An animal with small ears. The long-eared fox is a nocturnal animal with large ears.

Unusual animals live everywhere. They hide from people underground and in sea ​​depths, in the hot sands of deserts and in impassable jungles, in mountain caves and swamps. Of course, all representatives of the animal world are amazing in their own way, but on our planet there are many truly mysterious and strange animals about which most people know almost nothing. Some creatures have such a strange appearance that you can’t help but wonder if these are aliens trying to get lost in the diversity of our fauna. Want to know more about them? Then we present to your attention a rating of the most amazing and unusual animals on our planet.

The naked mole rat (Heterocephalus glaber) is an extremely interesting rodent native to Africa.

The naked mole rat (also called the desert rat) lives in underground tunnels and rarely comes to the surface. The sausage-like creature is notable not only for its specific appearance, although the naked, sparsely haired, wrinkled pale skin, and especially the protruding teeth, you will agree, make an indelible impression. They say that with its sharp and hard, diamond-like teeth, the beast is able to gnaw through even concrete!

These animals are also unusual in that they have an exceptionally high life expectancy for rodents (up to 30 years). Naked mole rats do not have strokes, heart attacks, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, fatal liver or kidney diseases, and their organs and tissues do not wither at all over time. This is the only creature that practically does not feel pain. Another unique feature of the animal is that it can do without oxygen for up to 20 minutes! This ability is similar to plants!

Naked mole rat Lately is under close attention of scientists. Perhaps someday, thanks to this very creature, gerontologists will be able to answer the question: How to slow down aging?

Herbivore Dracula

The herbivorous dracula (Sphaeronycteris toxophyllum) is an unusual bat, a very rare and little-studied species. Found in northern South America. Despite the terrifying name and specific appearance, these creatures are harmless. They feed exclusively on plant foods – ripe fruits and berries.

Gymnur

Gymnurs (lat. Galericinae) are the closest relatives of the familiar ones spiny hedgehogs, however, their appearance is not that of a hedgehog at all. These strange creatures are more reminiscent of possums, shrews or rats, but they are enormous in size - up to 45 centimeters in length, and a few tens of centimeters more on their hairless, rat-like tail. Gymnur even has a middle name - moon rat. But the most important thing is that they have no thorns at all!

Moon rats live in the tropical rainforests of Malaysia, the Philippines and Indonesia. If ordinary hedgehogs are protected from enemies by spines, then the gymnur is more original here: near the base of the tail of the moon rat there are glands that secrete liquid with a strong unpleasant smell. They say that the animal smells very strongly of onions!

Madagascar bat

In the dry forests of Madagascar lives a very unusual one, completely different from its relatives. The little arm, or aye-aye (aye-aye) (Daubentonia madagascariensis) is a mammal from the order of prosimians, the only representative of the family of armlets. This is truly an amazing creature! Expressive orange-yellow or greenish eyes, huge leathery ears and a fluffy tail about 60 long are the main decoration of the little arm. The body of the animal, about 40 cm long, is covered with hard, straight dark hair. Distinctive feature animal – elongated thin fingers with long and slightly bent nails.

There have been heated debates among zoologists for a long time: which species should this amazing creature be classified as: rodents or lemurs? In the end, they nevertheless came to the conclusion that this was a lemur that had only deviated slightly in the course of evolution from the general trunk of the group. You can read more about the Madagascar hand-foot.

Cuban slittooth

The Cuban slittooth (Solenodon cubanus) is an extremely interesting relict animal. Scientists thought that it disappeared more than a hundred years ago, but it has appeared again! Compared to other insectivores, this animal is quite large - body length 28-35 cm plus a long bare tail, weight - no more than 1 kilogram. Externally, the slittooth looks like a rat, a shrew, and a hedgehog. This unusual animal lives in the mountain forests of Cuba. The animal's muzzle is elongated into a proboscis. The front paws are equipped with long, thick and hard claws that help it dig holes.

The animal was called a slit-tooth because in one of the lower front teeth it has a groove-slit, and poison passes through this groove! Few people find this animal dangerous, but its bite is poisonous! The poison is not fatal to humans, but poisoning of the body is guaranteed.

Poisonous mammals are extremely rare in nature - these are platypuses, some species of shrews and insectivorous gaptooths living in Cuba and Haiti. The venom of gap-toothed animals is not inferior in toxicity to that of snakes, but nature, having provided these cute animals with such a formidable weapon, played a truly cruel joke on them. The fact is that gaptooths are very temperamental, but at the same time they are not immune to their own poison and die en masse even from light bites received during mating fights.

When a gaptooth gets angry, the fur on its back stands on end, and the animal begins to squeal and grunt loudly, just like a pig. In general, this animal is a coward, and even an ordinary house cat can easily cope with it. That is why there are very few gaptooths left in nature; they hide well and are not so easy to find.

Muskrat

The muskrat (Desmana moschata) can rightfully be considered one of the rare and unusual animals. This animal of the mole family has lived on Earth for more than 30 million years! Today it is found only in the basins of the Volga, Don, Dnieper and Ural rivers. Read more about muskrat.

Binturong

This mammal from the civet family can be found in the tropical forests of India, Nepal and Burma. Due to its appearance, it is also called the "bear cat" or "coon bear". Indeed, disheveled and massive, the binturong (Arctictis binturong) very much resembles a round-headed bear cub, only with a long tail and squirrel-like tufts on its ears. The unusualness is enhanced by the clumsiness of the animal, as well as the grunting sounds it makes.

In its diet, consisting mainly of fruits, it also differs from other viverrids: it uses insects, birds, fish or carrion for food less often than its relatives. The animal sleeps all day in the treetops, and only when it gets dark does its active life begin. Weighing more than 10 kg, it is not at all convenient for the binturong to run and jump along branches on its short legs, so it moves slowly from branch to branch. In this he is helped by powerful legs, sharp claws and a tail reaching a length of 90 cm. With his tail, he can hold on to a branch like a hand. Also, thanks to its tenacious tail, the massive animal can hang upside down on a branch. This grasping tail is unique among Old World mammals.

Surprisingly, bunturong smells like popcorn! Under the tail there is a scent gland that secretes a secretion with which the binturong marks trees, thus transmitting information to its fellow tribesmen.

Sirichta

Sirichta (Tarsius syrichta), or as it is also called, Philippine tarsier, found in the Philippines - in rain forests or bamboo thickets. This tiny animal, whose body length is about 15 cm, 8 of which is in the tail, and whose weight does not exceed 100 grams, leads an arboreal lifestyle. A distinctive feature of the sirikhita is that its eyes are simply huge for such a tiny thing; in addition, the eyes can glow in the dark! The animal's head can rotate almost 180 degrees on its neck. A wide mouth and large bare, very mobile ears give the appearance of this creature even more originality. Yes, it’s difficult to call him handsome; local residents are even a little afraid of tarsiers, considering them ghosts.

Tarsiers are famous for their jumping ability - they jump very far compared to their own size - up to a distance of 1 meter.

The star-nosed mole (Condylura cristata) is found in marshy areas and wet grasslands of North America. It is unique in that on its face there are twenty-two skin growths (or tentacles) resembling a star. Star-nosed spends his entire life underground, where his eyes are completely useless, and his nose helps him find his way among the labyrinth of tunnels. The starnose feeds on worms, snails and insects, which it finds with its sensitive nose, using both its sense of smell and touch.

Platypus

The platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) lives in streams, ponds and rivers in Australia. These animals usually reach a length of 30–40 centimeters and weigh about 2 kilograms.

The unusual thing about the platypus is that it combines the features of mammals, birds, reptiles and even fish. Looking at it, you won’t immediately understand whether it’s a bird or some kind of animal... In fact, these creatures are mammals, although they lay eggs. The platypus is a bit like a beaver, but with a soft beak covered with elastic skin, which is not found in any other animal. Underwater, the platypus closes its eyes and uses its beak, with which it senses weak electrical impulses emanating from its prey. Using its beak, the platypus digs through the mud in search of small fish, frogs and insects. Scientists are still arguing about the origin of this species, but only one thing is clear - this is a unique creation of Mother Nature, which differs from all other species currently living on planet Earth.

Male platypuses have poisonous spurs on their hind legs. The animal's venom is unlikely to kill a person, but it causes severe pain at the injection site. But for small animals this poison is often fatal.

Sloth

This unusual cat-sized mammal lives in South and Central America. The sloth (Bradypodidae) became famous for its extraordinary slowness. He sleeps 15 hours a day, and he can do this while hanging on one leg, and his long claws help the animal hold on to a branch. The rest of the time, he slowly moves from branch to branch, absorbing the leaves of tropical trees.

During the rainy season, a sloth can hang motionless for weeks, and blue-green algae multiply in its fur, giving the animal's skin a greenish color.

Pygmy marmoset

The pygmy marmoset (Cebuella pygmaea) is the most amazing species of monkey living on planet Earth. The size of an adult animal is 11-15 cm plus a tail up to 22 cm long, weight does not exceed 150 grams. The little ones live in the forests of South America, settling on the edges of forests and along river banks. They spend almost all their time in trees, feeding mainly on tree sap, sometimes insects and fruits. They rarely descend to the ground.

fennec

This unusually cute creature is a tiny fennec fox. It lives in the deserts of North Africa. Fenech differs from its relatives in its miniature body size and disproportionate big ears. These huge ears, up to 15 cm in length, are not only a unique tool for catching the slightest rustle, but also for cooling the body, because the desert fox does not have sweat glands, and the extensive surface of the ears is a kind of thermoregulation tool. The animal's sensitive ears cannot tolerate sharp sounds.

The little fox is also famous for its jumping ability - the baby can easily jump 70 cm up and 120 cm forward. More information about fennec can be found in the article.

Okapi

The okapi (Ornithorhynchus anatinus), or forest giraffe, lives in the forests of the Congo. This animal is very rare, and the story of its discovery is one of the most notorious zoological sensations of the 20th century.

There is a sad donkey in front, a zebra in the back, and overall a forest giraffe. Okapi has such a long (up to 35 cm) tongue that it can clean its ears with it. The coloring is also very unusual: the body is reddish-brown, the legs are white with dark transverse stripes on the thighs; the tail ends in a tassel.

Zebu

Zebu (Bos taurus indicus) is a humpbacked bull native to Southeast Asia. This is the most ancient and mysterious representative of bovid ungulates. Scientists around the world are puzzling over its origin. The unusual animal has a high, prominent hump on its back and short, widely spaced horns.

The health of humpbacked bulls is excellent: they easily tolerate diseases that kill cattle of other breeds. Domesticated zebu are mainly used as draft and pack animals, and in some places in Southeast Asia, zebu racing is very popular. Of course, a humpbacked bull is not nearly as graceful as a thoroughbred horse, but it can compete with any racer.

The lemur is rightfully considered one of the most mysterious animals. Everyone can imagine a cute animal with big eyes, familiar from the cartoon “Madagascar,” but not everyone knows that there are 101 species of these animals, very different from each other in lifestyle, color, size, and food preferences. Until recently, virtually nothing was known about them: only 16 species were thought to exist. But recently, the life of these unique animals has been actively studied. Scientists have already made serious discoveries, described each species, and learned what different lemurs eat in nature. But there are still mysteries, and they will be revealed in the near future.

Lemur - description, origin of the name

There is an interesting version about the appearance of the name of this cute animal.

Once upon a time, ancient Roman sailors who visited the island of Madagascar heard piercing screams in the thickets at night, reminiscent of the screams of children. Going to help, as they believed, the kids who most likely wanted to eat beasts of prey, they saw rather large eyes burning in the darkness. Fantasy, spurred by fear, forced the Romans to run away, because, in their opinion, “lemurs” lived in the thickets. Translated from the ancient Roman language, this word meant “evil spirits”, “ghosts”.

The sailors did not even believe then that such a cute creature, similar to monkeys or even people, not at all scary and not dangerous, could frighten them so much. Thus, when talking about evil spirits eating children on the island of Madagascar, travelers mentioned lemurs. And the name stuck.

Where do lemurs live?

Lemurs are endemic animals because their habitat is limited to the island of Madagascar and the Comoros Islands, located between Africa and Madagascar. If previously animals occupied almost the entire island of Madagascar, now natural environment they can only be found in the west (from Fort Dauphin to Monradov) and in the Andringitra mountain range.

According to legend, lemurs sailed from Africa on rafts they themselves built. This, of course, could not have happened, but there is some truth in this story. Modern scientists argue that the animals could well have crossed to the island that separated from the continent on large branches and logs during the period of lowering sea levels, and perhaps crossed over the shallows formed during that period. Since they had practically no enemies on the island, the populations grew rapidly. The local nature also helped the lemurs: the forests were full of a variety of suitable food.

According to another version, it was precisely those populations that survived that remained on the part that separated from the mainland and is now Madagascar itself, since there were much fewer enemies and much more food.

Now the places where lemurs live are various forests: dry woodlands, wet jungles, mountain slopes. Most exist alone, preferring night look life. Some species form families.

Sometimes particularly brave representatives wander into city parks or visit landfills in search of food.

If you see lemurs in their natural environment, do not try to catch them: firstly, it is almost impossible; secondly, most species are protected because their populations are declining - you will be responsible for the caught animal.

Description of lemurs

For many, lemurs are cute animals with big eyes, soft, fluffy fur, lazily crawling from branch to branch and chewing leaves. There is a lot of both true and unfair in this image that has formed in the mind. Indeed, most animals have huge eyes, but not all species have large eyes. Not all have soft fur. And these animals are not always lazy and slow; some run quite quickly on the ground, are able to move along rocky mountain ledges, jump from branch to branch, covering considerable distances.

The diversity of species also entails differences in the appearance of the animal. We will talk about individual representatives of lemurs in the continuation of the article, but for now we will highlight the main characteristics of these unique animals.

The size of the animal depends on its species: the largest are indri - they grow up to a meter and can weigh about 10 kg, and the smallest are dwarf mouse lemurs, which do not grow more than 23 cm, of which 10 cm is the length of the tail, with a weight of about 50 gr. studies have shown that animals of this species that once existed and have become extinct by our time could weigh about 200 kg and have gigantic size(from a two-year-old calf).

The muzzle of most lemurs is elongated, reminiscent of a fox. The eyes are most often disproportionately large located in front, which makes it seem. that the animal is somewhat surprised. Eye color also depends on the species: most often orange-red, brown-yellow. The black lemur has blue eyes that are unique in the animal world.

The limbs of the animals have five fingers, well developed, since grasping functions are very important for climbing trees. All animals thumb The forelimbs are opposed to the rest, which makes it possible to cling tightly to branches. On the second finger lower limbs a huge claw flaunts (most have nails growing on the remaining fingers), with which they “comb” the thick fur. But the length of the limbs relative to the fore-hind proportion may differ depending on the species: in some, the forelimbs are much longer than the hind limbs. This is due to the arboreal lifestyle and the need to cling to branches and hang. The same species that live on land have either relatively the same size limbs or more developed hind limbs.

Many lemurs have luxurious tails, which, in turn, perform many functions: it helps balance while jumping or running, clings to branches and holds the animal, and is a signaling tool for other individuals, especially those living in flocks. The big-tailed lemur is very attentive to him: he always takes care of hygiene. Sometimes the length of the tail exceeds the size of the animal’s body. And only indri lemurs have relatively short tails, growing only up to 5 cm.

Watching these funny animals, you can note that they look at unfamiliar objects very carefully, but are in no hurry to touch them. In the natural environment, young, inexperienced individuals spend a long time studying new animals or plants. A domestic lemur will never touch a thing without examining it in detail and assessing its safety.

Lifestyle of lemurs in their natural environment

If previously it was believed that lemurs are exclusively nocturnal animals, then recent studies of the life of these animals prove that the diversity of species also differs in behavioral characteristics, daily activity, single or family (gregarious) way of life.

The Madagascar bat is also nocturnal: during the daytime, this rather large animal hides in the foliage of trees, but at night it wakes up to eat and communicate with its relatives, that’s when everyone hears terrifying screams. With the onset of darkness, many dwarf lemurs, hiding during the day in shelters in the trees, wake up. Slender-bodied lemurs are nocturnal and prefer to live in thickets.

But the ring-tailed lemur is more active during the day than at night. This is due to the fact that they live on earth. Red warries, which live exclusively in trees, also demonstrate a diurnal lifestyle. The short-tailed indris are rightfully considered the most “daytime”: these animals gladly expose their bodies to the sun, stretching out on the branches of trees, and fall asleep when darkness falls. Crested sifakas (vero), which live in trees in the humid areas of the island, are also active during the day.

The activity of macaco (black) lemurs depends on the season and on the phase of the moon: during the new moon and during dry times they lead a fairly passive lifestyle, and during the rainy season these animals become active from sunrise to dusk.

Lemurs are characterized by a state of seasonal hibernation: for some time they hide in shelters and spend time in a state of rest.

The social relationships of these animals are also varied. As a rule, lemurs live in packs led by females. Growing young animals rarely leave their family, but continue to live inside, occupying their position determined by status. These “family” ones include ring-tailed lemurs (cat-tailed lemurs), which live in packs with clearly structured intra-family hierarchical relationships and distribution of responsibilities. Red-headed moths also live in flocks of up to 20 individuals.

Small-toothed lemurs are solitary animals that a short time pair up to have offspring. Many species of small lemurs are solitary, preferring to live in small hollows in trees or burrows.

Indris usually live as a family: a female, a male and their offspring of different ages. If mature animals create their own family, they separate from their parents and go to their own territory. Indris communicate their rights to the territory not only with traditional marks, but also with loud morning singing. Golden bamboo lemurs also create the same ideal families. The composition is simple: parents and offspring, who, growing up, leave the family and create their own.

Recent studies have shown that Madagascar bats, who prefer to be solitary (they build nests in the forks of trees exclusively for themselves), prefer to hunt or play in pairs.

All lemurs are territorial animals that mark their habitat with urine or special enzymes and protect their area from uninvited guests. Arboreal animals mark their homes by scratching tree bark or biting branches.

What do lemurs eat and what do they eat in the wild?

In their natural environment, lemurs feed mainly on plant foods, although it cannot be said that all animals of this species eat the same.

Since most of these animals live in trees, their diet consists of what they could find around them. Typically this is ripe fruits(figs, bananas), leaves, young shoots, plant seeds, flowers. Large individuals can also feast on tree bark.

Plant food is not always enough to replenish strength, so lemurs compensate for this by long rests or slow movements.

Small individuals, for example, dwarf lemurs, happily feed on the nectar of flowers, their pollen, and plant resins. This animal also eats larvae and even small insects.

Some species have special preferences for plant foods. Madagascar bats are very fond of the milk of coconuts and mangoes, the ring-tailed lemur is very fond of the fruits of the Indian date (tamarind), and the golden and bamboo lemurs are partial to bamboo shoots.

But not all lemurs are herbivores. You should know that the lemur sometimes eats insects: various beetles, butterflies (especially those that fly at night), spiders, mantises, cockroaches. The gray mouse lemur will not refuse small vertebrates: chameleons and frogs. Observations of animals have shown that they even eat small birds and their eggs.

Indri lemurs sometimes eat the ground. This dietary feature is caused by the need to neutralize some toxic substances contained in plants.

Animals usually grab food with their teeth or take it with their front paws and bring it to their mouth. Watching animals while eating is very interesting, since many of them resemble people.

A lemur at home or in a zoo can switch to food that is not typical for it and quickly get used to the change in its natural diet, but it is still necessary to take into account the preferences of the animal in nature.

Puberty occurs differently in each species. The smaller the animal in size and weight, the sooner it becomes capable of producing offspring. Thus, large indris become sexually mature only at the age of five, and the dwarf mouse lemur can reproduce within a year. Despite the fact that some species can live more than 30 years, their reproductive age is short.

Usually the mating period of animals coincides with a certain season. This is connected with nutrition - food preferences affect the time of courtship.

During the mating season, animals call each other with loud cries, rub against their chosen ones, and try to mark them with their scent.

The relationship between a female and a male develops differently. In most species, pairs do not form. One male may well be the father of the cubs of many females and takes virtually no part in raising the younger generation. But in the Indriidae family, monogamous couples form: the animal finds a new partner only if its own dies.

Despite the fact that pregnancy in lemurs, depending on the species, lasts from two to seven and a half months, they produce offspring only once a year. And some species, for example, the Madagascar bat, even less often, once every 2-3 years.

Most often, one cub is born, less often two. This is due to the fact that they are born absolutely helpless. Some weigh no more than 5 grams. Even babies of large individuals are born weighing only 80-120 grams. The little lemur opens its eyes on the second to fifth day; until this time it practically does not hear. Only rare species They give birth to sighted children. But babies have well-developed grasping reflexes: as soon as they are born, they already cling to their mother’s fur on the belly, where they find milk and warmth. And only after a few weeks they are able to move onto the female’s back, where they will stay for about six months. Not every mother is able to bear two babies, which is why they give birth rarely and in small numbers.

After two to three months, the cubs sometimes begin to leave the female’s back in order to independently develop the territory. Caring parents return runaways, since careless kids can fall from trees and die.

But the appearance and first months of life of cubs in some species have their own characteristics. Thus, the gray mouse lemur breeds offspring in specially prepared hollows, where the babies spend up to two weeks and only then go out into the world.

The appearance of offspring in lemur lemurs occurs in a special way. First, they build a nest for future children. Secondly, these are the only lemurs that can give birth to 5-6 babies at once. And finally, for several weeks the lemurs remain in the nest under the supervision of the male, rather than clinging to the female.

Lory lemurs are very picky in choosing a partner. Recently, these animals are often kept as pets. If in the natural environment there is an opportunity to create a pair with that. whoever sympathizes with the animal, then the loris lemur at home, even if there is an individual of the opposite sex nearby, may not have offspring, since he simply will not like the partner.

The decline of many lemur populations is directly related to the characteristics of reproduction. In captivity, animals may not reproduce at all.

Types of lemurs

Since lemurs had practically no enemies in Madagascar, and the primates that displaced them from other habitats were not found here, the animals had the opportunity to evolve. The study of these animals began relatively recently: research has shown that there are more than 100 species of these unique animals, which are divided into 4 families:

Each of the existing families has its own subspecies.

Archaeological finds have shown that animals appeared in Madagascar 50 million years ago, and this moment there are 3 families that are already extinct:

• megadalapids;
• paleopropithecus;
• archaeolemurs.

These animals are a kind of calling card of Madagascar, although they live only in the southern part of the island. Official name– The ring-tailed lemur, or catta, belongs to the lemur family.

They live in families with strong hierarchical relationships: the head of the pack is the alpha female, who carefully monitors order and leads her relatives to feed. Males of this species do not stay in the pack for long; they usually come only during the mating period, and then leave in search of other packs. This behavior ensures healthy offspring without inbreeding.

The ring-tailed lemur has a very original coloring: the eyes seem to be thickly outlined with dark areas of fur, which makes the animal look serious and attentive. The brown-gray back and light belly resemble human clothing, so it is believed to be a human-like creature, especially when the catta stands on its hind legs.

A distinctive feature of representatives of this species is their bright long tail, colored with successive black and white stripes, of which there are most often 25, always ending in black. The length of the tail can exceed the size of the catta's body, up to 65 cm with a body up to 45; Moreover, the weight of this decoration can reach up to 1.5 kg with the total weight of the animal up to 3.5. When moving on the ground, all members of the flock raise their tail high so that the alpha female can see where everyone is.

The ring-tailed lemur moves equally easily on the ground and jumps through trees, which makes it difficult prey for the fossa.

Another feature of these animals is their very long reproductive age - they can bear offspring almost until the end of their lives, which helps maintain the population.

Gray mouse lemur

The dwarf lemur family includes 5 genera with 30 species, among which the gray mouse lemur is the most famous, since it is currently quite often purchased as a pet.

This cute lemur with very large kind eyes is rightfully considered the smallest, its weight does not exceed 65 grams. It lives only in the north and west of the island.

According to its way of life in its natural environment, the gray mouse lemur is a nocturnal animal. During the day he sleeps in a hollow tree, sometimes in the company of same-sex relatives, sometimes alone, and at night he goes out to hunt. The animal rarely descends to the ground, but travels well through the trees. Despite its very small size, it can jump over distances of up to three meters.

The food for this baby is flower nectar, flowers themselves, plant resin, insect larvae and even small insects. For its size, the animal is quite voracious.

By the age of one year, the dwarf mouse lemur becomes sexually mature. 2 months after mating, the female gives birth to two, and sometimes three, cubs, which spend up to two weeks in the hollow and only then begin to gradually come out. Babies are born very small, weighing no more than 5 grams, but covered in wool. In their natural environment, these animals reproduce until they are approximately 6 years old, although the domestic lemur can live for 20 years.

In nature, these animals have a lot of enemies (snakes, birds, fossas), so the mortality rate is quite high.

At home, the gray mouse lemur easily takes root, but future owners must take into account the animal’s nocturnal lifestyle. During the day he will sleep in his shelter, and at night he will be active.

The Madagascar bat is the only representative of the bat family, so for a long time there were debates regarding its classification as lemurs or rodents. But nevertheless, the researchers decided that in terms of its structure this animal is a lemur.

The animal weighs about 3 kg, the size of the fluffy tail is up to 60 cm, much larger than the body - up to 43 cm. The animal has a large head with huge, almost bald ears, an elongated nose and attentive eyes. The body is covered with black or with a slight brown tint of coarse hair.

A distinctive feature of the Madagascar monkey is its very long toes, with the help of which it perfectly clings to trees and obtains food for itself. Particularly useful middle finger with a deadly claw, with which the animal, like a woodpecker, taps a tree, finds and takes out the larvae. With the help of the same tool, the little arm breaks through coconuts and extracts its favorite delicacy - coconut milk. But when walking on the ground, her fingers get in the way, so she leans on her fists and goes down to the ground extremely rarely. The teeth of the arm, accustomed to gnawing bark, grow throughout its life.

The animal is exclusively nocturnal. During the day he sleeps in shelters. It is worth noting that the little hand builds several houses and hides in them one by one, probably so that predators cannot notice its shelter.

The lemur, called “ay-ay” by local residents, received its middle name because of its rare screams, which for some reason they were afraid to hear.

The Madagascar bat reproduces very slowly: females give birth once every 2-3 years, most often one baby is born, so the existence of this animal was under threat several decades ago.

IN last years little arms are taken into the house as pets. Breeders should take into account the behavioral characteristics of these animals and be prepared for the fact that they will be awakened at night by their frightening screams.

There is still debate about whether Loriids belong to lemurs. On the one hand, the animal, which is very similar in appearance to the Madagascar lemur, has a similar lifestyle and reproductive characteristics as other representatives. On the other hand, the habitat is not Madagascar at all, but the forests of Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, the Malaysian Peninsula, the islands of Java, Sumatra, Borneo, Central Africa and South Asia. The loris has virtually no tail, which distinguishes it from other lemurs.

And yet, most people consider lorises to be lemurs. In recent years, they are often kept as pets, touched by their charm. The loris lemur adapts quite quickly at home, but breeders must take into account the peculiarity of the animal’s existence in its natural environment.

Loris belong to the order of primates, the suborder of the wet-nosed animals. There are five families of these animals, among which the most famous are the slow and slender lorises. Their body length does not exceed 40 cm, and their weight is 2 kg. They have a light brown coat with a dark stripe along the back and an almost black edging around the expressive eyes.

These are slow-moving animals that are exclusively nocturnal. They have huge eyes that can see perfectly in the dark. During the day, the animals hide high in the crowns in built shelters. They are very well adapted to life in trees: they deftly move from branch to branch, clinging tightly with their paws. But lorises, like many of their cousins, cannot jump at all.

Most often they live alone, but communication with relatives is important for them, so the lemur loris at home, being the only one, can become very sad. They take a long time to choose a mate. They become sexually mature only after a year and a half, then they find a partner. Pregnancy lasts quite a long time for an animal of this size - about 7 months, after which one, rarely two babies are born. They are born sighted, their coat color is lighter, almost silver, than that of adults, but by 2 months they already acquire a permanent color. Up to a year, and sometimes longer, babies stay near their mother. If they want to communicate something, they emit a quiet chirping sound, reminiscent of a bird. The male never takes part in raising the offspring.

In nature, these animals live up to 17 years, and at home they can live longer.

Endangered Lemur Species

Scientists have calculated that about a hundred species of lemurs live on the island of Madagascar, differing from each other in size, color, lifestyle, and diet. But not everyone feels comfortable. Some species due to poaching and uncontrolled logging forests are on the verge of extinction. Let's imagine animals whose lives are in danger.

• White-fronted indri (diadem sifaka). The habitat is the very small forest area of ​​the eastern part of the island, which has a detrimental effect on the population.

• Mongoose lemur. One of the few species that lives off the island, but the reduction of possible habitats threatens its existence.

• Brown mouse lemur. Nocturnal, it is the smallest representative of the species, resembling a mouse, which is why it got its name.

• Aye-aye (Madagascar little hand). The largest representative. Active at night and before sunrise. In recent decades, it has suffered greatly from poachers.

• Brown lemur. Lives exclusively in Madagascar. Very friendly to other animals.

• Gapalemurs. A special feature of this species is its ability to swim. Unlike their other brethren, who prefer to spend most of their time in tree branches or on the ground, animals of this subspecies feel comfortable in the water.

• Golden-headed sifaka. They live in flocks with clearly structured hierarchical relationships; they often become victims of fossa, so their population is greatly reduced.

• Fork-fronted lemur. It got its name because of the two dark stripes on the frontal part of the head. Prefers arthropods and small reptiles as food. Has the unique ability to jump great distances.

• Silky Sifaka. It especially suffers from poachers who hunt it for its unique fur. The cute look makes him expensive goods in the black animal trade market.

• Blue-eyed black lemur. So named because of the eye color unique to animals. Only males are black, females only red-brown color. Animals are suffering due to the reduction of forest areas. They are aggressive towards other representatives and can even kill opponents.

In recent decades, these species have been protected international organizations. Criminal penalties have been introduced for actions leading to the death of lemurs.

Extinct lemur families

Despite the numerous species, lemurs already have their losses: three families are considered extinct today. Just recently, scientists made an incredible discovery: a flooded cave was found in national park, in which a whole cemetery of giant animals was discovered. How they ended up in this place remains to be seen, but the fact of the existence of lemurs in Madagascar from the Pleistocene to the present day is irrefutable.

• Megaladapis family. We can talk about the appearance of these animals solely from archaeological finds, since they became extinct quite a long time ago, about 10-12 thousand years ago. Although there are references to the existence of megaladapis as early as 1504, that is, the time of the appearance of Europeans in Madagascar, there is no factual evidence of this.

In its structure, the creature, similar to modern koalas, was quite squat, with powerful hind legs and very long front legs. The joint of the foot and well-developed toes indicate that megaladapis were not adapted to terrestrial life, but existed well in trees. For these features they received their second name - koala lemurs.

The location of the eyes was also unusual: on the sides, and not in front, like most modern relatives. The powerful jaws and structure of the teeth indicate that these lemurs ate exclusively plant foods. These were very large animals, weighing up to 75 kg.

• Family Paleopropithecus. The study of the life of these animals proves that representatives of the family were represented on the island by four genera (Mesopropithecus, Paleopropithecus, Archaeoindri, Babakotia). It is believed that animals ceased to exist in the last millennia before new era. But there are legends that representatives of this family were seen much later, even in the 16th century of our time.

All skeletal finds were found in swampy areas of the island, most often in caves, which suggests that Paleopropithecus led a terrestrial lifestyle, preferring wet areas.

Reconstruction of the animal's skeleton shows that the weight of Archaeoindri could reach up to 200 kg. Such a gigantic creature was definitely terrestrial. But representatives of the other three other genera were much smaller, 10-25 kg, and could live perfectly well on trees.

• Family Archaeolemuridae. Archaeological research shows that members of this family lived in Madagascar until approximately the 12th century. The presumable cause of death is the development of the island and hunting for them.

Reconstruction of the skeleton showed that these were quite large animals: their mass reached 25 kg. They had short limbs relative to the body; grasping capabilities were less developed compared to other related animals, which suggests that archaeolemurs primarily lived on the ground. The structure of the jaw shows that they had to carefully grind their food, which most likely included seeds, flowers, leaves, fruits, arthropods and possibly small animals.

The found bones confirm the version that the habitat of archaeolemurs was almost the entire island.

If you have a lemur at home

Recently, lemurs are often taken into the home as pets. People are attracted to the small, cute animal with expressive eyes and soft fur. Usually this is a mouse lemur or a loris lemur. At home, these animals take root safely, but it must be taken into account that the living conditions should be as close to natural as possible.

Most lemurs are nocturnal - this is their nature; it is after sunset that they leave their shelter to eat, play and clean up; Therefore, be prepared for the fact that the loris lemur at home will hide in its house all day, and you most likely will not be able to play with your cute pet, but at night the baby will make noise.

• a shelter house attached at the top, in which the animal can hide during the day;
• all kinds of branches, climbing devices: otherwise the animal will not be able to move sufficiently (the loris lemur at home prefers to hang on branches; dwarf lemurs prefer to jump);
• drinking bowl with clean water;
• special filler for rodents.

If you have larger animals, then the enclosure should be of appropriate size.

Try to make your pet's home as close as possible in appearance to natural environment. You should not put soft toys, running wheels, or bright accessories in the enclosure - they will scare the animal.

Many owners of furry pets worry about how to organize proper nutrition. First of all, you should find out what this animal eats in its natural environment. The diversity of species also implies differences in nutrition, as well as the ratio of plant and animal foods. In nature, animals eat fruits and flowers, love nectar, pollen and plant resins; they will happily swallow larvae, small insects, and feast on bird eggs. Pets need to have enough food to stay healthy and active. Most lemurs should eat the following foods:

• variety of fruits, especially those they ate in the wild;
• vegetables (raw and lightly cooked);
• cereal porridge;
• dairy products;
• freshly squeezed juices, possibly with the addition of honey;
• boiled chicken eggs or raw eggs birds (can be quail);
• insects and larvae (you can store them in the refrigerator and defrost them before use, but it is better to offer them alive).

Most lemurs go out looking for food after dark, so it's best to feed them in the evening so as not to disturb them natural image life.

The lemur's thick fur also requires care. In nature, animals comb it with their large finger claw. It should be noted that these clean animals devote quite a lot of time to their appearance. At home, the loris lemur will also carefully sort through its fur every evening or at night, smoothing it with its paws, but pets especially love it when they are combed, with pleasure exposing their belly and back, while demonstrating obvious bliss. Owners can get a small brush with small soft bristles for their pets and periodically pamper their furry baby with pleasant treatments. But you shouldn’t comb pygmy lemurs: they are so small that any comb, even the smallest one, can damage their skin.

In the natural environment, only one species of lemur likes to swim and even knows how to swim. The rest of the animals never come near the water. Therefore, you should not bathe the lemur: baths, especially with shampoos, can disrupt the natural microflora and lead to disease.

The animals are very curious, and if you consider that their activity time is at night, then they will begin to explore your apartment exactly when you are sleeping. Tenacious fingers will help them open the lock on the enclosure, so make sure that the cage is closed not with a primitive latch or hook, but more reliably, otherwise the animals may hang on the wires, or even taste them, and this can lead to the death of the animal.

Despite the fact that many lemurs are very selective and prefer a solitary lifestyle, keeping them better in pairs. Thus, the slender loris lemur at home suffers greatly from loneliness and may even die. It is not at all necessary that a couple will produce offspring (they rarely breed in captivity), but communication with relatives is of great importance for the animals.

When bringing a lemur into your home, remember that the animal should feel comfortable and not be your living toy.

Legends about lemurs

In Madagascar, the lemur is considered a sacred animal, because there is a legend that they were once people who went into the forest and, adapting to a different way of life, grew hair, learned to live in trees and eat fruits. The inhabitants of the island revere these animals: when they meet them, they greet them respectfully. If a lemur falls into a hunting trap, it is released, but the wounded animal will be taken home, treated, and then released into the forest.

There is a legend about the appearance of these animals in Madagascar, which says that lemurs used to live in Africa, but they did not feel safe there, so they built a raft and swam to the island. It is difficult to imagine that animals themselves can build at least some kind of vessel and cross the water to another place, but this is exactly how the legend explains their appearance.

In Madagascar, they are very wary of the Madagascan bat; they try not to mention its name again. There is a superstition that a person who kills this animal will certainly die within a year. It is believed that if an animal screams near the house, then something bad will definitely happen. Local residents are afraid of falling asleep in the forest, because when they wake up, they should find a grass pillow placed under a hand. If there is a pillow under your head, expect wealth, under your feet - a terrible curse.

Lemurs do not have hair on their palms, and the paws of most of them are very similar to human hands. The skin on the palms of animals is very sensitive, so they examine unfamiliar objects not only with their eyes, but also with their hands.

Some females carry their babies not on their backs, as usual, but in their mouths, so in order to eat, they first lay out the babies and then eat. If this is not possible, the female may remain hungry.

During dry periods ring-tailed lemurs get moisture from cacti by carefully peeling off the spines.

All lemurs have a rather shrill voice, sometimes frightening because it resembles a human, or rather a child’s, cry. But the indri are rightfully considered the most vocal. This is due to the fact that animals practically do not have a tail, which for many is a signal for determining location, so a cry becomes a signal. A lemur with a very shrill voice is able to inform its relatives about danger or its location at almost a distance of one kilometer.

The tail of lemurs serves as a kind of storage room for them. This is where they store fat reserves and nutrients in case of famine or hibernation.

Lemurs are cute, harmless animals. In recent decades, a lot of research has been carried out that will shed light on the features of their life, so mysterious to us. Unfortunately, human activities are increasingly harming their natural environment, so taking care of the conservation of these unique animals is our direct responsibility.

According to the New York Times, which has been conducting various surveys and studies since 2006, looking at something cute stimulates the same pleasure centers in the brain as having sex. good food or cocaine.

So why spend money on illegal drugs when you can just open our article and enjoy the sight of the twenty cutest animals in the world? Please note that we did not include kittens playing in a box, puppies, or anything else indoors in this list. There are only wild animals here. But we will tell you in which hot jungles, arid deserts or deep oceans you can see them.

20. Sloth

Lethargic and serene, the sloth lives in the tropical forests of South America. But the sloth is not lazy. It's just very, very slow. So slow that this calm slowness makes him really cute.

Like its larger cousin, the pygmy hippopotamus has squat legs, a wide snout, and extremely advanced swimming skills. But unlike its cousin, the pygmy hippopotamus is not one of the most dangerous animals in Africa.

Without the threat of being grabbed by a huge mouth full of teeth, it is easy to recognize that a hippopotamus - when it dwarf size– can be quite cute.

The pygmy hippopotamus is an endangered species. Therefore, it is much easier to find in zoos than in the wild.

The incredibly big-eyed loris is native to the tropical jungles of Southeast Asia and is distinguished by its plush-looking but strong legs. Lori can hang on a tree for several hours, holding on with only one limb. And he does this often.

However, despite its incredibly cute appearance, this animal is poisonous. The poison comes from glands in the elbow and is injected through the teeth. However, it is not powerful enough to save lorises from the illegal pet trade. Therefore, the animal is listed in the Red Book.

The chameleon is one of the most attractive reptiles. Perhaps due to its bulging eyes, sad twisted mouth, prehensile tail or very long tongue.

He also has the remarkable ability to change color depending on mood swings and the ability to move like a sailor during seas. Not the most efficient form of transportation, but certainly eye-catching.

About half of the world's chameleons can be found in Madagascar.

Meerkats come from the mongoose family and live in the Kalahari, Namib deserts, South Africa and parts of Angola.

Meerkats are cute not with their faces, which, although far from ugliness, are almost no different from the usual faces of mongooses. The beauty of meerkats is the way they stand, like a human - upright and modestly folding their paws on their stomachs.

Koalas are not as cute as they look. Experts say that the mood of these animals constantly fluctuates from moderately angry to completely angry.

The enduring popularity of koalas shows that in modern times good looks can blind and make you forget about personality shortcomings.

Most koalas live in Australia. Tourists can get to know them closely—we hope they are the friendliest—at Lone Pine Koala Park.

Happy Feet, Madagascar, Mr. Popper's Penguins—these squat waterfowl have figured prominently in pop culture.

There are 17 species of sea penguins. Most of them are colored in variations of black and white, none can fly, and all are excellent swimmers. Surprisingly, penguins are also excellent runners.

Six species of these birds live in Antarctica, so the most enjoyable way to admire them is on a cruise. And the team of naturalists on board will help determine which specific penguins you are seeing - adélie, king or emperor.

Red pandas have very little in common with their cousins, the monochrome giant pandas.

With thick ringed tails like a raccoon, pointed ears, reddish-brown coloring and short legs, these arboreal animals were very difficult to classify.

There are very few of these cute animals left in nature. In addition, they are very shy, so meeting them is a great success. Your best bet would be to visit one of the panda research centers in China.

About four meters long, the white, baby-faced beluga whale, native to the cold seas of the Arctic, is about one-fifth the size of a blue whale.

With its relatively small size, unique face and bump on its forehead, the beluga whale is undoubtedly charming.

In captivity, beluga whales can chirp on command and blow bubbles. Those who would like to see these animals in the wild can contact the Canadian company Sea North Tours, which organizes tours to the beluga whale habitat.

Of course, a real-life clownfish can't talk or bulge its eyes comically, as Pixar showed. But she can do a bunch of other cool things! For example, changing gender.

You can find clownfish next to their underwater friends, sea anemones. The sea anemone's venom does not affect the bright orange fish and protects it from predators. And the clown pays for the protection by eating the remains of the anemone and maintaining cleanliness.

In the Philippines there is a marine reserve with a real city of clownfish, where you will meet hundreds of species of these fish.

Native South American rodents are a shining example of how dangerous it is to be nice. For the sake of the plush skins of these animals, they were mercilessly hunted until their almost complete extinction in the 19th century.

Their skins are so soft because there are 50 hairs per follicle in chinchillas. In humans, for example, one follicle serves only one hair.

It is difficult to see chinchillas in the wild. They are few in number and live in the mountains. A relatively large population of these animals has survived in national reserve Las Chinchillas in Chile.

Roe deer are chestnut colored, about the size of a goat, and are native to England.

According to the British, it is not difficult to meet roe deer while walking through the forest: “If you walk very calmly through a more or less dense forest no later than an hour after the start of sunrise, you will probably meet them.”

Wildwood Park in Kent is home to several species of deer. Including roe deer.

In captivity, bottlenose dolphins are praised for their intelligence and medicinal properties– swimming with dolphins is good for mental health. In the wild, dolphins can become aggressive and form gangs.

However, this doesn't matter to most people - dolphins are so adorable.

You can meet bottlenose dolphins in warm oceans Worldwide.

Alpaca is prized for its magnificent curly wool, which is used to make sweaters. Alpacas are also very sweet, although they can be quite short-tempered.

You can interact with alpacas at any of the many farms in Peru. And Machu Picchu is a great place to watch wild alpacas.

The hummingbird is the tiniest bird in the world. And it is also the fastest - it flaps its wings 80 times per second.

Slightly in size more bees, hummingbirds even act similarly. They help plants reproduce by carrying pollen, flitting from branch to branch, and drinking nectar. You can admire hummingbirds on one of the many tours around Cuba.

Sea otters as smart as they are cute. They use rocks as tools to crack open clams and mussels, and sleep face up on the surface of the water, wrapped in kelp. Sea otters are social and swim together in groups of up to 100 individuals.

From Port Alice, British Columbia, travelers embark on day tours to experience wildlife. Including sea otters.

It is no coincidence that many animals on this list are in danger of extinction. After all, quite often part of what makes them cute is their soft, beautiful skin.
Harp seal pups are covered in fluffy, snow-white fur, making them traditional targets for the fur industry. Despite the fact that the import of their fur has been banned in Europe since 1983, and seal hunting in Canada was banned in 1987, hundreds of thousands of these animals still die at the hands of poachers every year.

You can admire harp seal pups during an excursion off the coast of Quebec.

Black and white coloring, a thick butt and an incredibly thoughtful look when eating bamboo are the qualities that make the panda so charming.

Although the panda has the digestive system of a carnivore, it eats like a herbivore, consuming up to 38 kilograms of bamboo a day. This makes the panda extremely dependent on its environment.

According to the World Fund wildlife, only 1,600 of these cute bears remain in the wild. You can see them during the 12-day expedition Terra Incognita Ecotours.

The smallest primate in the world, the Philippine tarsier has all the basic qualities of a cute creature: huge eyes, a tiny body no larger than a human fist, and small paws with which it grabs tree branches.

Tarsiers are extremely unhappy in captivity. According to experts, these animals need at least one hectare of space, and captive tarsiers can even commit suicide.

Therefore, you can see tarsiers only in the reserve in the Corella Forest in the Philippines.

Fennec, nocturnal animal desert, immortalized in Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's The Little Prince as a fox who wanted to be tamed.

The smallest of foxes—smaller than a house cat—with large ears and a tiny, pointed muzzle, the fennec fox looks adorable and seductive. It is not surprising that it is the commercial trapping of fox cubs that poses the greatest threat to these animals, which everyone wants to take home.

For those who prefer to observe this cuddly creature in the wild, there is the Sahara and other dry, sandy areas of North Africa from Morocco to Egypt.

Which animals do you think are the cutest?

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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 egg pods, sea ​​cucumbers(Holothuroidea), a class of invertebrate animals such as echinoderms. Species eaten as food are common name"trepang".

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 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 tier of the plains 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 Amazon dolphin has a full body, with a thin tail and narrow muzzle. A round forehead, a slightly curved beak and small eyes are the characteristics of this species of dolphin. Occurs Amazonian dolphin in rivers and lakes 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 spot 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 animal is black in color 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, he was called the devil. Emitting ominous screams at night, massive and clumsy Tasmanian devil outwardly it resembles a small bear: the front legs are slightly longer than the hind legs, the head is large, the muzzle is blunt.

LORI. Feature Loris have large eyes that may 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 around Central Africa, journalist and African explorer Henry Morton Stanley (1841-1904) repeatedly encountered local aborigines. Having once met an expedition equipped with horses, the natives of the Congo told to the famous traveler that in their jungle there are 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 dwarf giraffe since 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 carnivorous 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 MOTHERWAY 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. The habitat of which is West Side Pacific and tropical islands 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.

The name of this fish in Latin sounds too boring, so it’s easier to call it FISH WITH A TRANSPARENT HEAD. She has a transparent head through which she can see with her tubular eyes. The head, through which the fish watches for prey, helps protect the eyes. First opened in 1939. It lives at a much greater depth, so it has not been fully studied. In particular, the principle of fish vision was not entirely clear. She was supposed to have great difficulty due to the fact that she could only look up. Only in 2009 was the structure of the eye of this fish fully studied. Apparently, when trying to study it earlier, the fish simply could not tolerate the change in pressure.

ECHIDNA. Well, that's all.

LESS RED PANDA. Today, the red panda in its natural habitat can only be found in the mountain bamboo forests of the Chinese provinces of Yunnan and Sichuan, in northern Burma, Bhutan, Nepal and northeast India.

SIFACA. Monkey of the Indriidae family. Relatively new kind primates, opened only in 2004. Silky sifakas live in the eastern part of the island of Madagascar. The area is approximately 2.2 thousand square meters. km. The distribution area is limited in the north of the island to the Marojejy Massif region, and in the south it reaches Anjanahari. Adult individuals have a body length with a head from 45 to 55 cm, a tail 45-51 cm long. Weight is 5-6.5 kg.

SLOTH. A very interesting species of mammals with a number of distinctive features that make it unlike any other existing look. It lives mainly in Central and South America.

PLATYPUS. In principle, everyone knows it. But this photo deserves attention...

ANT-EATER. It won't surprise anyone either. But the shot is great...

TARSIER. A small mammal from the order of primates, the very specific appearance of which created a somewhat ominous aura around this small animal weighing up to one hundred and sixty grams. Thus, the indigenous population of Indonesia and the Philippine Islands associated the absurd appearance of the tarsier with the tricks of evil spirits. However, many of our contemporaries, who see the tarsier for the first time in its native habitat, remain amazed by its non-standard appearance.

MARGAY. From these "relatives" wild cats distinguished by body size and proportions, as well as lifestyle. For example, the margay is very similar to its closest relative, the ocelot, which, moreover, is quite often found in the same place where the margay lives. It is not difficult to distinguish these cats - the ocelot is noticeably larger, since it prefers to hunt on the ground, and the margay has longer legs and tail, due to life mainly in trees.

MUD JOPPER. Found in intertidal areas and in areas such as tropical swamps formed by mangrove trees. Mudskippers especially like to settle in places where fresh water meets the sea. And although from a scientific point of view they are fish, many perceive them as amphibians. Well, in a way it is.

HERBIVORE DRACULA. Bats (“Sphaeronycteris toxophyllum” lat.) This species lives in the north of South America (Amazon River basin and mountains). These bats, oddly enough, are herbivores.

BELT-TAIL. The habitat of belted tails extends to the rocky regions of Africa, which have an arid climate, mainly on the southern side of the Sahara Desert. In addition, belted tails live in certain numbers on the island of Madagascar. There are more than forty species of belttails in the world. The sizes of belt-tails vary quite widely and range from 12 to 70 centimeters in length. The entire body of the belt-tail is covered with rectangular plates - scales, which cover the bony base of the reptile.

In my opinion, a modest fellow.

PURPLE FROG. Some animals have managed to adapt to these, at first glance, very difficult conditions and have even learned to benefit from the changing seasons. So the indigenous Indian purple frog (Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis), which as a species was discovered quite recently - in 2003, uses the monsoon time to its advantage - to continue its kind.

ISOPOD. Giant isopod woodlice, approximately 30 cm long, live at sea depths of about 1.6 km.

SUN BEAR. The Malayan biruang bear, or, as it is also called due to its characteristic color, the sun or honey bear, lives in India, Myanmar, as well as on the islands of Borneo, Java and Sumatra. It is of quite great interest to both zoologists and wildlife lovers, since this species is one of the smallest, most aggressive and smallest representatives of the entire bear family. By the way, it was precisely the threatening small number of this genus that became the reason for the inclusion of biruangs in the Red Book.
An adult sun bear has a very difficult character. However, quite a lot of interest in his person is caused not at all by his habitat, and not by his character, but by his stunning appearance, which immediately catches the eye from any photograph.

TIBETAN FOX. Found in Tibet, northwest India and northern Nepal at high altitudes.

JELLYFISH. Just giant jellyfish.

GOLDEN TIGER. This is what tigers with a similar color are called. The reason for the unusual color is that one of the genes did not work. Count like an albino...

AY-AY. ARM POD. The Madagascar monkey or aye-aye, a mammal of the suborder of prosimians; the only representative of the family of arms. Body length 40 cm, tail 60 cm. The head is large, the muzzle is short; The ears are large and leathery. The tail is fluffy. The coat color ranges from dark brown to black.

GUYDAK. Large gastropod weighing up to one and a half kilograms. Found off the west coast of the USA. From under the thin fragile shell of the guidac (about 20 cm in length) protrudes a “leg” that is three times larger than the shell. English name This mollusk (geoduck, gweduck) appeared at the end of the 19th century, is derived from the name of these mollusks in the language of the Nisqual Indians (which is why it is pronounced “guiduck”) and means “deep-digging” - these mollusks really bury themselves quite deeply in the sand.

MARSPAL WOLF. It is an extinct marsupial mammal and the only representative of the thylacine family. This animal is also known as the “marsupial tiger” and “Tasmanian wolf”. At the beginning of the Holocene and the end of the Pleistocene, the marsupial wolf was found on the Australian mainland and the island of New Guinea. About 3,000 years ago, Aboriginal settlers brought the wild dog dingo to the island, as a result of which the marsupial wolf disappeared from the area. In the XVIII-XIX centuries. Tasmania was considered the main habitat of the marsupial wolf, but in the thirties of the 19th century, mass extermination of the animal began, which was mistakenly considered a destroyer of domestic sheep. In addition, the thylacine was credited with hunting poultry and exterminating game caught in traps. Most of these legends turned out to be untrue.

STARBEARER. Insectivorous mammal mole family. Externally, the starfish 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, mobile bare rays. In size, spade-shaped forelimbs, thick velvety fur (black or dark brown) it is similar to the European mole.

Ecology

According to scientists, eyes evolved about 540 million years ago as a common organ for detecting light. Today, vision is extremely important for many animals, including humans, and it has become very complex and diverse.

Take a look at some of the strangest and most incredible eyes in the animal kingdom.

12. Mountain goat

We all know that pupils are round, because round pupils are what we see most often (in humans), but this cannot be attributed to goats (and most other animals with hooves), which have horizontal slits that take on a rectangular shape when expanded. form. This gives goats the ability to see 320-340 degrees around them, meaning they can see almost everything around them without having to turn their head (for comparison, a person can see 160-210 degrees).

Consequently, animals with rectangular eyes can see better at night due to the presence of large pupils, which are very narrow during the day as they close to limit the access of light. Interestingly, octopuses also have rectangular pupils.

11. Trilobites

Trilobites were one of the most successful animal groups of all time, thriving for nearly 300 million years, long before dinosaurs inhabited the Earth. Although some species were eyeless, most had compound eyes similar to those of insects.

A strange fact about trilobite eyes is that the shell of their eyes was made of inorganic crystals of calcite (a mineral that is the main component of limestone and chalk). In its pure form, calcite is transparent, which is quite suitable as a material for the eye lens.

These crystal eyes are unique feature trilobites, because the eyes of modern invertebrates consist of organic matter chitin. Due to their unusual composition, trilobites' eyes were very rigid and could not focus on anything; instead, trilobites adjusted focus using an internal eye mechanism that not only resolved any potential problems, associated with the mineral lens, but also gave trilobites such good vision that they could keep both distant and near objects in focus at the same time.

If this did not seem strange enough to you, then it is worth noting that some trilobites had eyes located at the end of elongated eyelids, while others had eyes that were an overhanging “bandage” that protected them from bright light. sunlight. Because the surface of their eyes was made of calcite, the fossils are very well preserved, so more is known about the vision of trilobites than about any other historical creature in general.

10. Tarsiers

The tarsier is a small (squirrel-sized) nocturnal primate native to the tropical forests of Southeast Asia. It is the only exclusively carnivorous primate in the world, feeding on lizards and insects. There are even cases where they catch birds during their flight. Their most remarkable feature is undoubtedly their huge eyes, which are the largest of all mammals in relation to body size.

If human eyes were the same proportions as tarsier eyes, they would be the size of grapefruits. These huge eyes sit deep in the skull and cannot rotate in their sockets. To compensate for this, tarsiers have very flexible necks and can rotate their heads 180 degrees, much like an owl, in search of potential prey.

Each eye weighs more than the entire brain, and this animal's vision is very sharp. Moreover, tarsiers have excellent night vision, suggesting that they are able to see even ultraviolet light. On the other hand, they appear to have very poorly developed color vision, as is the case with many nocturnal animals (including domestic cats and owls).

9. Unique animal chameleon

The chameleon is known for its ability to change color. This helps it communicate and demonstrate its intentions and moods to other chameleons (only a few species use color changes for camouflage). These lizards also have very unusual eyes, their eyelids merge and cover almost the entire eyeball, except for a small hole through which the pupil can see.

Each eye can move independently of the other, so the chameleon can simultaneously scan for prey and potential threats. This also suggests that the chameleon has a 360-degree field of view.

When a chameleon sees a potential prey (usually insects, although the largest species feed on mice and other small vertebrates), both eyes are aimed at it, thus achieving the effect of stereoscopic vision, which is very important in this context, considering that The chameleon captures prey by "firing" its tongue at high speed, a technique that requires precision in distance and depth perception. Chameleons have very keen eyesight, being able to see an insect from several meters away, and like tarsiers, they can see ultraviolet rays.

8. Amazing insect dragonfly

The dragonfly, which is arguably the most fearsome aerial hunter among insects, also has some of the most amazing eyes in the animal kingdom. They are so large that they cover almost the entire head, giving it the appearance of a helmet, and giving a 360-degree view.

These eyes are made up of 30,000 visual elements called ommatidia, each of which contains a lens and a number of light-sensitive cells. Their vision is excellent, they can distinguish a wide range of colors and polarized light, they are especially sensitive to movement, so they can quickly recognize any potential prey or enemy.

Some species of dragonflies that "hunt" at dusk have perfect vision in low light conditions, while we humans are barely able to see anything. Moreover, the dragonfly has three small eyes that can detect movement even faster than the big ones. These eyes quickly send visual information to the central nervous system dragonfly, allowing it to react in a split second.

Perhaps it is thanks to this feature that the origin of the unique acrobatic skills of insects can be explained. Although dragonflies are not the only insects with extra small eyes (some wasps and flies also have them), dragonflies have the most developed eyes.

7. Leaf-tailed gecko

The Satanic gecko (its second name) has rather surreal-looking eyes, their pupils are vertical and have a series of holes that widen at night, allowing these lizards to take in as much light as possible. The eyes also have many more light-sensitive cells than the human eye, giving animals the ability to detect objects and even see colors at night.

To give you an idea of ​​just how amazing the gecko's night vision really is, it's simply worth noting that while cats and sharks can see six and ten times better than humans, leaf-tailed geckos and other nocturnal gecko species can see up to 350 times better than we can. dim light.

These animals also have strange, intricate patterns on their eyes that provide them with camouflage. These lizards have eyelids and their eyes are protected by a transparent membrane, which geckos clean with their tongue.

6. Colossal squid

Not to be confused with the better known but smaller giant squid. The colossal squid is the largest invertebrate known to science, and it also has some of the largest eyes in the animal kingdom. Each squid eye reaches a diameter of up to 30 cm, it can be larger than a plate, and the lens of its eye is the size of an orange. These huge eyes allow the squid to see in dim light, which is very useful for an animal that spends most of its life hunting at depths of more than 2,000 meters.

It should be noted that so far only juvenile colossal squid have been caught, but an adult can grow up to 15 meters in length. These giants have even bigger eyes. Unlike the giant squid, the colossal squid has stereoscopic vision, and has an excellent ability to accurately judge distances. Even more amazing feature is that each eye has a built-in “headlight,” an organ that can produce as much light as the squid needs to see its prey in the dark.

4. Four-eyed fish

Found in Mexico, Central America and South America, this fish, measuring up to 32 cm, usually lives in fresh or salt water (although it has been spotted on sea coasts on several occasions). It feeds mainly on insects, so it spends most of its time swimming near the surface.

Despite its name, the four-eyed fish actually has two eyes, each separated by a piece of flesh, with all four "parts" possessing their own pupils. This strange “device” allows the four-eyed fish to see perfectly both above and below the waterline, scanning for prey and predators.

The upper half of the eyeball is adapted for seeing in the air, while the lower half is designed for underwater vision. Although both halves of the eye use the same lens, the thickness of the shell is different in the upper and lower parts, therefore the behavior of the fish in the air and in the water is different.

This means that when the fish's four eyes are completely submerged in water, the upper halves of the eyes are out of focus. Fortunately, the fish spends most of its life at the surface of the water, and dives very rarely only for the purpose of protecting the upper halves of the eyes from dehydration.

4. Stem-eyed fly

These small but fascinating creatures are most often found in the jungles of Southeast Asia and Africa, however there are some species that are found in Europe and North America. They get their name from the long, stem-like structures located on the sides of the head, at the ends of which are the eyes.

Male flies, as a rule, have longer and larger stalks than female flies. In turn, females prefer males with the longest eyestalks. Males often stand facing each other during the mating season and compare their stems; the winner is the one with the longest stem.

Moreover, the male stalk-eyed fly has extraordinary abilities that help him increase the size of his eyes and stalks: they swallow air through the mouth and “push” it through the ducts into the eyestalks. They mostly do this during mating season.

3. Dolichopteryx longipes

This is a deep-sea fish that has one of the strangest eye structures known to science. Each eye has a side swelling called a diverticulum, which is separated from the main eye by a septum. While the main part of the eye has a membrane and functions that are similar to those of the eyes of other animals, the diverticulum has a curved composite "mirror" consisting of several layers of crystals.

This "mirror" collects much more light than a normal eye. The diverticulum reflects light and focuses it on the retina, allowing the fish to see both above and below at the same time.

This fish is the only known vertebrate that uses the mirror structure of the eye to simply see, much like a normal lens. It can be found in different parts of the world, but it is extremely rare to see it, because the fish spends most of its life at a depth of 1000-2000 meters. They feed on small crustaceans and plankton, and their body length is about 18 cm.

2. Spiders are ogres

These spiders are widely known for having big amount eyes (although their number varies greatly among various types, from 2 to 8). The Spider-Face Ogre has six eyes, but it looks like he only has two because the middle pair is significantly larger than all the others.

All this is created for the convenience of a nightlife lifestyle. With a slightly scary-looking face, spiders have excellent night vision not only thanks to their eyes, but also due to the presence of a layer of extremely sensitive cells covering them.

This membrane is so sensitive that at dawn it destroys itself, and at night a new one appears. This spider's face is unusual because it can see perfectly at night, but it lacks the reflective membrane that helps other spiders (and other predators) see in low light conditions. In fact, scientists believe that this spider actually has night vision that is better than a cat, a shark, and even an owl (which can see up to 100 times better at night than a human).

1. Crayfish are mantises

And finally, we come to the animal that has the strangest and most amazing eyes in the world. Crayfish - mantises - are not shrimp, but arthropods belonging to another species of crustaceans from the order Stomatopods. They are known for their aggressiveness and formidable weapons (they have very powerful and sharp claws that can easily cut a human finger or even break an aquarium glass with one blow). Mantis crayfish are voracious predators that live mainly in tropical waters.

Their eyes are very complex in structure, but similar to the eyes of a dragonfly. They also have ommatidia (about 10,000 per eye), however, in mantis crayfishes each certain part ommatidia has a specific function. For example, some of them are used to detect light, others to detect color, etc. Mantis crayfish have much better developed color vision than humans; their eyes have 12 types of color receptors, while humans have only 3.

Moreover, they have ultraviolet, infrared and polarized vision, making their vision the most complex of all animals. The eyes are located at the end of a special stalk and can move independently of each other, rotating 70 degrees. Interestingly, visual information is processed by the eyes themselves, and not by the brain.

Even stranger is the fact that each eye of the mantis crayfish is divided into three parts, allowing the arthropod to see objects from three different perspectives of the same eye. In other words, each eye has "trinocular vision" and full depth perception, meaning that if a cancer loses an eye, the remaining eye will still be able to judge depth and distance as clearly as a person can with their two eyes.

Scientists are just beginning to understand the secrets of vision, similar to that of the crab - the mantis, so at the moment we can only imagine how this creature sees the world.