower and longer. Due to the fact that the gharial feeds on fish, its teeth are long and sharp, located at a slight angle for ease of eating. 
OKAPI. FOREST GIRAFFE. Traveling through Central Africa, journalist and African explorer Henry Morton Stanley (1841-1904) more than once encountered local aborigines. Having once met an expedition equipped with horses, the natives of the Congo told the famous traveler that in their jungle there were wild animals very similar to his horses. The Englishman, who had seen a lot, was somewhat puzzled by this fact. After some negotiations in 1900, the British were finally able to purchase parts of the skin of the mysterious animal from the local population and send them to the Royal Zoological Society in London, where the unknown animal was given the name “Johnston's Horse” (Equus johnstoni), that is, it was assigned to the equine family . But imagine their surprise when a year later they managed to get a whole skin and two skulls of an unknown animal, and discovered that It looked more like a dwarf giraffe from the Ice Age. Only in 1909 was it possible to catch a living specimen of Okapi. 
WALABI. TREE KANGAROO. The genus of Tree kangaroos - wallabies (Dendrolagus) includes 6 species. Of these, D. Inustus or the bear wallaby, D. Matschiei or Matchisha's wallaby, which has a subspecies D. Goodfellowi (Goodfellow's wallaby), D. Dorianus - the Doria wallaby, live in New Guinea. In Australian Queensland, there are D. Lumholtzi - Lumholtz's wallaby (bungari), D. Bennettianus - Bennett's wallaby, or tharibin. Their original habitat was New Guinea, but now wallabies are also found in Australia. Tree kangaroos live in tropical forests of mountainous regions, at altitudes from 450 to 3000m. above sea level. The body size of the animal is 52-81 cm, the tail is from 42 to 93 cm long. Wallabies weigh, depending on the species, from 7.7 to 10 kg for males and from 6.7 to 8.9 kg. females. 
WOLVERINE. Moves quickly and deftly. The animal has an elongated muzzle, a large head, with rounded ears. The jaws are powerful, the teeth are sharp. Wolverine is a “big-footed” animal; its feet are disproportionate to the body, but their size allows them to move freely through deep snow cover. Each paw has huge and curved claws. Wolverine is an excellent tree climber and has keen eyesight. The voice is like a fox. 
FOSSA. The island of Madagascar has preserved animals that are not found not only in Africa itself, but also in the rest of the world. One of the rarest animals is the Fossa - the only representative of the genus Cryptoprocta and the largest predatory mammal living on the island of Madagascar. The appearance of the Fossa is a little unusual: it is a cross between a civet and a small puma. Sometimes the fossa is also called the Madagascar lion, since the ancestors of this animal were much larger and reached the size of a lion. Fossa has a squat, massive and slightly elongated body, the length of which can reach up to 80 cm (on average it is 65-70 cm). The fossa's paws are long, but quite thick, with the hind paws being higher than the front paws. The tail is often equal to the length of the body and reaches up to 65 cm. 
MANUL approves of this post and is here only because he has to be. Everyone already knows him. 
PHENEC. STEPPE FOX. He assents to the manula and is present here insofar as. After all, everyone saw him. 
NAKED MORAVARY gives the Pallas's cat and fennec cat pluses in their karma and invites them to organize a club of the most fearful animals in RuNet. 
PALM THIEF. Representative of decapod crustaceans. Its habitat is the western Pacific Ocean and the tropical islands of the Indian Ocean. This animal from the family of land crayfish is quite large for its species. The body of an adult reaches a size of up to 32 cm and a weight of up to 3-4 kg. For a long time it was mistakenly believed that with its claws it could even crack coconuts, which it then eats. To date, scientists have proven that crayfish can only feed on already split coconuts. They, being its main source of nutrition, gave the name palm thief. Although he is not averse to eating other types of food - the fruits of Pandanus plants, organic substances from the soil, and even his own kind.
What does the common marten that lives in our forests and mountains look like? If someone asks such a question, then usually a description can be made using the appearance of a familiar object as a basis. Everyone has seen a bear, at least in a zoo or in a picture. So, make the bear ten times smaller, make his body long, slender and light. Don’t forget to stretch out and lighten the muzzle. Yes, the paws also need to be made small, light, but definitely with claws. This will make a marten.
Martens are predatory mammals from the mustelidae family.
Main features and characteristics
Martens are carnivorous mammals from the mustelidae family. Their closest relatives, besides several species of martens themselves, are:
- sable;
- mink;
- ermine;
- weasel;
- Solonga;
- speakers;
- ferret;
- dressing;
- harza;
- pecan;
- wolverine;
- badger;
- skunk;
- otter;
- sea otter
Thus, the mustelid family includes a very small weasel and a huge, more bear-like wolverine. However, all mustelids are dexterous, fast and strong predators.
Animals of this species are of average height, in the sense that their parameters are in the middle between the giant wolverine and the dwarf weasel. The marten is a digitigrade, predatory animal with short five-fingered paws. The toes are freely spaced and armed with sharp claws, which allows the animal to easily and quickly climb trees. The marten has a sharp muzzle with short ears divided into 2 parts. Her body is long, slender, streamlined, well adapted for rapid movement through trees and for sudden jumps over long distances.
The tail is relatively long, reaching half the length of the body. It differs from the squirrel tail in the absence of a fan, which increases the streamlining of the body and the speed of movement through trees, as well as in the mountains over stones and rocks.
Only 2 species of martens live on the territory of Russia - forest and stone. The predominant species is the pine marten.
The color of the pine marten ranges from chestnut to dark brown with a yellowish round throat patch. In winter, the animal's fur is long and silky; in summer it becomes shorter and tougher.
Like many members of this family, the pine marten has an oblong body with relatively short legs and hair on the feet. The length of the animal is about 50 cm, the length of the tail does not exceed 28 cm, and it weighs on average about 1.5 kg. Males are usually a third heavier than females.
The marten is a digitigrade, predatory animal with short five-fingered paws
Forest marten (video)
Food preferences of martens
To say that martens are predators is like saying nothing. Formally, predators include all animals that themselves kill other animals and immediately eat them. However, can the sundew plant be called a predator? Of course, it is possible, she kills animals herself and eats them herself. But is the sparrow a predator? Yes, this is also a predator, terrifying all kinds of boogers.
The marten is a predatory animal without any reservations. She eats everything that runs, swims, flies, jumps, crawls. Its victims are:
- all mouse-like;
- any bird that did not have time to dodge claws and teeth;
- proteins;
- chipmunks;
- other mustelids, which are inferior in strength and size;
- all invertebrate animals.
The marten is a predatory animal without any reservations
The animal can even eat the cubs of a fox, wolf, badger, or wild boar if their parents are away somewhere. However, the main food of martens are rodents and birds.
Firstly, the bodies of these animals are large enough to satiate the marten at least temporarily. Secondly, there are enough of them to maintain the optimal number of these medium-sized predators.
Gallery: animal marten (25 photos)
Lifestyle and biotope
Pine martens fully live up to their name. Everything about them is adapted to life in trees. Stone martens also got their name because of their lifestyle and their association with certain biotopes. They can live perfectly among trees, but they feel just as good in open mountain spaces among rocks and stones.
And yet, mustelids are originally forest dwellers. All their evolutionary changes are associated with changes in biotopes, in which the environment-forming role of trees gradually became less and less significant. The only exception to this rule is the wolverine, which is too large to jump along branches and easily fly from tree to tree.
All martens can climb and jump well in trees, easily covering a distance of up to 4 m in a jump. Moving in the complex structure of a tree, they are able to turn their feet 180°. This type of plasticity is characteristic of all poison dart frogs.
If we talk about the composition of the forest where martens prefer to settle, then these are predominantly mixed coniferous-deciduous forests. This location is due to the fact that here every small animal can find enough food for itself. In such forests, mice, squirrels, and chipmunks can feed themselves on:
- nuts of coniferous plants;
- mushrooms;
- grass;
- root vegetables;
- acorns and fruits of deciduous trees;
- invertebrate animals.
A good food source for the animals is the so-called upland game, that is, large birds that feed on pine needles, grains and grass. Various partridges, hazel grouse and even wood grouse are quite accessible for food to such a strong and resourceful predator as the marten.
The diet of the stone marten is somewhat different from that of the forest marten. However, the differences are not radical. Among the mountain screes, mountain hares - pikas - can become food. In steppe areas, the food supply can be replenished by gophers. As for the rest, the basis of nutrition consists of the same mice and birds.
Martens also live in deciduous forests, especially in oak forests, since acorns and the fruits of other deciduous trees attract squirrels, mice and birds.
However, the most suitable biotopes for martens are taiga and mixed forests. Here she finds not only food in abundance, but also secluded places for breeding.
Marten hunting squirrel (video)
Shelters and territories
All martens prefer to live in hollows. In the forest, hollow, but still quite alive and strong trees are always in great short supply. In addition to martens, squirrels, chipmunks, and birds (woodpeckers, pikas, nuthatches, tits, etc.) claim such hollows. Once upon a time, Far Eastern white-breasted bears lived and wintered in them. Now that large trees have become an extremely rare occurrence, these bears are sometimes forced to spend the winter simply in a hole under a bush, which is not always compatible with the harsh Far Eastern winters.
Where trees themselves become scarce, martens already live in burrows among stones. Hence the name of the species - stone marten. In addition to the space between stones, this marten can use abandoned or reclaimed nests of large birds.
This animal can divide all shelters into places where you can sleep and wait out the bad weather, and places where you can create a lair. Sometimes these concepts coincide, but the conditions for the den must be special.
Pine martens are animals with pronounced territorial behavior. In order to retain the plot, it must be fenced. Martens, like all mammals, do this with the help of smells. The marker is odorous substances secreted by the anal gland. The formation of scent boundaries is necessary, first of all, in order to protect themselves from same-sex individuals. The territories of males and females may overlap.
Typically, males have a larger home range than females. The size of the plots depends on the ability of the individual not only to apply scent marks along the periphery of the plot, but also to prove its right to this territory. A large individual can conquer a large area.
There are differences in plot size and seasons. In winter, the territories of individual individuals may be half as large as in summer. A small winter area is easier to defend in conditions of deep snow and less abundance of food.
Reproduction and fertility
Martens usually mate in mid-summer, but the first cub does not appear until April of the following year. This is not due to a long period of pregnancy, but to a phenomenon such as sperm conservation. After fertilization, the development of the embryo is delayed until favorable times occur. For most mammals, these times are spring and early summer. Over the summer and autumn months, the cub will be able to grow enough to survive the winter safely, and the next summer begin to select a mate for procreation.
On average, no more than 3 babies are born at a time. Each cub is no more than 10 cm in length. Marten children stay in the nest for about 2 months. Then they begin to go beyond it and explore the surrounding area.
After 4 months of home education, that is, around September, marten children become completely independent. However, this does not prevent them from accompanying their mother until next spring. By the following summer, young martens become fully sexually mature, but they usually breed in the third year of life.
These animals live in captivity for about 16 years. In the wild, the aging of the body does not allow them to safely obtain food and defend themselves from other predators, so their lifespan is estimated at no more than ten years.
Marten and man: facets of interaction
Relationships between humans and animals can be very different. Predators can pose a direct threat to human life or farm animals. In this regard, martens somewhere in the Moscow region try to stay away from settlements. They do not pose any danger to human health and life, except in a situation where the person himself forces the poor animal to defend itself and protect its offspring.
Of course, there is a possibility that during the winter lack of food, the animal will climb into the chicken coop and take the chicken to its dense forest. However, this happens extremely rarely.
It is believed that the stone marten attacks chicken coops more often than its forest relative. This may be due to the fact that in the habitats of this species the number of mice and other small animals and birds is much lower than in the mixed forests of Eurasia.
There is another explanation for the arrival of martens to places where a person lives himself, stores his supplies and keeps pets. This is the destruction of the natural habitat of these animals.
There are fewer and fewer forests, and more and more houses. At the same time, it is the mixed forest zone that suffers the most, where the marten has until now found food and shelter in sufficient quantities. Deforestation and development, of course, greatly destroy the natural habitat of martens. However, the pyrogenic factor can be considered the most destructive.
Crown fires destroy trees completely, forming grass or grass-shrub thickets in place of the forest. Pine martens cannot live in such conditions. The surviving animals, if they have nowhere to migrate, try to feed, reproduce and winter in the ashes. As a result, they are forced to visit people's homes, which usually ends badly for them as well.
If fires are low (grass, litter, shrubs, undergrowth burn) and frequent, trees suffer pyrotrauma. After several years of such fire exposure, the tree may burn out and fall. So frequent ground fires lead to the same result as high fires. Only the process happens more slowly. For martens and other arboreal animals, the result is the same - death from lack of food, migration to forests that have not yet burned, and raids on rich human bins.
The conclusion is simple - do not destroy the marten’s biotope and it will avoid your homes. This animal loves to live in deep forest thickets, where there is something to feed and a place to hide. Leave him such thickets and he will not be interested in your farming.
Attention, TODAY only!
Arboreal lifestyle has many advantages: animals here do not experience much competition for food and are well protected from terrestrial predators.
Sense organs. Through the green lace of leaves, little light enters the inner part of the tree crown, so all tree dwellers need to have fairly sharp vision. Diurnal opossums have significantly larger eyes than land animals of the same size. Large eyes are able to capture more daylight, allowing animals to see better. Tarsiers have very large eyes and are active at night. In addition, the eyes of these animals are directed forward, so they give a three-dimensional picture of the surrounding world. Thanks to this, tarsiers incredibly accurately estimate the distance from branch to branch when jumping. The eyes of squirrels are good at distinguishing tree trunks. Hearing is also important for tree dwellers. With the help of sound signals, members of the monkey herd not only maintain contact with each other, but also warn each other about danger.
Family life above ground
Mammals that live in trees have developed special methods of protecting their young. Parents take care of the babies until they are strong enough to move independently through the trees. A baby falling out of a tree means almost certain death, so parents should always keep a close eye on them. Due to the large number of dangers that await children in a tree, most arboreal mammals only give birth to one baby. The female Senegalese galago, which is a nocturnal animal, carries its young in its mouth when climbing trees. She puts it down on the branches only when she needs to eat. At dawn, the mother returns with him to the nest, where they sleep all day. Loris cubs hang on their mother’s belly for the entire period that milk feeding continues. Every evening, chimpanzees build nests in the forks of the branches of their bedrooms, located close to each other, because by working together it is easier for the monkeys to defend themselves from predators.
Many animals live in the forest not far from each other. They feed and sleep at different times and at different heights so as not to create competition for each other. This division of tiers is especially characteristic of forest primates. In the tropical rain forests of West Africa, chimpanzees and gorillas lead active lives during the day. Heavy gorillas move on the ground or along the lower branches of trees, and this is where they feed. Light gverets live in the upper tier of the forest, feeding on fruits growing on thin branches. Chimpanzees feel good on any level.
Different animals feed on fruits at different stages of ripening - some eat green fruits, others eat ripe ones, and others prefer carrion. Many animals never leave the trees at all, even to drink water. Most mammals are arboreal, such as sloths, Senegalese galagos, gibbons, orangutans and koalas. In the body structure of these animals and in their behavior one can notice amazing features that allow them to live at high altitudes. Some of them never come down to earth.
LIFE IN A TREE
The canopies of tall trees in tropical forests provide shelter and food for mammals. Trees with rough, rough bark and many branches are easy to climb and descend. It is more difficult to move from one tree to another.
Descent and ascent are an unconvincing solution to the problem, they take a lot of time, and also deprive tree dwellers of a significant advantage - being at altitude. Therefore, animals “invented” new ways of moving through trees: some jump well; others move from branch to branch, swinging on their hands; still others have learned to “fly.”
HANDS AND FLYING WEMBERS
Many primates, such as orangutans and chimpanzees, have disproportionately long forelimbs, thanks to which they can swing from branch to branch with ease.
However, orangutans move more slowly and cautiously than their smaller relatives. Gibbons have exceptionally long forelimbs, which are unsurpassed masters of jumping on their hands from branch to branch. The large short fingers of these monkeys are located opposite to each other, turning the limbs into a remarkable grasping organ.
Flying squirrels are able to cover distances between trees thanks to their ability to glider. In this way they cover distances of up to 100 m.
FEET AND CLAWS
Large paws and strong claws are the tools the koala needs to live in the trees. In this animal, the first and second fingers of the forelimbs are located opposite the others, which allows it to firmly grasp the branch. Climbing up the trunk, the koala grasps it with strong claws of the front limbs, and pulls up the hind limbs, as if making a jump.
Squirrels climb down a tree trunk head down, holding onto the bark with their claws. They maintain balance with the help of bushy tails. The tail acts as a parachute during a jump. The clouded leopard spends most of its life among tree branches. In dense tropical forests, monkeys and birds become its prey. The short muscular legs of this animal end in wide paws with sharp retractable claws.
Sloths, due to their temperament, move slowly through trees. Sloths have powerful 10-centimeter sickle-shaped claws, thanks to which these animals can move along branches without much difficulty.
FIFTH limb
If you look closely at the opossum, tree porcupine, tree lizards and individual monkeys, you will find out that they are united by one characteristic feature - a tenacious, grasping tail, which researchers often call the fifth limb of these animals.
The underside of the tail is usually bare and sensitive, allowing the animal to firmly grasp branches and other objects. The tail supports the weight of the animal's body when it, clinging to a branch with its tail, hangs upside down. At that time, the animal’s forelimbs are free, and it can pick leaves and fruits with them. The tail is able to support the body weight of the mother and her baby.
Long prehensile tail- an invaluable assistant for such small monkeys as saimiri. Large relatives of saimiri - howler monkeys - use their tails to obtain various objects, for example, tasty juicy fruits hanging at the ends of branches. Some monkeys wet the ends of their tails in water and then suck the moisture out of their fur. For seven species of tree kangaroos, also called tree wallabies, the tail also plays the role of a balancer when climbing.
What you see in these photographs may seem like an illusion. But they really live in Morocco goats that can climb trees. Let's figure out how and why they do this.
Since childhood, we are accustomed to thinking that a goat cannot climb a tree on its own. But here in Morocco, these ruminant mammals prove otherwise.
In general, the goat was one of the first animals to be domesticated by man. The fact is that she is unpretentious in food and living conditions.
What makes goats in Morocco climb trees? There is little pasture in this country, and hungry animals have to “graze” on trees called Argan.
Local goats can not only climb up, but also move from branch to branch with incredible dexterity.
This is not a special type of goat. All goats have an incredible innate ability to maintain balance, so if brought from other countries to Morocco, they would very quickly adapt to forage for vegetation in this way.
The “like-minded” of Moroccan goats is the mountain goat. He excels at climbing mountains with great strength and endurance:
Local Moroccan farmers herd goats, moving from tree to tree.
Inside the fruits of the Argan tree are valuable nuts that are not digested in the stomachs of these animals. The goats spit them out, and the shepherds select and make argan oil, which is used in cooking and cosmetology.
Due to the high demand for argan oil from a small number of trees, UNESCO declared Morocco a biosphere reserve back in 1999.
This is not to say that local goats are destroying rare trees. On the contrary, they help their spread by collecting seeds on their fur and dispersing them over long distances.
1. Leafy Sea Dragon
What kind of animal: Sea fish, a relative of the seahorse.
Habitat: In the waters surrounding southern and western Australia, usually in shallow, moderately warm water.
Special features: Branches of the head and body, similar to leaves, serve only for camouflage. It moves using the pectoral fin located on the crest of the neck, as well as the dorsal fin near the tip of the tail. These fins are completely transparent.
Dimensions: grows up to 45 cm.
By the way: the leafy sea dragon is the official emblem of the state of South Australia.
2. Malayan bear or biruang
What kind of animal: Mammal of the bear family.
Habitat: From northeast India and southern China through Myanmar, Thailand, the Indochina and Malacca peninsulas to Indonesia.
Special features: Stocky, strong animal with a short and wide muzzle. The ears are short and rounded. The limbs are high with disproportionately large paws; the claws are very large, curved. Feet are bare. The fangs are small. The biruang's fur is short, stiff and smooth. The color is black, on the face it turns into roan-yellow. On the chest there is usually a large whitish or red spot in the shape of a horseshoe, reminiscent in shape and color of the rising sun. A nocturnal animal, it often sleeps all day or sunbathes in the branches of trees, where it builds a kind of nest for itself.
Dimensions: The smallest representative of the bear family: it does not exceed 1.5 m in length (plus 3-7 cm tail), height at the withers is only 50-70 cm; weight 27-65 kg.
By the way: Biruangs are one of the rarest species of bears.
3. Komondor
What kind of animal: The Hungarian Shepherd is a breed of dog.
Special features: When keeping a Komondor, special care is required for its coat, the length of which can reach almost a meter. It cannot be combed, but as it grows, the formed strands must be separated so that the hair does not fall off.
Dimensions: This “king of the Hungarian Shepherds” is one of the largest dogs in the world, the height at the withers in males is more than 80 cm, and the long white hair, curled into original laces, makes the dog even more massive and impressive.
By the way: Feeding this huge dog is not particularly difficult. Like any herding dog, they are very unpretentious and eat very little, a little more than 1 kg of food per day.
4. Angora rabbit
What kind of animal: A rodent-type mammal.
Habitat: Where its home is, since it is a pet. More precisely - everywhere.
Special features: This animal is indeed extremely impressive; there are specimens whose fur reaches a length of up to 80 cm. This wool is very valued, and a wide variety of useful things are prepared from it, even underwear, stockings, gloves, scarves and, finally, just fabrics. A kilogram of Angora rabbit wool is usually valued at 10 - 12 rubles. One rabbit can produce up to 0.5 kg of such wool per year, but usually produces less. The Angora rabbit is most often bred by ladies, which is why it is sometimes called “ladies’ rabbit”.
Dimensions: Average weight 5 kg, body length 61 cm, chest circumference 38 cm, but variations are possible.
By the way: These rabbits should be combed every week, because if you don’t take care of their fur, they get a disgusting appearance.
5. Little panda
What kind of animal: an animal of the raccoon family.
Habitat: China, northern Burma, Bhutan, Nepal and northeastern India. Not found west of Nepal. Lives in mountain bamboo forests at an altitude of 2000-4000 m above sea level in a temperate climate.
Special features: The fur of the red panda is red or nutty on top, dark, reddish-brown or black below. The hair on the back has yellow tips. The paws are glossy black, the tail is red, with inconspicuous lighter narrow rings, the head is light, and the edges of the ears and muzzle are almost white, and there is a mask-like pattern near the eyes. The red panda leads a predominantly nocturnal (or rather, twilight) lifestyle; during the day it sleeps in a hollow, curled up and covering its head with its tail. In case of danger, it also climbs trees. On the ground, pandas move slowly and awkwardly, but they climb trees very well, but, nevertheless, they feed mainly on the ground - mainly on young leaves and bamboo shoots.
Dimensions: Body length 51-64 cm, tail 28-48 cm, weighs 3-4.5 kg
By the way: Little pandas live alone. The female’s “personal” territory occupies an area of about 2.5 square meters. km, the male is twice as large.
6. Sloth
What kind of animal: A partially toothed mammal belonging to the Bradypodidae family.
Habitat: found in Central and South America.
Special features: Sloths spend almost all their time hanging on a tree branch with their backs down; sloths sleep 15 hours a day. The physiology and behavior of sloths is focused on strict energy savings, because... They feed on low-calorie leaves. Digestion takes about a month. In a well-fed sloth, ⅔ of its body weight may be food in its stomach. Sloths have long necks to reach leaves over a large area without moving. The body temperature of an active sloth is 30-34 °C, and at rest it is even lower. Sloths really don’t like to get out of trees, because on the ground they are completely helpless. In addition, it requires energy. They climb down to relieve their natural needs, which they do only once a week (that’s why they have a huge bladder) and sometimes to move to another tree, where, in order to further save energy, they often gather in groups in the forks of branches.
Dimensions: The body weight of different species of sloths varies from 4 to 9 kg, and the body length is about 60 centimeters.
By the way: Sloths are so slow that the moth often lives in their fur.
7. Imperial Tamarina
What kind of animal: Primate, prehensile-tailed monkey.
Habitat: In the Amazon rain forests in areas of southeastern Peru, northwestern Bolivia and northwestern Brazil.
Special features: A distinctive feature of the species is a particularly long white mustache, hanging down to the chest and shoulders in two strands. The toes have claws, not nails, only the big toes of the hind legs have nails. They spend most of their lives in trees, where larger species of monkeys cannot climb due to their weight.
Dimensions: Body length is 9.2-10.4 inches, tail length is 14-16.6 inches. The weight of adults is 180-250 g.
By the way: Tamarins live in groups of 2-8 individuals. All members of the group have their own rank, and at the highest level is the old female. Therefore, males carry the cubs.
8. White-faced saki
What kind of animal: Primate, broad-nosed monkey.
Habitat: Found in rain forests, drier forests and even savannas of the Amazon, Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname and Venezuela.
Special features: The coat color is black, the front of the head, forehead and throat of males are light, almost white. Sometimes the head is reddish in color. The fur is thick and soft, the tail is long and fluffy. The tail is not prehensile. Females have a general coloration of brown and uniform. There are lighter stripes around the nose and mouth.
Dimensions: Males weigh 1.5-2 kg and are slightly heavier than females. Body length 15 inches, tail 20 inches.
By the way: White-faced sakis spend their entire lives in trees. Sometimes they descend into the lower tier of the tropical forest (on the lower branches of trees and shrubs) in search of food. In case of danger, they make long jumps, while the tail serves as a balancer. Active during the day and night.
9. Tapir
What kind of animal: A large herbivore from the order of equids.
Habitat: In Central America, in warm places of South America and in southeast Asia.
Special features: Tapirs are relatively ancient mammals: even among the remains of animals 55 million years old, you can find many tapir-like animals. The closest animals to tapirs are other odd-toed ungulates: equines and rhinoceroses. Their front legs are four-toed, and their hind legs are three-toed; their toes have small hooves that help them move on muddy and soft ground.
Dimensions: The sizes of tapirs differ from species to species, but, as a rule, the length of a tapir is about two meters, the height at the withers is about a meter, and the weight is from 150 to 300 kg.
By the way: Tapirs are forest animals that love water. In forests, tapirs feed on fruits, leaves and berries. Their main enemy is man, who hunts tapirs for their meat and skin.
10. Hagfish
What kind of animal: an animal from the jawless class.
Habitat: They inhabit the seas of temperate latitudes, staying near the bottom at a depth of up to 400 m. At salinity below 29% they stop feeding, and at 25% and below they die.
Dimensions: Body length up to 80 cm.
By the way: In Japan and some other countries, hagfish are eaten.
11. Star-nosed
What kind of animal: Insectivorous mammal of the mole family.
Habitat: Found only in southeastern Canada and the northeastern United States.
Special features: Externally, the star-nosed snake differs from other members of the family and from other small animals only in its characteristic stigma structure in the form of a rosette or star of 22 soft, fleshy moving rays.
Dimensions: The star-nosed mole is similar in size to the European mole. The tail is relatively long (about 8 cm), covered with scales and sparse hair
12. Proboscis
What kind of animal: A species of primate from the subfamily of slender-bodied monkeys in the family Ape.
Habitat: Distributed exclusively on the island of Borneo, where it inhabits coastal regions and valleys.
Special features: The most striking feature of the proboscis monkey is its large nose, similar to a cucumber, which, however, is only found in males. The fur of proboscis dogs is yellowish-brown on the upper side and white on the underside. The arms, legs and tail are gray, and the hairless face is red.
Dimensions: The size of proboscis monkeys reaches from 66 to 75 cm, the tail is approximately as long as the body. The weight of males ranges from 16 to 22 kg, twice the weight of females.
By the way: Proboscis whales are excellent swimmers, jumping into the water directly from trees and able to overcome up to 20 meters while diving underwater. Of all primates, they are perhaps the best swimmers.
13. Lesser frill
What kind of animal: Family of mammals of the order edentates.
Habitat: Armadillos inhabit steppes, deserts, savannas and forest edges of Central and South America.
Special features: These are the only modern mammals whose body is covered on top with a shell formed by skin ossifications. The shell consists of the head, shoulder and pelvic shields and a number of hoop-like stripes encircling the body from above and from the sides. The parts of the shell are interconnected by elastic connective tissue, which gives mobility to the entire shell.
Dimensions: Body length from 12.5 (frilled armadillos) to 100 cm (giant armadillo); weight from 90 g to 60 kg. Tail length from 2.5 to 50 cm.
By the way: The respiratory tract of armadillos is voluminous and serves as a reservoir of air, so these animals can hold their breath for 6 minutes. This helps them cross bodies of water (often armadillos simply cross them along the bottom). The air taken into the lungs compensates for the weight of the heavy shell, allowing the armadillo to swim.
14. Axolotl
What kind of animal: The larval form of an amphibian from the Ambystomaceae family.
Habitat: In mountain ponds of Mexico.
Special features: Long, shaggy branches grow on the sides of the axolotl’s head, three on each side. These are gills. Periodically, the larva presses them to the body and shakes them to clean them of organic residues. The axolotl's tail is long and wide, which helps it when swimming. It is interesting that the axolotl breathes with both gills and lungs - if the water is poorly saturated with oxygen, then the axolotl switches to pulmonary breathing, and over time its gills partially atrophy.
Dimensions: Total length - up to 30 cm.
By the way: Axolotls lead a very calm, measured lifestyle, without bothering themselves with unnecessary expenditure of energy. They lie calmly on the bottom, sometimes, wagging their tail, they rise to the surface of the water “for a breath of air.” But this is a predator that attacks its prey from ambush.
15. Aye-aye
What kind of animal: the largest animal of their nocturnal primates.
Habitat: Eastern and northern Madagascar. Lives in the same ecological niche as woodpeckers.
Special features: It has a brown color with white speckles and a large fluffy tail; like woodpeckers, it feeds mainly on worms and larvae, although it was initially believed, because of their teeth, that they eat like rodents.
Dimensions: Weight – about 2.5 kg. Length – 30-37 cm without tail and 44-53 cm with tail.
By the way: One of the rarest animals on the planet - several dozen individuals, which is why it was discovered relatively recently.
16. Alpaca
What kind of animal: an animal of the camel family.
Habitat: Peru, Bolivia, Chile, at an altitude of over 3500-5000 meters.
Special features: Valued primarily for its wool (24 natural shades), which has all the properties of sheep, but is much lighter in weight. 5 kg of wool is sheared from one individual; they are sheared once a year. The absence of front teeth forces alpacas to pick up food with their lips and chew with their lateral teeth. A very good-natured, intelligent, inquisitive animal.
Dimensions: Alpaca height is 61-86 cm, and weight is 45-77 kg.
17. Tarsier
What kind of animal: a mammal from the genus of primates.
Habitat: Tarsiers live in Southeast Asia, primarily on the islands.
Special features: Tarsiers are particularly distinguished by their long hind limbs, large head that can rotate almost 360°, and good hearing. The fingers are extremely long, the ears are round and bare. The soft wool has a brown or grayish tint. However, the most noticeable feature is the large eyes, up to 16 mm in diameter. When projected onto human height, tarsiers correspond to the size of an apple.
Dimensions: Tarsiers are small animals, their height ranges from 9 to 16 cm. In addition, they have a bare tail with a length of 13 to 28 cm. Weight varies from 80 to 160 grams.
By the way: In the past, tarsiers played a big role in the mythology and superstition of the peoples of Indonesia. The Indonesians thought that the heads of tarsiers were not attached to the body (since they could rotate almost 360°), and were afraid to encounter them, because they believed that the same fate could happen to people in this case.
18. Dumbo Octopus
What kind of animal: A small and peculiar deep-sea octopus, a representative of cephalopods.
Habitat: Found in the Tasman Sea.
Special features: Apparently he got his nickname in honor of the famous cartoon character - the baby elephant Dumbo, who was ridiculed for his large ears (in the middle of the body the octopus has a pair of rather long, paddle-shaped fins resembling ears). Its individual tentacles are literally connected to the ends by a thin elastic membrane called the umbrella. It, together with the fins, serves as the main mover of this animal, that is, the octopus moves like jellyfish, pushing water out from under the umbrella bell.
Dimensions: the found octopus is half the size of a human palm.
By the way: Little is known today about the varieties, habits and behavior of these octopuses.
19. frilled lizard
What kind of animal: A lizard from the agamidae family.
Habitat: Northwestern Australia and southern New Guinea. There it lives in dry forests and forest-steppes.
Special features: Coloration from yellow-brown to black-brown. It stands out for its long tail, which makes up two-thirds of the length of the frilled lizard's body. However, the most noticeable feature is the large collar-shaped fold of skin located around the head and adjacent to the body. The fold contains numerous blood vessels. The frilled lizard has strong limbs and sharp claws.
Dimensions: The length of the frilled lizard ranges from 80 to 100 cm, females are significantly smaller than males.
By the way: When in danger, it opens its mouth, sticks out its brightly colored collar (it can stand up to 30 cm from the body), stands on its hind legs, makes hissing sounds and hits the ground with its tail - which makes it seem scarier and more dangerous than it is.
20. Narwhal
What kind of animal: a unicorn, a mammal of the unicorn family.
Habitat: The narwhal lives in high latitudes - in the Arctic Ocean and the North Atlantic.
Special features: In the size and shape of the body, pectoral fins and dark coloration of the suckers, narwhals are similar to beluga whales, however, adult individuals are distinguished by spotting - grayish-brown spots on a light background, which sometimes merge - and the presence of only 2 upper teeth. Of these, the left one develops in males into a tusk up to 2-3 m long and weighing up to 10 kg, twisted in a left-hand spiral, while the right one usually does not erupt. The right tusk in males and both tusks in females are hidden in the gums and develop rarely, in about one case out of 500.
Dimensions: The body length of an adult narwhal is 3.5-4.5 m, newborns are about 1.5 m. The weight of males reaches 1.5 tons, of which about a third of the weight is fat; females weigh about 900 kg.
By the way: It’s not exactly clear why a narwhal needs a tusk, but not to break through a crust of ice. This tusk is a sensitive organ and presumably allows the narwhal to sense changes in pressure, temperature and relative concentration of suspended particles in the water. By crossing their tusks, narwhals apparently clear them of growths.
21. Madagascar suckerfoot
What kind of animal: Chiropteran mammal.
Habitat: Found only in Madagascar.
Special features: On the bases of the thumbs of the wings and on the soles of the hind limbs, sucker bats have complex rosette suckers, which are located directly on the skin (unlike the suckers on sucker-footed bats).
Dimensions: Small animal: body length 5.7 cm, tail 4.8 cm; weight 8-10 g.
By the way: The biology and ecology of suckerfoot has been practically unstudied. Most likely, it uses rolled up leathery palm leaves as shelters, to which it sticks with its suckers. All suckers were caught close to the water. Listed in the Red Book with the status “vulnerable”.
22. Pygmy marmoset
What kind of animal: One of the smallest primates, belongs to the broad-nosed monkeys.
Habitat: South America, Brazil, Peru, Ecuador.
Special features: The marmoset's nostrils are directed forward, and its nose is large and wide.
Dimensions: The weight of an adult does not exceed 120 g.
By the way: Lives well in captivity. When kept, it requires a constant temperature of 25-29 degrees, slightly higher humidity of 60%.
23. Blob fish
What kind of animal: fish, scientific name Psychrolutes marcidus.
Habitat: lives in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans, found in deep waters (about 2800 m) of the coast of Australia and Tasmania.
Special features: Drop fish live at depths where the pressure is several tens of times higher than at sea level, and in order to maintain viability, the body of the drop fish consists of a gel-like mass with a density slightly less than water; this allows fish to swim above the seabed without expending energy to swim.
Dimensions: Maximum body length is about 65 cm.
By the way: Lack of muscles is not a disadvantage, since the blob fish feeds on prey that swims around it.
24. Platypus
What kind of animal: A waterfowl mammal of the order Monotreme.
Habitat: Australia.
Special Features: Its most curious quality is that it has a duck's beak instead of an ordinary mouth, allowing it to feed in the mud like birds."
Dimensions: The body length of the platypus is 30-40 cm, the tail is 10-15 cm, it weighs up to 2 kg. Males are about a third larger than females.
By the way: The platypus is one of the few poisonous mammals; it is generally not fatal to humans, but it causes very severe pain, and swelling develops at the injection site, which gradually spreads to the entire limb; pain can last for many days or even months.
25. Shoebill or royal heron
What kind of animal: A bird of the wavy order.
Habitat: Africa.
Special features: The shoebill’s neck is not very long and thick. The head is large, with a small and, one might say, sloppy crest at the back of the head. The beak is massive and very wide, somewhat swollen. There is a hanging hook at the end of the beak. The shoebill's plumage is generally dark gray, with powdery down on the back, but no such down on the chest. The legs are long and black. The shoebill has a short tongue; There is no muscular stomach, but the glandular one is very large.
Dimensions: Shoebill is a large bird, in a standing position it has a height of 75-90 cm; wing length 65-69 cm.
By the way: This lethargic bird often stands completely still, holding its large beak on its chest. The shoebill feeds on various aquatic animals - fish, crocodiles, frogs and small turtles.
