Aquatic mammals are animals examples. Mammal marine animal. Types of marine mammals. The most dangerous animals in the oceans

A streamlined, often torpedo-shaped body gives them an external resemblance to fish. However, cetaceans are warm-blooded, breathe atmospheric air, bear a fetus in the uterus, give birth to a fully developed, capable of independent existence cub, which the mother feeds with milk, and the remnants of the hairline are visible on their body. According to these and some other features, they are similar to other mammals, and the general plan of their structure also indicates that they belong to this class. animals .

The body of cetaceans, rounded in section, tapers towards the end and ends with a pair of wide caudal fins flattened in the horizontal plane. These fins, although they are devoid of a bone skeleton (there is a cartilaginous supporting tissue inside them), serve as the main organ that ensures the movement of the animal forward. The pectoral fins, or flippers, correspond to the forelimbs of land mammals; their carpal parts are not dissected externally, and sometimes they are fused internally, forming spatulate structures. They serve as stabilizers, "rudders of depth", and also provide turns and braking. There are no hind limbs, although rudiments of pelvic bones have been found in some species. The neck is very short, since the seven cervical vertebrae common to mammals are greatly shortened and fused into one or more plates, the total length of which does not exceed 15 cm.

The body of cetaceans is covered with smooth, shiny skin that makes it easier to glide in the water. Under the skin is a layer of adipose tissue (blubber) with a thickness of 2.5 to 30 cm. Fat protects the body from hypothermia and helps to retain water in the body, which would otherwise diffuse into the environment; body temperature is maintained at about 35? C. Animals do not need a coat, as fat provides sufficient thermal insulation, however, in the embryonic stages and in adults, sparse hair can be found on the snout.

The head is very large and wide. The neck is so shortened that outwardly the border between the head and the body is not noticeable. There are no external ears, but there is an ear canal that opens with a small hole in the skin and leads to the eardrum. The eyes are very small, adapted to life at sea. They are able to withstand high pressure when the animal is immersed to a great depth, large fatty tears are released from the lacrimal ducts, which help to see more clearly in the water and protect the eyes from the effects of salt. The nostrils - one (in toothed whales) or two (in baleen whales) - are located in the upper part of the head and form the so-called. blowhole. In cetaceans, unlike other mammals, lungs with oral cavity not connected.

The animal inhales the air, rising to the surface of the water. Its blood is capable of absorbing more oxygen than that of land mammals. Before diving into the water, the lungs are filled with air, which, while the whale remains under water, heats up and becomes saturated with moisture. When the beast floats to the surface, the air exhaled by it with force, in contact with the cold outside, forms a column of condensed vapor - the so-called. fountain. Thus, whale fountains are not columns of water at all. At different types they are not the same in shape and height; for example, in the southern right whale, the fountain at the top bifurcates. The exhaled air is forced through the blowhole under such strong pressure that it produces a loud trumpet sound that can be heard from a great distance in calm weather. The blowhole is equipped with valves that close tightly when the animal is immersed in water and open when it rises to the surface.

The cetacean order is divided into two suborders: toothed whales (Odontoceti) and baleen whales (Mysticeti). The former are considered less specialized; these include, in particular, beaked whales, sperm whales, killer whales, as well as smaller forms - dolphins and porpoises. Sperm whales reach a length of 18 m with a mass of 60 tons; the length of their lower jaw reaches 5-6 m.

The teeth of baleen whales are replaced by long fringed horny plates (whalebone) hanging from the upper jaw and forming a filter for straining small crustaceans and fish from the water. This suborder includes minke whales, as well as blue, humpback, pygmy, smooth, bowhead and other whales. Individual individuals of the blue whale reach a length of 30 m. This animal is larger than even giant dinosaurs. It can weigh as much as 150 bulls or 25 elephants.

Fossils of primitive whales, zeuglodonts ("jugular-toothed"), are found in marine sediments of Africa, Europe, New Zealand, Antarctica and North America. Some of them were giants over 20 meters long.

The whale can reach enormous sizes, since its limbs do not have to support the weight of the body: in the water it is, as it were, in weightlessness. A large whale swimming at a speed of 20 knots (37 km/h) generates 520 horsepower. with.

Whales swallow food whole and absorb up to a ton of food per day. The sperm whale has a very wide throat, so that it can freely swallow a person, but in baleen whales it is much narrower and only allows small fish to pass through. The sperm whale feeds mainly on squid and often feeds at depths greater than 1.5 km, where pressures exceed 100 kg/cm2. The killer whale is the only representative of the detachment that regularly eats not only fish and invertebrates, but also warm-blooded animals - birds, seals and whales. Cetaceans have a very long intestine and a complex multi-chambered stomach, consisting, for example, of 14 sections in beaked whales, and 4 in smooth whales.

The female gives birth under water to one cub. It exits her body tail first. The cub is fully developed and almost immediately able to follow the herd. It suckles its mother for about 6 months and grows rapidly, reaching sexual maturity by the age of three, although the increase in size continues until the age of 12. Most large whales breed once every two years. Despite their huge size, these animals are not so durable. Very few specimens of right whales older than 20 years are known to science.

Herds of whales can commit something similar to mass suicide. Sometimes a hundred or more of their individuals are washed ashore at the same time. Even if suffocating animals are towed back to the sea, they return to land again. The reasons for this behavior have not yet been clarified.

Whales give man a lot useful products. People have hunted them since antiquity, and whaling existed even before the 10th century. In addition to meat, whale oil (blubber), which is used to make soap and cosmetic creams, is of great value.

Ambergris is extracted from the intestines of sperm whales; this greyish substance is secreted there as a result of mucosal irritation caused by the horny jaws of swallowed squids. Pieces of ambergris weigh up to 13 kg, and the mass of its largest "nugget" is 122 kg. It contains sodium chloride, calcium phosphate, alkaloids, acids and the so-called amber; this substance is lighter than fresh and salt water, softens in the hands, melts at temperatures below 100? , and on higher heating it evaporates. Once upon a time, ambergris was highly valued as a fixative for perfumes. Currently, whaling is almost universally prohibited, since as a result of irrational mining, the whale population has been greatly reduced and some of their species are on the verge of extinction. extinction. International agreements allow for the trapping and slaughtering of individual specimens for scientific research. In addition, some peoples, such as the Eskimos, for whom whaling is one of the most important traditional activities, are allowed to continue it on a limited scale.

Ecology

Fresh waters are vulnerable, but rich in life ecosystem. Compared to the amount of salt water on the planet, fresh water is many times less. Fresh water is vital for a person, therefore, historically, he tried to settle closer to lakes and rivers in order to freely use water. Not only fish live in fresh waters, but also a large number of mammals that breathe air but cannot live without water. Learn about the largest and most interesting inhabitants of lakes and rivers from around the world.

1) Hippo

These large mammals cool off by immersing their massive bodies in cool African ponds, rivers and lakes for long periods of up to 16 hours daily. Although they can hold their breath for half an hour if necessary, hippos usually stick their heads out of the water. At night, the hippos stop taking baths and go to graze. If the animals remain in the sun for a long time, they will quickly become dehydrated.

The hippopotamus, or as it is also called the hippopotamus, has sharp fangs that can reach up to half a meter in length. They show fangs to each other to determine which animal is dominant. Sometimes the display of powerful teeth is not enough, so the animals engage in bloody fights. Hippos are quite dangerous to humans.

2) Manatee

Manatees live in shallow warm waters rivers, and can also live in salt water. These large mammals reach a weight of 600 kilograms. They are born under water and never leave their native waters until death, but they are forced to swim to the surface of the water every few minutes to breathe air. Known as sea cows, manatees are herbivores that feed on various types of marine plants, including algae and others. Several species of manatees live along the Atlantic coast of America, in western Africa and in the Amazon River.

3) Muskrat

The muskrat is a resident of wet areas, swamps and ponds, where it builds tunnels along the banks. The body length of this large rodent is about 30 centimeters, and the flat tail is twice as long as the body. Muskrats, or musky rats, have adapted well to life in the water and begin to swim as early as 10 days old. They are well known for their communication skills, able to exchange information with each other, warn of the approach of enemies with the help of a distinctive smell - musk.

4) Baikal seal

There are many seals in the world, but only one of them is truly freshwater - the Baikal seal. Animals live in Lake Baikal, Russia, the deepest lake in the world. Although new generations of Baikal seals are born every year on the shores of the lake, these animals are in serious danger of extinction. One of the reasons is illegal hunting, as well as pollution environment paper and pulp mills and other industrial facilities located around the lake.

5) Amazon Dolphin

The charismatic Amazonian dolphin uses echolocation to track fish and crustaceans in the murky waters of the Amazon River. During the annual floods, dolphins swim in the flooded forests, hunting for prey between the trees. Dolphins are fairly easy to spot due to their pink or very pale coloration. The color of dolphins and their natural curiosity make them easy prey for hunters who illegally capture these animals. Behind last years the population has been greatly reduced. The local people of the Amazon, the Bouto people, have long believed that animals have superpowers and can turn into humans.

6) Capybara

The world's largest rodent, the capybara or capybara, can grow up to 130 centimeters in length and weigh about 66 kilograms. These water-loving mammals achieve this weight by eating grass and aquatic plants.

Physically, capybaras have adapted very well to life in the aquatic environment. They have webbing between the toes on their paws, which help them swim well. Animals can dive and stay underwater for 5 minutes or more. Capyboas are found in Central and South America in lakes, rivers and humid areas from Panama to Brazil and northern Argentina.

The Committee for Nature Conservation is working with partners to conserve the capybaras' natural habitat, including the wet pastures of the Llanos. The group is working with local landowners to create private reserves in critical habitats as well as public protected areas in the province of Nazanare in northeastern Colombia.

The eyes, ears and nostrils of capybaras are located on the top of the head, so they stay on the surface when the animals swim. These social mammals travel and live in groups dominated by a large male. Together they protect their territories where they live and feed. People hunt capybaras and raise them on farms for their meat and skins. Some Catholics in South America equate the capybara with fish, so they are allowed to eat the meat of these animals in Lent.

7) Beaver

Beavers are excellent engineers, second only to humans in terms of reshaping the landscape in their favor. Using powerful jaws and teeth, they cut down trees to produce wooden and mud dams 1 to 3 meters high and over 30 meters long. Beaver dams block the path of rivers and streams and do not allow them to flood fields and forests. As a result, lakes are formed, which can be quite large. On the lakes, beavers build huts from branches and mud, which they enter through underwater tunnels. Huts are needed in order to hide from enemies and store food supplies.

Although beavers are rather clumsy on land, they are excellent swimmers thanks to their webbed feet and long, flat tail-rudder, which allows them to reach speeds of up to 8 kilometers per hour underwater. The animals boast their natural swimming suit made from oily, water-repellent fur.

Beavers feed on aquatic plants, roots, leaves, bark and twigs. Beavers' teeth grow throughout their lives, so when they gnaw on wood, it prevents their teeth from growing too long and crooked. One beaver is capable of felling hundreds of trees a year. In 15 minutes, a beaver can knock down a tree with a diameter of 15 centimeters.

8) River Otter

These water-loving mammals find great pleasure in swimming and diving. With their webbed feet, they can swim quickly. They have special nostrils and ears that close in water, as well as water-repellent fur. Young otters begin to swim as early as 2 months of age. River otters live in burrows along the banks of rivers and lakes where they can hunt fish.

9) Platypus

The platypus is an incredible mix: it has a fluffy body like an otter, a beak like a duck, webbed feet and a flat tail like a beaver. Like all these animals, the platypus is a good swimmer and spends most of its life in the water. Unlike otters and beavers, platypuses lay eggs: only a couple of mammals on the planet do this. Male platypuses have venomous stingers on their hind legs. Animals dig holes near the shore and feed on dug worms, mollusks and insects.

Surprisingly many mammals can swim . Cetaceans and sirens can develop quite high speed and stay underwater for a very long time.
Mammals that live in water.
If necessary, almost all mammals can swim, but there are only two groups of these animals that spend their entire lives in the water and never come to land - these are cetaceans and sirens. Whales and dolphins are best adapted to the aquatic environment - they have lost their body hair and live in the water. Most pinnipeds also spend their lives in water, and yet they come to land during the breeding season and during molting. This group includes true seals, eared seals and walruses. In addition, many four-legged, often furry animals are known to live on land, but spend a lot of time in water. They descend into the water, both small animals - water beavers, otters, desmans, and rather large animals, for example, a polar bear and a hippopotamus.

Way to travel
Over time, the limbs of some mammals have turned into fins. Whales and manatees instead of hind limbs have one horizontal fin.
In manatees, it resembles a shovel, the tail of whales is forked like a fish. Raising the tail up is provided by very strong special muscles, and the downward movement is regulated by weak muscles. The tail fin moves only vertically. With the help of pectoral fins, animals change direction of movement and maintain balance. In some species, the dorsal fin plays a very important role in maintaining balance. The streamlined shape of the body of waterfowl provides minimal resistance to water, their smooth skin elastic, which further reduces friction. To reduce the force of friction, the skin of whales is covered with droplets of fat. The fastest and largest of the whales is the fin whale. Pinnipeds swim thanks to the movements of the front and hind limbs, they can easily change the direction of movement. Interestingly, real seals are rather clumsy on land, but their relatives, eared seals, feel great both in water and on land. Each land animal, having adapted to life in the water, expands its habitat and increases the possibilities for obtaining food. In the water, animals are also saved from enemies. Aquatic mammals sleep, feed and mate here.
locations
Visibility in the water is quite poor, and already at a depth of 200 m it is completely dark, so whales, dolphins and seals have a developed location system.
Animals use it to get the most complete picture of what surrounds them, with its help they communicate and look for food. Mammals make sounds, the duration of which does not exceed a thousandth of a second. When sound hits an obstacle, it bounces off it. Catching the reflected signal, the animal receives an accurate image of the object.
SWIMMING TECHNIQUE
Walruses, real and eared seals in the water in the movement of the front flippers. If animals want to increase their speed, they also use their rear flippers. Semi-aquatic-semi-terrestrial mammals also use a similar style and use all four limbs. Animals that have a long tail otters and beavers, for example, use it as a rudder. The otter shrew keeps its limbs close to the body in water and moves due to the undulating movements of the body and tail. Its paws and tail are perfectly adapted for spearfishing. Stiff bristles grow on the paws and underside of the tail. In the Pyrenean muskrat, between the toes of the paws there is a swimming membrane covered with stiff hairs, and a long flat tail. The muzzle of the Russian desman is adapted for air circulation. The beaver "rows" with its hind legs, uses a wide and flat tail as a rudder. The polar bear spends a lot of time in the water and is one of the best swimmers among land mammals.
Diving
Whales have to rise to the surface to breathe, but one breath is enough for them even for an hour stay under water. Some cetaceans dive to a depth of about a kilometer, but records have been recorded that surpass this result. Seals exhale air before diving, and whales fill their lungs with the maximum amount of oxygen. Water pressure already at a depth of 100 m could break the air-filled lungs, so the whales "storage" oxygen in the blood and muscles. Their circulatory system is very capacious, and the blood of these animals contains a lot of hemoglobin, which binds oxygen. During diving to a considerable depth, blood circulation slows down, which ensures that the appropriate amount of oxygen is delivered to the brain. High concentrations of carbon dioxide in the blood do not harm whales. During human breathing, nitrogen is released quite quickly from the blood. In whales, nitrogen exceeds the oily foam in the trachea and is released immediately upon resurfacing.

Thermoregulation.

Mammals have developed two ways to protect themselves from hypothermia in water. The coat of many animals, such as beaver, muskrat and otter, consists of two layers of hair - a layer of long outer hair protects from getting wet and covers a thick and warm undercoat. When wet, the guard hair creates a conduit - a shtovhuvalny layer. Between it and the undercoat contains a pad of air. Thus, the undercoat of the animal always remains dry. The animal comes out of the water, shakes itself off, and its fur is dry again. There are no long guard hairs in the shrew, but her velvety fur coat keeps air bubbles. In the hole, the shrew presses against the walls to force water out of the wool. Mammals that spend their entire lives in water do not have hair. They are covered with smooth skin and have a thick layer subcutaneous fat. In some whales, it reaches a thickness of 30 cm. The whale can arbitrarily regulate its body temperature by constricting or expanding blood vessels. If you are interested in the children's club "PM 13 Kids Club", come on in.

Regardless of whether they live exclusively in water bodies, or swim only occasionally, all these mammals are a real miracle of nature. They can be found all over the world, and they are very different from each other. By the way, people often confuse these animals with other aquatic animals. We easily call beavers water lovers, but we often forget that whales are also mammals, and not fish at all.

From dolphins to elk, aquatic mammals play an essential role in their ecosystems, and they are all naturally excellent swimmers. How many of these animal species do you know? It's time to test yourself with our selection of the 25 most amazing marine and waterfowl mammals!

25. Amazonian river or freshwater dolphin

Also known as the pink dolphin, white dolphin or inia, this cetacean is found only in the fresh waters of the great Amazon and the Orinoco river system. There, this mammal is found quite often, although in recent years the population of the pink dolphin has begun to decline significantly due to the destruction of their range (the construction of dams).

24. Ladoga ringed seal


Photo: Alexander Butakov

Ladoga ringed seals are a very numerous subspecies and the smallest seal in the entire Arctic, which is why inexperienced observers often confuse adults with juveniles.

23. Canadian or North American beaver

Photo: Steve/Washington

It is a semi-aquatic rodent with translucent eyelids designed specifically for navigating underwater, and incredibly sharp teeth, with which it gnaws through the mightiest trees and builds dams. Beavers play a very important role in the life of their habitat and help in its prosperity.

22. Amazonian manatee


Photo: Dirk Meyer

The Amazonian manatee is a rather bizarre looking mammal with two forelimbs and a tail instead of hind legs. It is the smallest of the manatees in nature.

21. Eurasian Otter


Photo: Catherine Trigg

This animal prefers the fresh waters of Europe, feeds on fish and frogs, and sometimes even feasts on small birds.

20. Capybara


Photo: Pixabay.com

The capybara would probably get along well with the African hippo, because it loves the water and mud of the Andean and other South American river coasts. Like hippos, the eyes, ears, and mouth of the capybara are located almost on the very top of the animal's head, allowing it to observe what is happening around it while being almost completely underwater.

19. North American river otter


Photo: Sage Ross

This otter has a water-repellent coat, webbed feet and a long body. By nature, it is simply created in order to pierce the water like an arrow. These funny animals can hold their breath underwater for as long as 8 minutes!

18. Platypus


Photo: Klaus

The first scientists who encountered these funny mammals thought that the beast was not real, and that one of their colleagues was clearly joking. A mixture of duck, beaver and otter is something absolutely incredible. In addition, the platypus is the only mammal that lays eggs. The males of this species are venomous.

17. Hippo


Photo: Pexels.com

They love water so much that the Greeks even called these massive animals "river horses". Despite the external bulkiness, hippos are excellent swimmers, and under water they can do without oxygen for up to 5 minutes.

16. Indian rhinoceros


Photo: Dr. Raju Kasambe

Listed as a vulnerable species (threatened with extinction), the Indian rhinoceros lives mainly in North India and Nepal. These rhinos have a number of significant differences from their African relatives, and the main one is their unique horn.

15. Water opossum or swimming marsupial rat

Photo: wikimedia.commons.com

The water opossum is the only mammal in which both females and males have a special skin fold (pouch) on their belly. These animals do not like to gather in flocks and rarely live longer than 3 years.

14. Marsh or water shrew


Photo: Tim Gage

This is the smallest warm-blooded waterfowl in the world (average weight is about 13 grams)! The feet of the marsh shrew are hairy, which helps them swim. By the way, shrews are even smaller.

13. Water vole or European water rat


Photo: Pixabay.com

Water voles are often confused with common rats, but this mammal belongs to the hamster family, not the mouse family. The European water rat lives in the area of ​​river banks, near lakes and ponds.

12. Moose


Photo: Pixabay.com

The elk is the largest member of the deer family and feels at home in the water. These animals can even dive!

11. Nutria


Photo: Norbert Nagel

This is a fairly large rodent from South Africa. Nutria feed on aquatic plants, but sometimes they do not disdain mollusks.

10. Walruses


Photo: wikipedia.commons.com

Walruses are typical inhabitants of the Arctic Ocean and are incredibly social animals (living in large colonies). Walruses are easily identified by their massive fangs and unique vibrissae (dense whisker-like bristles). These mammals spend most of their lives on the coast, but for their prey they are able to dive to a depth of 55 meters.

9. Dugong


Photo: Julien Willem

This animal is very similar to the manatee, but it is still separated into a separate detachment of sirens. Dugongs are found in the waters of Australia and East Africa, and they can swim for 6 months in a row.

8. Leopard seal


Photo: Cyfer13

Like the land leopard, the sea leopard is a bloodthirsty predator. These seals are excellent hunters and the only members of their family that feed on warm-blooded animals.

7. Cuvier's beaked or medium floater


Photo: Chris_huh

Cuvier's beaked beaks are found in almost all oceans and even in some of the most big seas. While hunting, these amazing mammals are able to descend as much as 2000 meters below the water level!

6 California porpoise


Photo: wikipedia.commons.com

This aquatic mammal is on the verge of extinction, but a rare animal was discovered quite recently - only in 1958. California porpoises live in the Gulf of Mexico, and due to poaching, their population has been extremely reduced in just a few years.

5. Humpback whale


Photo: Pixabay.com

These giant creatures are known for their unique songs, which can only be heard underwater, of course. Humpback whales weigh about 40 tons and grow up to 19 meters in length, but despite their huge size, they are excellent swimmers and are able to cover considerable distances during their annual migrations.

4. Polar bear


Photo: Adam Bishop

Believe it or not, polar bears are also classified as aquatic mammals. polar bears they are simply created for life in conditions of eternal cold and for swimming in arctic waters, because they have a fairly thick layer of subcutaneous fat, and wool perfectly protects against moisture. In appearance, clumsy and bulky, these are actually excellent swimmers and are capable of accelerating up to 9.6 kilometers per hour in water.

3. Harp seal


Photo: Claumoho

These seals love the Arctic Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean. They can stay underwater for up to 15 minutes in one breath, and this ability allows them to successfully hunt fish and crustaceans.

2. killer whale


Photo: Pixabay.com

Killer whales are sometimes also called killer whales (due to an error in translating the name of the species from Spanish back in the 18th century). Killer whales are the largest representatives of the dolphin family and the most powerful predators in the world. They feed on other marine mammals and are known for hunting seals by dragging them underwater from drifting ice floes.

1. bottlenose dolphin or bottlenose dolphin


Photo: Gregory “Slobirdr” Smith

This is one of the most famous species of dolphins. Bottlenose dolphins are very intelligent, sociable and highly trainable, and in the wild they are skilled hunters, tracking their prey using the echolocation method.

Mammals are not the most numerous class of animals, but they are our closest relatives on the planet. Man also belongs to the class of mammals. Mammals are distinguished by high intelligence, complex behavior, and the ability to learn.

The living nature of the Earth is divided into five kingdoms: bacteria, protozoa, fungi, plants and animals.

All mammals are united by the fact that they feed their young with milk. The class of mammals is divided into subclasses: oviparous and viviparous.

Despite all the variety of forms, mammals have a number of common features. All mammals are dioecious, that is, there are males and females: males and females.

After the male fertilizes the saka, the female becomes pregnant. The term ranges from 12 days to over 600 days. Newborns depend on their mother for a long time and need her milk.

Most mammals take care of their offspring and teach their young all the wisdom of independent living. The life expectancy of mammals ranges from 1 year to 70 years.

The first mammals appeared on Earth about 200 million years ago, having separated from the animal-like reptiles. The historical path of development of the animal world is called evolution. In the course of evolution, natural selection took place - only those animals survived that managed to adapt to environmental conditions. Mammals have developed in different directions, forming many species. It so happened that animals with a common ancestor at some stage began to live in different conditions and acquired different skills in the struggle for survival.

Most mammals are characterized by a constant body temperature, independent of the environment (with the exception of the hibernation period). Mammals can be divided into herbivores - eating vegetation, carnivores - eating the meat of other animals and insects, and omnivores - consuming a wide variety of food.

The ability to adapt to the most different conditions life allowed mammals to settle around the globe and occupy the most different places a habitat.

All mammals are warm-blooded animals. They have relatively large brains, sweat glands in their skin, and hair or wool. Most mammals are quadrupeds.

Mammals usually have well-developed organs of sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch. This helps them get food, avoid encounters with predators, and find a mate. The sense organs are most often located in the head, near the brain.

Mammals are terrestrial and arboreal, underground and aquatic. Some species have even adapted to flight.

Nevertheless, each animal species occupies a certain part of the earth's surface, within which a complete cycle of its development takes place. This area is called an area.

Animals - big and small, those we consider useful to ourselves and those we call pests - they all have the right to live on our planet. Not one species of animals has disappeared from the face of the Earth through the vein of man. Our duty is to preserve what remains.

By planting trees, feeding birds in winter, releasing caught butterflies or beetles, we contribute to the great cause of nature conservation.

The platypus spends most of the day in a hole that it digs near the river. At dawn and dusk, he gets out. The platypus rakes mud with its sensitive beak and searches for insects, worms, larvae, crustaceans and frogs. Its beak is actually the muzzle of an animal, covered with skin rich in nerve endings. Platypuses and echidnas are venomous mammals. On their hind legs they have a bone spur, through which a poisonous liquid flows.

The body of the echidna is covered with needles to protect itself from enemies. When threatened with an attack, it curls up into a ball or quickly burrows into the ground. Outside, only her needles remain. So she protects the soft, not covered with needles belly and muzzle. Echidna lives on the ground and feeds on insects, mainly ants and termites. At the age of 50 days, a small echidna already leaves the bag, but lives in a hole for about 5 more months.

BALL BORONES

Ball armadillos are one of the rarest and are listed in the Red Book. These amazing beasts are able to curl up into an unusually dense ball, tightly protected from all sides by armor. Such reliable protection neither the fox nor the wolf can break through. Armadillos can have from 8 to 100 teeth, which grow throughout their lives. Moreover, even two individuals of the same species can have a completely different number of teeth.

The GIGANT PANDA is perhaps the most adorable of all bears and one of the rarest animals on Earth. Giant pandas live in China, in mountain forests, at an altitude of 2000 - 3000 m, where bamboo thickets form undergrowth. Bamboo is a low-nutrient food, so pandas eat it in large quantities, spending 15 hours a day on food, while eating up to 20 kg of bamboo. There are well-developed bare pads on the soles and at the base of each toe to help hold the smooth bamboo stem. Unfortunately, there are currently only about 1,000 giant pandas left in the wild. Pandas, although they live alone, are quite sociable. If two animals meet by chance, there will be no fight. In the mating season, males and females look for each other, creating married couples. But married life does not last long two days. After that, the bears disperse and the female herself brings up the only cub, which is born in less than six months. The baby is almost 1000 times smaller than the mother and requires constant care and attention.

The smallest bird in the world is the HUMMINGBIRD. The male reaches a length of only 5 cm, including the beak and tail. The female is about 0.5 cm longer. In the air, hummingbirds are more mobile than birds of any other order. They feed by hanging by the flowers. Their wing beats are so fast that they are almost invisible to the naked eye. These birds can fly up, sideways, forward and even backward. Hummingbirds live only in the warmest regions of North, Central and South America. Their sizes vary from 5 to about 20 cm, while the tail feathers are almost half the length of the bird. Hummingbirds have multi-colored shiny plumage, beautiful tufts on their heads and long tail feathers. In females, as a rule, the coloring is not as bright as in males. The main food of the hummingbird is the sweet nectar contained inside the flowers. Many hummingbirds have long beaks that they dip deep into the flower to get the nectar.

BIRDS OF PARADISE -, the most spectacular of all birds, got their name from their beautiful plumage. Some of them are predominantly black in color with bright, sparkling iridescent feathers, others are colored in brilliant blue, red and yellow colors. Many birds of paradise have long, unusually shaped feathers on their tails and heads. There are over 40 various kinds These birds range in size from 13 to 107 cm. Most of them live in the tropical forests of New Guinea, but several species inhabit the nearby Moluccas and forests of the north - eastern Australia. The main food of birds of paradise is fruits, although they also catch insects, spiders, and sometimes frogs and lizards. Multi-colored coloring and "decorating" feathers, There are only males. Females look completely different, their plumage is mostly brownish. To attract the attention of females, the male hangs upside down. At the same time, the long tail feathers form a graceful arch above the cascade of its delightful blue feathers. The male swings back and forth, while making creaky sounds. Most birds of paradise lek alone. At the height of the mating, birds of paradise emit piercing cries.

Oedipov Tamarin.

The smallest and most beautiful monkeys are toys. These animals, no larger than a rat, look very bizarre. The main decoration of marmosets is wool. Steller's and common marmosets have ears decorated with fluff long hair resembling flowers. The head of the oedipal tamarin is crowned with a crown of long white hair. Small size, bizarre coat color and additional decorations in the form of a mustache or crowns make these look like outlandish toys. A married couple, at the head of a pack, sometimes uniting up to 15 individuals, keeps their subordinates in strictness. Marmoset offspring can appear at any time of the year. Usually two cubs are born. The mother takes the babies from the father only when it is time for feeding. For more than a year, the cubs live with their parents, but the grown offspring are often expelled from the pack, and they form their own family groups.

SAKI MONKEYS are the most "hairy" among all tenacious-tailed ones. The long hair on the heads of these monkeys falls from the center in all directions, completely covering the ears and partially the face, forming a thick but neatly combed mop. The same long and thick “fur coat” covers the entire body of the saki, including a thick tail, which, by the way, is not grasping, which distinguishes the saki from most of the tenacious relatives.

TIGER is the most beautiful animal on Earth. At the present moment in wild nature only 5 subspecies of the tiger survived: Chinese, Indochinese, Bengal, Turin and Amur. Three species of tigers have become extinct in the past 100 years. The Amur tiger is the largest - the weight of an adult male reaches 400 kg. Tigers, like lions, are terrestrial animals and hardly know how to climb trees, but unlike the latter, they love water very much. Tigers are solitary animals, and an accidental collision between two males can lead to a fierce fight. Mom until 2 years old does not part with tigers. Females and young tigers hunt together and rest together. A tigress has an average of three cubs, but there are cases when eight sisters and brothers were born at once. Only among Amur tigers, babies are born in spring or early summer in order to grow up and get stronger before the cold weather. Males do not take part in the upbringing of offspring, this is the business of tigresses. The Amur tiger is not just a large, but the largest cat. The length of his body - from the nose to the tip of the tail - 3.5 meters. It lives in the cold, snowy regions of eastern Asia. This is a very rare cat species, there are less than 200 of them on Earth. They hunt, usually at night, large mammals and sometimes travel up to 20 km in search of food.

The CHEETAH is the fastest land mammal, capable of reaching speeds of up to 96 km/h in just 3 seconds from a standstill. He is not very hardy, so he tries to get closer to the prey and, instantly gaining tremendous speed, catch it. If the first attempt failed, he does not pursue his victim. The cheetah is a unique creature. This is how a cheetah hunts. At first, he observes a herd of gazelles, choosing a victim. In the rare and low grass, gazelles would have noticed a large lion long ago, and a plastic cheetah can literally creep along the ground, which allows it to sneak up to prey as close as possible. Before the jump, the cheetah strains, and then abruptly, like a spring, breaks off and knocks the gazelle down with one blow. The mother carefully looks after her offspring - 4 kittens, protects them from predators.

BLUE WHALE - - the largest animal on our planet. The record body length of this whale was 33.58 m, and the record weight was 190 tons. The weight of a newborn blue whale is 2 - 3 tons, and the length is up to 8 m. The baby drinks 200 liters per day mother's milk. An adult blue whale eats 2-3 tons of plankton and small fish at one time. The height of the fountains thrown out by blue whales at the exit reaches 12 m. Blue whales live 35-40 years. Blue whales have up to 860 whalebone plates, each about a meter long. The giant feeds on krill, in the summer it eats up to 4 tons daily. Today, only a few thousand blue whales remain in the oceans. They are in danger of extinction. The blue whale opens its mouth wide, gaining a huge volume of water. Then he strains it through rows of fringed baleen plates. At the same time, small animals remain in his mouth - krill, which this giant feeds on.

Life is at stake.

It is estimated that before the appearance of man on Earth, one species of living things disappeared on average in one thousand years, from 1850 to 1950 - one species in ten years (that is, 100 times faster!), After 1950 - one year . And now every day (every day!!!) one species of plants, animals or mushrooms disappears.

Among the most famous of the animals destroyed by man are the sea cow, wild horse tarpan, zebra quagga, passenger pigeon, dodo, wingless auk.

One of the most important tasks of mankind today is the conservation of biological diversity, i.e., the diversity of organism species and natural communities. This is stated in a special international document - the "Convention on Biological Diversity" (adopted in 1992).

What do people do to save wildlife? Scientists are seeking to introduce a ban on any destruction (gathering, hunting, catching) of creatures in need of protection. The destruction of all species listed in the International Red Book and the Red Book of Russia is prohibited. For the breeding of certain species, special nurseries, reserves, national parks are created, where not only certain types but also entire natural communities.