Animals of North America. Names, descriptions and photos of North American animals. Animals of Australia The Madagascar arm is a fabulous creature that actually lives

12.06.2019

The prairies of the Great Plains of the northern part of the continent of America, before their development by Europeans, occupied about 4 thousand kilometers in length and about 800 kilometers in width. The inland location and protection from precipitation from the Rocky Mountains from the west determined them climatic features and limited vegetation. So what is a prairie?

Of course, these are the steppes. They got their name from French settlers. The meaning of the word "prairie" is meadows. Geographically, they are located in the east of the Great Plains, in the mid-west of Canada and the USA. To the north, the prairies are bordered by coniferous forests, in the west - with mountains, in the east - with forest-steppes, and in the south they gradually turn into savannah and semi-desert. The amount of precipitation in the territory North American steppes decreases from east to west. The most arid zones are located in the center. Therefore, the vegetation on the prairies is heterogeneous, it is located in three broad bands: tall grass, mixed and short grass.

The relief of the North American prairies

The expansion of the prairie contributed to the fires and bison

Who knows, perhaps today no one would have a question about what the prairie is, if not for the fires and all the same bison. Scientists believe that forests could grow in these places long ago, according to soil and climatic conditions terrain. Spontaneous fires, burning everything to the ground, and herds of animals, completely eating and trampling the young growth, did their job. Scientists draw their conclusions based on similar processes in Africa, where elephants also contribute to the spread of steppe vegetation. This is how these expanses were formed ... Look at the photo of the prairie - how beautiful it is!

Among the grasses of the savannah. There are periods of drought in the savanna when there is a lack of food. Then numerous herds of animals go in search of more favorable conditions. These migrations can go on for weeks, and only the most enduring animals manage to reach their destination. The weaker are doomed to perish.

The climate of the savanna favors the growth of tall and lush grass. Trees, on the other hand, are rare here.

Baobab not so good tall tree, however, the diameter of its trunk can reach 8 meters.

The African buffalo, along with the hippo, is considered one of the most dangerous animals in Africa. Indeed, if the buffalo is injured or feels a danger to himself or his cubs, he does not hesitate to attack the aggressor and kill him with powerful horns. Even the lion tries to avoid meeting him, as he is not sure of the outcome of the battle. Therefore, only buffaloes that have strayed from the herd, or old and sick animals that are not able to defend themselves, are attacked by predators.

Zebra.

The skin of a zebra is original and easily recognizable. At first glance, all zebras seem the same, but in fact, each animal has its own stripe pattern, like human fingerprints. Countless attempts have been made to tame zebras (domesticate like a horse), but they have always ended in failure. Zebra does not tolerate riders or other cargo on the rump. She is very shy and difficult to approach even in nature reserves.

Zebras are deprived of horns and other means of protection, fleeing from predators. Once in the environment, they defend themselves with their teeth and blows of hooves.

How to spot predators? Zebras' eyesight is not very sharp, so they often graze next to other animals, such as giraffes or ostriches, which are able to notice the approach of predators earlier.

A pursued zebra can travel at 80 kilometers per hour, but not for long periods of time.

On the stripes on the skin of a zebra, you can spill different kinds zebras Particularly significant in this sense are the stripes on the croup.

A lion.

The lion prefers open spaces, where he finds coolness in the shade. rare trees. For hunting, it is better to have a wide view in order to notice herds of grazing herbivores from a distance and develop a strategy for how best to approach them unnoticed. Outwardly, this is a lazy beast, which, on duty, dozes and does nothing. Only when the lion is hungry and forced to pursue herds of herbivores, or when he must defend his territory, does he come out of his stupor.

Lions do not hunt alone, unlike cheetahs and tigers. As a result, all members of the lion family live together for a long time and grown lion cubs are not expelled from it, unless conditions in the hunting territory become critical.

Usually a group of females goes hunting, while males rarely join them. Hunters surround the victim, hiding in the tall grass. When the animal notices danger, it panics, and it tries to escape at a gallop, but most often falls into the clutches of other hidden lionesses, unnoticed by it.

A characteristic feature of the lion is the thick mane of males, which is not found in other representatives of the cat family.

A lioness usually gives birth to two lion cubs. To become adults, they need about two years - all this time they adopt the experience of their parents.

The claws of a lion can reach 7 cm.

Giraffe.

In an effort to survive, all animals have evolved to provide their species with sufficient food. The giraffe can eat the leaves of trees that other herbivores cannot reach: due to its six-meter height, it is taller than all other animals. The giraffe can also take food from the ground, as well as drink water, but for this it must spread its front legs wide in order to bend over. In this position, he is very vulnerable to predators, because he cannot immediately rush to flight.

The giraffe has a very long, thin and soft tongue, adapted to pluck acacia leaves. The lips, especially the upper lips, also serve this purpose. The giraffe cuts off the leaves growing at a height of two to six meters.

The most favorite food of giraffes is the leaves of trees, especially acacia; its thorns do not seem to disturb the animal.

Giraffes live in herds, divided into two groups: in one female with cubs, in the other - males. To win the right to become the leaders of the herd, the males fight by hitting their heads with their necks.

On the run, the giraffe is not very fast and agile. Running away from the enemy, he can count on a speed of only 50 kilometers per hour.

The "secret weapon" of the cheetah is its flexible body with a strong spine, curved like the arch of a bridge, and powerful clawed paws that allow it to firmly rest on the ground. This is the fastest animal African savannah. No one can imagine an animal running faster than a cheetah. In short moments, he develops a speed of over 100 kilometers per hour, and if he did not get tired quickly, he would be the most terrible predator Africa.

The cheetah prefers to live in small groups of two to eight to nine individuals. Usually such a group consists of one family.

Unlike other members of the feline family, the cheetah's claws never retract, just like dogs. This feature allows the beast not to slip on the ground when running; does not touch the ground while only the claw of the thumb.

The cheetah climbs trees and surveys the savannah from a height to detect herds of grazing herbivores that could become its prey.

The skin of a cheetah is not always covered with spots, sometimes they merge, forming stripes, like a king cheetah.

The long tail serves as a rudder - they can quickly change the direction of the run, which is necessary during the pursuit of the victim.

Elephant.

The African elephant was threatened with extinction both because of the hunting, of which he became a victim at the beginning of the 20th century, since there was a great demand for ivory (tusk) products, and because of the important changes made by man in his habitat. Now elephants live mainly in giant national parks where they are studied by zoologists and protected by guards. Unfortunately, this is not enough to prevent the destruction of elephants by poachers. It is different with Indian elephant, which has never been in danger since man has used it for centuries on various works.

The African elephant is different from the Indian. It is larger, its ears are larger, and its tusks are much longer. AT South-East Asia elephants are domesticated and used for various jobs. African elephants are not tameable due to their more independent nature.

Like the giraffe, the elephant prefers to feed on the leaves of trees, which it plucks from the branches with its trunk. It happens that he knocks down a whole tree to the ground in order to get food.

Tusks and trunks are two miraculous survival tools for elephants. Elephants use their tusks to protect themselves from predators and use them during dry periods to dig up the ground in search of water. With a very mobile trunk, he plucks leaves and collects water, which he then sends to his mouth. The elephant loves water very much and at the first opportunity climbs into the pond to freshen up. He swims great.

The elephant willingly hides in the shade, because its huge body is hardly cooled. For this purpose serve huge ears, which he fanned rhythmically to cool off.

As children hold on to their mother's hand, so do elephants walk, holding on to the elephant's tail with their proboscis.

Ostrich.

The natural environment in which the ostrich lives determined the final adaptability of this bird, the largest of all: the mass of an ostrich exceeds 130 kilograms. Long neck increases the growth of the ostrich up to two meters. A flexible neck and excellent eyesight allow him to notice danger from afar from this height. Long legs give the ostrich the ability to run at speeds up to 70 kilometers per hour, usually enough to escape predators.

The ostrich prefers open spaces where everything can be seen from afar and there are no obstacles for running.

Ostriches do not live alone, but in groups of various sizes. While the birds are looking for food, at least one stands guard and looks around the area to spot enemies in time, primarily cheetahs and lions.

The eyes of an ostrich are surrounded long eyelashes, which protect them both from the African sun and from the dust raised by the wind.

Ostriches build a nest in a small depression, pulling it into sandy soil and covered with something soft. The female incubates the eggs during the day because her gray color blends well with the environment; the male with predominantly black feathers is engaged in incubation at night.

Females lay from three to eight eggs in a common nest, and each of them incubates the eggs in turn. One egg weighs more than one and a half kilograms and has a very strong shell. It sometimes takes a whole day for an ostrich to break the shell and hatch from the egg.

The beak of an ostrich is short, flat and very strong. It is not specialized for any particular food, but serves to pluck grass and other vegetation and catch insects, small mammals and snakes.

Rhinoceros.

This huge thick-skinned animal lives both in Africa and in South and Southeast Asia. In Africa, there are two species of rhinoceros, different from those of Asia. African rhinos have two horns and are adapted to a habitat characterized by large expanses with very few trees. The Asian rhinoceros has only one horn and prefers to live in forest thickets. These animals are on the verge of extinction because they are ruthlessly hunted by poachers for their horns, which are in high demand in some countries.

Despite its mass, the African rhinoceros is very agile and can make sharp turns on the run.

The female rhinoceros brings, as a rule, one cub every two to four years. The kid stays with his mother for a long time, even when he grows up and becomes independent. In an hour, a newborn cub can follow its mother on its own legs, moreover, it usually walks either in front of it or on its side. He feeds on mother's milk for a year, and during this time his weight increases from 50 to 300 kilograms.

Male rhinos, like many other animals, are fighting for the right to become the leader. At the same time, they use the horn like a stick, that is, they hit sideways, and not with a point. It may happen that during martial arts the horn breaks, but then it grows back, albeit very slowly.

The rhinoceros has poor eyesight, he sees only up close, like a nearsighted person. But on the other hand, he has the finest sense of smell and hearing, he can smell food or an enemy from afar.

Rhinoceros horn can reach a length of 1.5 meters.

In the inland regions of North America and Eurasia, vast areas are covered by more or less xerophilic grass formations known as prairies and steppes. These regions are characterized by continental types of climate, often with severe winters and stable snow cover. Precipitation is distributed relatively evenly throughout the year; summer, especially in the second half, is dry. Steppe vegetation is associated with fertile chernozem and chestnut soils.

Vegetation. As part of plant communities typical are perennial xerophilous turf grasses belonging to the genera feather grass (Stipa), fescue (Festuca), thin-legged (Koeleria), bluegrass (Pod) and some others. In the North American prairies, a significant role is also played by species of the genus bearded vulture (Andropogori) and some others that are not widely distributed in Eurasia. Rhizome grasses are also characteristic with single shoots on creeping underground rhizomes, which are generally less drought-resistant and therefore more widely distributed in the more humid parts of the steppe regions (species of bonfire, wheatgrass, etc.).

In addition to grasses, numerous xerophilic representatives of dicotyledonous plants, the so-called steppe forbs, play an important role in the composition of the steppe cover. Steppe communities, especially in drier regions, also include short-vegetating plants - annuals (ephemers) and perennials (ephemeroids), which form the spring and early summer aspects and develop especially abundantly in wet years.

In places, shrubs, sometimes growing in groups, take a significant part in the composition of the steppe vegetation. These are species of spirea, steppe cherry, juniper; in the steppes of Mongolia

the role of caragana species, which form peculiar shrub steppes, is great.

In many steppe plants, the root systems are deeply penetrating and highly branched, effectively absorbing moisture from the soil; in steppe biocenoses, the reserves of underground phytomass reach large values.

The change of aspects is well expressed from early spring to late autumn. So, for the Streltsy steppe near Kursk, there are up to 11 aspects associated with the successive mass flowering of such plants as hyacinth, iris, anemone, feather grass, sage, etc.

For steppe vegetation, fluctuations are very characteristic: in drier years, xerophilous plant species develop better, the proportion of ephemers and ephemeroids decreases; in more humid years, less drought-resistant species predominate.

For the normal development of turf grasses and many grasses, it is necessary to cleanse them of dead shoots that retain a mechanical connection with living plants, and the absence of the so-called steppe felt, a cover of dead parts of plants, on the soil surface. Thanks to the grazing of herbivorous mammals, accumulations of rags on the soil surface are loosened, which ensures the development of steppe cereals. In the absence of grazing for 4-5 years, steppe plants gradually die off.

An equally important role is played by the activity of rodents, which consume a significant part of the herbage and loosen the soil. Arranging deep holes, marmots and ground squirrels penetrate to a depth of 2 - 3 m; ejections of earth to the surface form bulk mounds, often quite numerous. There is an alternation of microhighs and microlows, which leads to a certain redistribution of precipitation, in connection with which complexity often develops - different plant communities are confined to different forms of microrelief.

Humidification conditions within the vast areas of steppe biomes are heterogeneous, and therefore there is a change in the nature of the herbage, its height, phytomass, and the ratio of various life forms. According to the moisture gradient from north to south, the steppes of Eurasia are divided into subzones or latitudinal bands: meadow steppes and steppe meadows, real steppes and deserted steppes.

The vegetation cover of the meadow steppes naturally combines steppe communities with small woodlands, whence, in fact, another name for this subzone is the forest-steppe. On the distribution of vegetation big influence have a redistribution of precipitation over the relief, the degree of washing of the upper soil horizons. In this regard, in the forest-steppe of the European

In parts of Russia, steppe communities dominate the interfluve plains, oak forests gravitate towards gullies, hollows, occasionally reaching watersheds. AT Western Siberia forest biocenoses (the so-called birch groves) are confined to depressions (depressions) of the relief and are surrounded by steppe communities.

To the south, aridity increases, the climate of the steppes becomes warmer. On the northern border of the forest-steppe, the ratio of precipitation and evaporation from the open water surface is equalized, while in the desert steppe zone, evaporation significantly exceeds the amount of precipitation. From north to south, the species richness decreases, the number of herb species decreases, in the southern part of the present, and especially in the desert steppes, the proportion of xerophytes - semi-shrubs, including wormwood species, increases, the number of aspects decreases, the height of grass stands and biomass reserves decrease.

In the North American prairies, a decrease in the amount of precipitation occurs from east to west, which determines the submeridional strike of the following subzones or bands: forest-steppe, where fragments of forests alternate (mainly from hickory and some species of oak); tall grass prairie with an abundance of forbs and high grasses (mainly species of feather grass, bearded vulture, fescue); mixed prairie; shortgrass prairie dominated by two low-growing grass species: gram grass (Boutelona gracilis) and bison grass (Buchloe dactyloides). There are few forbs here, the participation of wormwood is characteristic. Due to the fact that changes in temperature and humidity occur in different directions, significant differences can be traced in the vegetation of each of the submeridional bands from north to south.

At present, the steppes and prairies are mostly plowed up and occupied by agricultural crops (this is especially true for meadow, forb-fescue-feather grass steppes of Eurasia, forest-steppe, high-grass and mixed prairie North America). In more arid zones, where farming is risky, grazing is developed.

In the southern hemisphere, the pampas, as well as the dry grass-semi-shrub formations of Patagonia, located in the wind shadow of the Andes, are most often considered only as, to a certain extent, similar to the steppes, their original counterparts. The most important difference in the hydrothermal regime of the areas of their development is the absence of a pronounced period with negative temperatures and snow cover. This has a significant impact on the composition and structure of communities, especially their rhythm. It is characterized by year-round vegetation, a kind of bushy form of growth of cereals.

animal population. Animals of the steppes, prairies and pampas adapt to a rather harsh hydrothermal regime. Most animals are forced to limit their activity to the main

spring and, to a lesser extent, autumn periods. For a while cold winter they fall into anabiosis, and during the period of summer droughts they reduce their activity, they are in a state of so-called semi-rest. Small vertebrates - lizards, snakes, some rodents - hibernate for the winter, large mammals migrate to more southern regions with mild winters, and most birds make seasonal flights.

The absence of a tree-shrub layer determines the simplicity of the vertical structure of the animal population. One above-ground tier stands out, however, the penetration of animals into the soil horizons increases; the open landscape requires the search for shelters, and many rodents are characterized by the ability to dig complex and deep holes.

Herbaceous vegetation provides abundant food supplies for green-eating animals, and the underground parts of many geophyte plants (rhizomes, bulbs, tubers) are consumed along with roots by rhizophagous animals. A thick layer of litter and humus is inhabited by various saprophages. Thus, in the communities of the steppe, prairie, and pampas, the underground layer of the animal population is much more pronounced than in others.

The above-ground green mass of vegetation is eaten by a variety of locusts and grasshoppers. Various rodents feed on the same feed. In the steppes of Eurasia, ground squirrels settle in large colonies and dig complex burrows. The colonial way of life allows the steppe rodents to timely notify the members of the colony of danger, and the burrows give them a safe haven from most predators. AT steppe zone still large settlements of the common marmot, or marmot, have survived. In the prairies of North America, prairie dogs are common, outwardly resembling small marmots. They also dig complex branched burrows to a depth of 5 m. Colonies of prairie dogs sometimes reach several thousand individuals. In the South American pampas, a large rodent leads a similar lifestyle - the plains viscacha from the chinchilla family.

The aforementioned green-eating rodents, although they lead a burrowing lifestyle, they collect food in the ground layer. Another ecological group of rodents digs permanent feeding passages, feeding on the underground parts of plants: rhizomes, tubers, bulbs. These rhizophagous rodents can be combined into an ecological group of underground shrews.

The common mole vole lives in the steppes of Eurasia, a small rodent up to 15 cm long, with small eyes, armed with powerful incisors that protrude in front of the lips. With these incisors, the mole vole can dig feeding passages without opening its mouth, which prevents the earth from getting into oral cavity. The Altai and Mongolian steppes are inhabited by the zokor, a larger rodent,

up to 25 cm long, also with underdeveloped eyes, but with powerful forelimbs and huge claws. Zokor digs holes with its front paws.

Mole rats, completely devoid of sight (the eyes are hidden under the skin), external auricles and tail, with huge incisors constantly protruding from the mouth, as the lips converge behind the teeth (like the mole voles), have pronounced adaptations to the underground lifestyle. Long and branched feeding passages of mole rats are located under the soil surface, and the nesting chamber is located at a depth of almost three meters.

On the prairies, rodents of the gopher family lead an underground lifestyle. They have small eyes, a short tail, and powerful incisors protruding in front of their lips. They dig the main burrow-gallery up to 140 m long, from which numerous lateral branches extend. In the South American pampa, a similar ecological niche is occupied by tuco-tuco rodents from a special neotropical family of ctenomyids, which dig complex branched burrows with nesting chambers and storage chambers. The members of the colony call to each other with loud cries of "tuko-tuko", well audible from underground.

In the steppes of Eurasia several centuries ago one could see herds grazing wild bulls tours, saiga antelopes, wild horses tarpans, steppe bison. These ungulates not only consumed green mass together with other phytophages, but also actively influenced the structure of the upper soil-litter layer.

In the North American prairies, ungulates are not so diverse. The background landscape view here was only the bison, whose herds of many thousands grazed on the prairies until the appearance of Europeans with firearms. The bison population has been restored to thousands of individuals and occupies unplowed tracts of prairie on the northwestern fringes of the original range of this species. In addition to the bison, a peculiar pronghorn was common on the prairies and is still preserved today, ecologically replacing the antelopes that are absent in the New World.

Quite different large consumers of herbal vegetation live in the pampas. A characteristic species is the humpless guanaco camel from the callus-footed order, making seasonal migrations in summer to watering places and green pastures, in winter to areas with mild snowless weather.

Predatory animals of grass communities have a rich choice of food: from small insects and their larvae to rodents, birds, and ungulates. In the terrestrial layer, predatory ants are common (although there are many seed-eating ants in the steppe zone), horse beetles from the ground beetle family, and solitary burrowing wasps that hunt various invertebrates.

small predator birds steppes (Kestrel, Falcon) consume mainly insects - locusts, beetles. Large raptors prey on rodents according to their size: from voles and ground squirrels to marmots and prairie dogs. In the steppes of Eurasia, harriers, kankzh-buzzards are common, and the steppe eagle is characteristic.

On the prairies, the most common bird is the small falcon - the American kestrel. It feeds mainly on grasshoppers and other insects. Both in the prairies and in the pampas, one can occasionally see the now heavily exterminated fork-tailed kite.

Predatory mammals prey mainly on rodents. Wolf, fox, ermine, weasel, although common in the steppe, are not typical for this zone. Light, or steppe, polecat is most characteristic of this zone. Ferret dressing comes in from the south. Representatives of the weasel family easily penetrate the burrows of rodents and get them right in the shelters. This once again emphasizes the relativity of any protective adaptations: and a deep hole does not save its inhabitants from specialized predators.

On the prairies, a group of predatory mammals is formed by the coyote, the black-footed ferret, and the long-tailed weasel. In the pampas, this group includes the pampas fox, the maned wolf, and the Patagonian weasel.

Thus, in each of the large isolated regions in grass communities, a set of predators is formed - from large terrestrial to small burrows, in accordance with the diversity of the rodent fauna.

Total biomass stocks in xerophilous grass communities temperate latitudes vary depending on the height and density of the herbage from 150 t/ha of dry matter in tall grass prairies to 10 t/ha in dry steppes and short grass prairies. Average stocks in these communities are usually around 50 t/ha. The production also changes accordingly from 30 to 5 t/ha per year and makes up 20 - 50% of the annual biomass reserves. The zoomass in natural communities with an abundance of rodents and ungulates can reach significant values (10 - 50 kg/ha), which is comparable to the zoomass of tropical savannahs.

Ecology

Adaptation in the course of evolution led to the emergence of life forms, which were divided into various recognizable groups with special characteristics. However, in our time, there are animals that have escaped from total mass and evolved in a completely different direction.

These creatures, although they belong to certain groups, slightly different from their relatives. For example, did you know that there are a predatory killer parrot, a vegetarian eagle, a bird with hands on its wings and other amazing creatures in the world?

Kea mountain parrot - a dangerous bird

Parrots are known for being flamboyant colorful pretty friendly tropical birds who love nuts, seeds and fruits. These birds are often kept as pets due to their beautiful appearance, friendliness and ability to imitate various sounds.

However, the New Zealand mountain kea parrot(lat. Nestor notabilis) is different from all of its other relatives parrots. With a weight of about a kilogram and a wingspan of 1.2 meters, the kea is a carnivorous bird and eats small birds, mammals and even in some cases sheep!

Because of this feature, kea is considered a big enemy for farmers and motorists. Kea is able to ruin the headlights of parked cars and even break windows.

Unlike other parrots, kea lives in mountain gorges and roam freely in the snow. Such harsh conditions environment made it smartest of all parrots, and maybe even the most smart bird generally. Tracking prey, kea parrots climb great height, like other birds of prey, and make hawk-like calls, unlike those of parrots. Due to human intervention today, kea parrots are vulnerable.

What does a vegetarian eagle eat?

Another example that one species from the family differs from the rest of its representatives. Meet the Vegetarian Eagle palm vulture, African relative golden eagle, buzzard and hawk, which mercilessly destroys oil palms instead of preying on small animals.

This predator has a specially adapted for plant food digestive system , but otherwise similar to common predatory eagles. A powerful beak easily cracks hard nuts, fishing out fatty pulp. It is nuts that allow the bird to replace meat.

Secrets of bird evolution: convergent evolution works wonders

Songbirds belong to a rather diverse group, which puzzles scientists, and also offers the opportunity to uncover some of the mysteries of evolution. convergent evolution occurs when two unrelated species develop a similar appearance due to environmental conditions.

In the grasslands of North America lives a bird called western meadow troupial, which separated in the course of evolution from blackbird who lives to this day. The blackbird has black plumage and lives in trees. However, the troupial is different special plumage, appearance and eating habits.

Western meadow troupial (lat. Sturnella neglecta)

AT West Africa another bird lives in the meadows, unrelated - yellow-throated starling pipit, a descendant of a completely different group of birds - skates, small brown birds that live in open areas.

Yellow-throated starling pipit (lat. Macronyx croceus)

Interestingly, the western meadow troupial and the yellow-throated starling pipit look almost the same and at the same time very different from their relatives. This is one example where the environment affects evolution.

For many years, biologists have looked up into the sky and watched small, sickle-winged birds flying at incredible speeds overhead. These birds looked almost the same, had the same size and body shape, except for the shape of the tail and flight speed.

Martin

It turned out that swallows, relatives of robins, tits and sparrows, belong to one separate group, and birds that are very reminiscent of swallows, but fly much faster - swifts - genetically belong to a different group.

swift

Swifts are so similar to swallows that they are often confused, since these birds live in the same environment. This is another example convergent evolution. Appearances can be deceiving.

Marsupial mole - a strange animal of Australia

Most often, marsupials are found in Australia, they are not related to any other animal groups and often have distinctive features appearance.

Marsupial mole eating a lizard

In the group of marsupials, however, could appear in the course of evolution their "versions" of mammals. For example, in the group carnivorous mammals once a lion appeared, in the group of marsupials there also existed the so-called marsupial lion, now extinct.

common mole

Thus, in the world there is marsupial mole, which is not related to the common mole, which lives in Europe, Asia and North America. The strangest thing is that the marsupial mole is similar to the common mole in appearance and behavior.

Millipedes and Woodlice

If you turn over a stone in the garden, you will most likely find small gray creatures under it with a segmented body and long antennae - woodlice. Many legs protrude from the segmented body. These living creatures look like centipedes, but in fact nothing in common except resemblance, with them do not have.

Common woodlouse (lat. Armadillidium vulgare)

Armadillo- a terrestrial crustacean, a close relative of shrimp and a cousin of crabs and lobsters. bipedal centipede developed a similar appearance in the course of evolution, having no genetic relationship with the first animal. Millipedes are elongated creatures with many legs, living mainly in the forest.

Bipedal centipede (lat. Glomeris marginata)

Madagascar armlet - a fabulous creature that actually lives

animal creature called ah-ah somewhat reminiscent of Golum, but it is not at all a figment of the author's imagination "Lord of the Rings". These animals are based in Madagascar, a remote island in Indian Ocean, on which in the course of evolution appeared very unusual creatures which are not found anywhere in the world.

Ay-ay or little arms- primates and are relatives of chimpanzees, monkeys and even humans, but reach no more than 30 centimeters. Like chimpanzees, bats feed on termites and other tree-dwelling insects.

To get a treat, the arms do not use a stick at all, as monkeys do, but their own. the middle finger, which has an incredible length, allowing you to fish out bugs and termites from hard-to-reach places.

marine iguana

Evolution is often a series of several steps forward from primitive forms to more complex or marine species to ground. AT Devonian(420-360 million years ago) Earth was dominated by various marine reptiles . They are all long dead.

Later, the lizards of the most different forms and sizes that crawled out of the water onto land. However, one species of lizard for some reason returned to the water.. marine iguana- a giant pinkish lizard that cuts through the waves next to Galapagos Islands belonging to Ecuador.

These herbivorous creatures are similar to their terrestrial cousins, the green iguanas, and feed on seaweed.

Hoatzin is the most unusual bird that has hands

Of the vast number of species of birds, known to science, just one species has something that looks like hands! Hoatzin- a strange primitive relative of cuckoos, whose homeland is rainforests South America. This unusual bird there is a peculiarity vestige of reptiles.

When hoatzin chicks hatch, it becomes immediately obvious that these birds have kept incredible primitive a trait that some dinosaurs had. The chick has two arms, armed with sharp claws, which protrude from the wing joints and are used to climb trees for safety, as the chicks cannot yet fly.

It is also interesting that hoatzins - the only ruminants, which have developed a digestive system similar to that of a large cattle, which feeds on fermented plant material from the second stomach.

Hoatzin chicks (video)

Are Pronghorns American Antelopes?

Ungulate spotted animals live on the prairies of North America pronghorns. These creatures very similar to antelope and even in Latin they are called Antilocapra americana (American antelope). However, antelopes live only in Africa and Asia and are close relatives of goats.

Pronghorns, in turn, belong to the family pronghorn and are ruminants. These creatures Dont Have family ties with antelopes despite the outward resemblance.

The material contains information about unique species animal world. Reveals Interesting Facts about its individual representatives. Allows you to form a complete picture natural features continent.

Animals of Australia

The continent has become home to almost 10% of the diversity species Earth. Thanks to this, Australia is in the list of 17 countries in the world that can boast of their unique and the richest flora and fauna.

Both the kangaroo and the emu are found in nature only on this continent, which is why these animals are depicted on the coat of arms of Australia.

Rice. 1. Emblem of Australia.

The most famous animals of Australia around the world are:

kangaroo;
ostrich Emu;
koala;
dingo dog;
camel;
rabbit.

About 80% of the animal species found in Australia are endemic and found nowhere else in the world.

Rice. 2. Koala.

The marine life of the green continent is as diverse as the land life.

Continent of unique animals

The animal world of Australia is interesting and attractive for many reasons. The continent is characterized by generous sunshine and a suitable mild climate. There are practically no sharp temperature jumps in this part of the planet.

The shores of the continent water element separated by mountains.

Briefly describe animal world this fertile piece of land will not work. The reason is that the fifth continent is universally declared a continent-reserve.

The emu is considered to be an exclusively Australian inhabitant. The bird is inferior in strength to its African counterpart - the Nanda ostrich, but this does not cease to be less strong. The legs of the bird are so developed that just one blow can cause dangerous fractures. Smaller animals that get in the way of an angry bird run the risk of being killed.

About 2/3 of the presented species of highly developed life are endemic - inhabitants of a limited range, animals that live only and exclusively on this part of the land.

Australia is a habitat for extremely dangerous and poisonous snakes on the planet. To classify snakes according to their degree of danger to humans, the content of poison is compared with poison Indian cobra. australian snakes according to this parameter, they occupy the first lines in the list of dangerous reptiles.

With the approach of civilization to the once wild lands of the mainland, its territories became a haven for a large number of animals brought by colonists and travelers. Among the introduced animals are rabbits, dingoes and camels.

Rabbits were brought to the continent by colonists in order to provide the settlers with meat. But due to the fact that their population began to grow uncontrollably, rabbits flooded the entire continent.

Dingo dogs have evolved into wild predators. The rash actions of the colonists and the first settlers of Australia led to the fact that they disappeared from the ecosystem of the continent forever. rare species ancient biological species.

What have we learned?

We found out which representatives local fauna are called endemic. What caused the spread of rabbits across the mainland. What caused the disappearance of some ancient animal species that previously lived on the continent.

Report Evaluation

Average rating: 4.8. Total ratings received: 16.