Famous animals. Interesting facts about famous animals

The history of mankind is written not only by brilliant scientists, politicians and military leaders. “Our little brothers” sometimes take an equally active part in it, and who knows how it would have ended if, for example, Alexander the Great had not had Bucephalus, and Richard Nixon had not had Checkers the dog.

1. Lin Wang

“Grandfather Lin,” as he is also called, is perhaps the most famous elephant in human history. During the Sino-Japanese War, which then became part of the Second World War, Lin Wang “fought” for some time on the side of the Japanese invaders who invaded Burma: the elephant transported cargo and carried artillery pieces. In 1943, he, along with 12 other elephants, was captured by the Chinese Expeditionary Force and continued to serve there as a draft and “cargo” animal. There he was awarded the name A-Mei (translated from Chinese as “Beautiful”).

After the end of the war, Wang and his corps arrived in China, where he remained for the rest of his life. In 1952, the “veteran” was retired, and he became one of the main attractions of the Taipei Zoo. The zoo director felt that A-Mei's name was too feminine and renamed him Lin Wang. Elephant on for many years became a real favorite of the townspeople and their children, and after his death in 2003, he was even awarded the title of honorary citizen of the city.

By the way, according to the Guinness Book of Records, Lin Wang, who died at the age of 86, was the oldest elephant to ever live.

2. Bucephalus

Without his faithful horse Bucephalus, Alexander the Great probably would not have received the honorary nickname “The Great”: the famous horse played an important role in his life. The life of Bucephalus is shrouded in legends and speculation, but historians agree that this horse really existed.

According to legend, the first meeting of Alexander and the “Bullhead” (lat. Bucephalius) occurred when the future famous commander was 10 years old. His father, King Philip, was offered to purchase Bucephalus for 13 talents (about 340 kg of silver - fabulous money at that time). But since no one was able to pacify the wild temper of the animal, the king was thinking of abandoning the deal.

Alexander intervened and declared that if he failed to bridle the horse, he would pay for it himself. The little sly one noticed that Bucephalus was afraid of his own shadow and, bucking, threw off all the riders. Jumping into the saddle, Alexander forced the horse to turn its head towards the sun so that he could not see the shadows - only then was the animal finally able to calm down.

There are different assumptions regarding the death of the legendary horse: some historians write that he died in battle, while others believe that the cause of death was old age. Be that as it may, Alexander loved his horse very much and in his honor even founded the city of Bucephala, located on the territory of modern Pakistan - in our time it is called Jalalpur.

3. Surus

Scientists believe that Surus (surus in translation from Phoenician - “Syrian”) - the only elephant, who survived the famous campaign of the Carthaginian commander Hannibal through the Alps.

According to some reports, “Syrian” was the military leader’s favorite war elephant: Hannibal rode it most often. According to the testimony of the famous commander's contemporaries, almost all the elephants in his army were of African origin, but many report that at least one was from India - most likely, we are talking about Surus.

Perhaps it was the Asian roots that allowed the elephant to survive all the hardships of Hannibal’s Alpine campaign, the main ones of which were hunger, cold, disease and fierce battles with mountain tribes.

4. Digit

Outstanding ethologist (animal behaviorist) Dian Fossey throughout her career scientific career managed to work with huge number gorillas, but her favorite was always the male named Digit. A real affection arose between Diane and the gorilla: they spent a lot of time together and Digit did not trust any of the people as much as she did.

In 1977, Digit died at the hands of poachers, and his hands and head, intended for making exotic ashtrays, were sold by the killers for only $20. In memory of her deceased friend, Fossey created the Digit Foundation, whose mission was to save mountain gorillas.

Dian Fossey

After Digit's death, Diane lived only eight years: in 1985, she was hacked to death by an unknown assailant near her bungalow not far from the Karisok research center she founded. Most likely she hired the killer commercial organization, who exterminated gorillas for profit. Since then, the gorilla rescue fund has been renamed the Dian Fossey Foundation, in honor of the woman who dedicated her life to the study and conservation of primates so similar to humans.

5. Balto

The Siberian Husky Balto was at one time probably the most famous dog in the United States - his outstanding tenacity and scent made him a true national hero.

In 1925, a diphtheria epidemic broke out in the village of Nome, Alaska. Delivery of the medicinal serum by plane was impossible due to the onset of a storm, and the only transport capable of covering 1085 km in conditions of almost zero visibility and the piercing icy wind, it turned out to be sled dog sleds.

On the last, most difficult section of the route, about 83 km long, the vital cargo was carried by a team led by Balto. The dogs almost died while crossing the river, overturned the sledges, almost losing a box of ampoules, and more than once risked going astray, but thanks to Balto’s instincts and tenacity, the medicine was delivered safe and sound.

The epidemic was stopped in five days, and Balto and the other dogs of the team became famous overnight. Less than a year has passed since a monument to Balto was erected in Central Park in New York, with words carved on it that could well be the animal’s motto: “Endurance, devotion, intelligence.”

6. Checkers

Dwight Eisenhower

Richard Nixon owes his rise to the dog Checkers. political career- perhaps it was thanks to him that Nixon became the 37th President of the United States.

In 1952, when Nixon was running for vice president, he was accused of using illegally donated funds for the election campaign. The seriousness of the charges almost forced then-US President Dwight Eisenhower to abandon such a partner, but Nixon saved the day with a televised address that became known in history as the “Checkers Speech.”

In it, Nixon denied all accusations, saying that the only gift he would accept was a cocker spaniel puppy, Checkers. It must be said that Richard really had an affection for him, and this helped create his image as a “man of the people” and an animal lover. Public opinion tilted in Nixon's favor, and he received the long-awaited post, which allowed him to continue climbing the political ladder a few years later and become president. Unfortunately, Checkers did not live to see his master's main triumph: he died four years before Nixon's inauguration.

7. Keiko

There are probably few animals in the world who have become movie stars, and there have never been any like the male killer whale Keiko. Keiko played one of the main roles in the film Free Willy and its sequels. The film epic, which tells the story of the friendship between a boy and a killer whale, was so loved by the audience that they transferred huge sums for the maintenance and treatment of Keiko (during the filming of the film he suffered from a serious skin disease).

After the release of the film, Keiko, as they say, woke up famous: it turned out that thousands of people were concerned about his fate, who even organized a special fund to raise funds for the needs of the seriously ill “artist.” Two more films with his participation were released, after which Keiko was placed in the Newport Aquarium (Oregon). After a couple of years of intensive medical procedures, the orca returned to her homeland of Iceland, where she was being prepared for release.

Some doubted the advisability of such a step, believing that the animal would not be able to adapt to the conditions again wildlife, and, unfortunately, the skeptics were right. In 2002, Keiko was released into the wild, and, after swimming about 1,400 km, he settled in the Taknes fjord on the west coast of Norway, but in 2003, the famous “actor” died of pneumonia.

8. Elsa

Elsa became the first lioness in history to grow up in captivity and successfully adapt to life in the wild. She was raised by a married couple, George and Joy Adamson, who worked in Kenya's Meru National Park.

In 1956, George had to shoot an angry lioness who was about to attack him, and her three adorable cubs were left without a mother. One of the orphaned cubs was Elsa.

The couple fed and raised the lioness, and when she grew older, they gradually began to accustom her to freedom, taking her away from the camp and setting her on wounded animals in order to awaken her hunter instinct. Gradually, Elsa got used to independence, but from time to time she returned to the Adamsons.

One day the lioness was taken away by a young male, and her “adoptive parents” breathed a sigh of relief and a bit of sadness: they realized that the predator had finally been able to establish communication with her relatives and would now forget the way home, but after a while Elsa came to them again with three newborn lion cubs.

Joy Adamson dedicated the book “Born Free” to Elsa, based on which a film of the same name was made in 1966.

9. David Greybeard

David went down in history as the chimpanzee with whom the famous British ethologist and primatologist Jane Goodall began her more than 45 years of observation of monkeys in national park Gombe Stream in Tanzania.

Jane actually lived side by side with Greybeard, studying his behavior. Thanks to David (and, of course, Jane), the whole world learned that humans are not the only ones who can create tools, and after seeing him hunting and fishing, Goodall concluded that chimpanzees do not only eat fruits and leaves, as previously thought.

Perhaps the most important merit of Greybeard is that other chimpanzees, looking at the interaction between the scientist and their relative, stopped shying away from Jane and allowed her to establish close contact. Based on her observations, Goodall created detailed description the life of a chimpanzee, and her works remain unsurpassed classics in the study of apes. We can say that David, who became the first object of observation of the great scientist, did more for science than some researchers.

10. Lonesome George

The only known representative of the Abingdon elephant tortoise (subspecies Galapagos tortoises) was often called the most famous bachelor in the world. Scientists tried for many years to get offspring from him, but even after George mated with a genetically close partner, the miracle of reviving the species did not happen - the embryos in the eggs laid by the female were not viable.

A huge male, one and a half meters long and weighing about 80 kg, was discovered in 1972 on the island of Abingdon (also known as Pinta) by the Hungarian scientist József Vágvöldi. Not a single animal like George could be found on the island, so after his death on June 24, 2012, Abingdon tortoises are considered extinct. The most famous bachelor, according to some estimates, was about a hundred years old.

11. Dolly

This sheep was destined to change history: born on July 5, 1996, as a result of an experiment by Ian Wilmut and Keith Campbell, Dolly became the world's first successfully cloned mammal.

Dolly's birth ended the debate about whether cloning complex living beings was even possible, and the technology used in her conception was subsequently widely used to clone mice, dogs, cats and even horses. Thus, Dolly gave a powerful impetus to the development of medicine and biology, determining their development for many years to come.

Keith Campbell

The sheep lived for 6.5 years, and all this time the attention of the entire world community was riveted on it: in the newspaper headlines of that time, its name appears almost more often than the names of music and cinema stars. In 2003, Dolly was euthanized and her stuffed animal is on display at the Royal Museum of Scotland. By the way, Dolly also became the first cloned mother in history - she gave birth to six lambs.

12. Punxsutawney Phil

Surely many of you have heard about Groundhog Day (February 2): it is believed that by the behavior of groundhogs on this day one can predict the proximity of the onset of spring. When marmots calmly leave their burrows, this indicates that winter is on its last legs, and if the animals, timidly looking around, hide back, don’t expect warmer weather before six weeks.

The most famous groundhog predictor of all time is Phil, who lives in the city of Punxsutawney (Pennsylvania). Residents of the city claim that only Phil can predict the weather, and all the other groundhogs are wrong. According to legend, the marmot is given a special elixir of longevity, so in 2013 he turned 172 years old (despite the fact that the usual life expectancy of marmots is up to ten years).

Of course, Phil's "longevity" is nothing more than a tourist attraction, but the Punxsutawney people's loyalty to their traditions is respectable. True, once a “long-liver” was almost sentenced to death: a lawyer from Ohio accused the groundhog of “promising” the Americans early spring, however, after Phil left the hole, the temperature dropped to -30 °C. American climatologists have calculated that the famous groundhog's forecasts are 39% correct, but many Phil fans give other figures - from 75% to 90%.

13. Whip

The little polar bear cub, born on December 5, 2006, at the Berlin Zoo, was abandoned by its mother immediately after birth, but this family tragedy turned out to be a real gift for the zoo. The news of the “abandoned baby Knut” quickly spread throughout Germany, and crowds of compassionate Germans flocked to Berlin, eager to see the “orphan” with their own eyes and take part in his fate. Children were even named after the bear cub: more than half of the boys born in March 2007 in Berlin are named Knut.

The zoo staff raised Knut, and for several years he became a “gold mine” for them: books were written about the famous polar bear, films were made, and toys and souvenirs depicting the bear are still sold in Berlin, although he himself died in 2011 year. After Knut’s death, a monument was erected at the zoo, which immediately became a place of pilgrimage for numerous fans of the animal.

14. Laika

The names of Belka and Strelka are known, without exaggeration, to the whole world. Returning from orbit, they forever entered the history of astronautics, but do not forget that their flight was preceded by several other launches, which were not so successful, but allowed scientists to “work on mistakes” and thus ensured the success of the famous couple’s expedition.

Laika's flight took place on November 3, 1957, almost three years before the launch of Belka and Strelka. The experimental program did not include the return of Laika to Earth, so the scientists knew that the dog was doomed, and in addition to the thirst for space exploration that they experienced while preparing the dog to be sent into space, the researchers probably felt something similar to compassion.

The design of the module was designed for Laika to stay in orbit for a week, but as a result of miscalculations, she died after completing four orbits around the Earth. Soviet Union for a long time kept silent about the details of the incident, and scientists even reported to the whole world about observations of the dog’s physiological indicators, although Laika was already dead by that time.

15. Bubbles

Bubbles (translated from English as “Bubble”) is a chimpanzee who was born in a medical laboratory, and for some time served as a scientific experimental animal, but thanks to a happy accident, Michael Jackson learned about him, who bought the animal, and For several years they practically did not separate.

The primate knows firsthand about life with the King of Pop: he took active participation at Jackson's concerts, accompanied him to parties, where he met the bohemia of the 1980s, and was, according to Michael, one of his few true friends. The singer even intended to transplant human ligaments into the chimpanzee so that he could speak, but he was dissuaded from the idea by scientists who believed that Bubbles would not survive the operation. This unusual friendship was immortalized in 1988 by sculptor Jeff Koons, who created a gilded statue that depicts the King of Pop and his life-size monkey.

When Bubbles grew up and became too aggressive, Michael sent him to the Center for great apes in Florida, but regularly called the primate so that he could hear his voice. After Jackson's death, his chimpanzee was in the public spotlight for some time, but gradually interest in him subsided. Now Bubbles still lives in Florida and, according to the Center’s staff, he really misses his “star” friend.

These animals went down in history and became famous thanks to their actions, contributions to science, film careers and other abilities.

Here are 10 famous animals (although the list goes on and on) that people have remembered for many years.

1. Elephant Lin Wang

The Asian elephant Lin Wang was so revered that he even had the nickname “Grandfather Lin.”
During World War II, it transported goods across Burma for the Japanese army until it was captured by the Chinese in 1943 along with 12 other elephants. After this, the elephant continued its military service in China and later in Taiwan. In 1954, he retired to the Taipei Zoo, where he lived until his death in 2003.

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the elephant Lin Wang was 86 years old when he died and is considered the oldest elephant ever to live in captivity. But he was not just revered for his age. He became a cultural symbol and idol in the history of several countries.

2. Horse of Alexander the Great

Perhaps it was thanks to his faithful horse Bucephalus that Alexander the Great became great. Although some of his story was fictitious, Bucephalus became perhaps the most famous horse in history.

According to legend, the clumsy black horse was afraid of its own shadow, and, knowing this, Alexander the Great (the Great) always turned his head towards the Sun. The special bond that arose between the animal and the commander led to the fact that during battles this duo became unstoppable.

Historians disagree on how exactly Bucephalus died: either from wounds in battle or from old age. But when this happened, Alexander the Great founded a city in his honor and named it Bucephala.

3. Keiko the killer whale from the movie Free Willy

The male orca Keiko became a world-famous movie star after starring in leading role in the film Free Willy in 1993. Keiko, whose name means "lucky" in Japanese, was captured in 1979 off the coast of Iceland and sold to an amusement park in Mexico.

However, despite a successful film career, his life was not so happy. People from many countries began to send donations, and soon a rehabilitation pond was built for him at an aquarium in Oregon, USA.

Keiko, who had recovered from his illness, was prepared for life in the wild and released back into the sea. However, he was still very attached to people, and in 2003 he died of pneumonia.

4. "Born Free": Elsa the Lioness

Elsa the lioness became famous thanks to the international bestseller "Born Free", which tells the story of famous naturalist Joy Adamson, who, along with her husband George, raised an orphaned lioness cub in Kenya and later released her into the wild.

This story changed the way we think about wild animals. merciless killers that must be kept in captivity or destroyed. The lioness became an individual in the face of people, and her story became a symbol that all animals have the right to freedom.

5. Lonesome George

The Galapagos giant tortoise died in 2012 at over 100 years of age, ending the Abigdon tortoise subspecies elephant turtle(Chelonoidis nigra abingdoni) from Pinta Island.

Since George was discovered in 1972, the 1.5-meter-long, 90-kilogram tortoise has become a symbol of conservation in the Galapagos Islands.

Despite many attempts to breed him with other turtles, he never produced any offspring, becoming the most famous bachelor in the animal kingdom.

6. Dolly the Sheep

In February 1997, it was announced that a sheep created by Scottish geneticist Ian Wilmut and the Rosslyn Institute had become the first successfully cloned adult mammal.

Using the same method that created Dolly, scientists began cloning dogs, cats and mice.

In 2011, scientists first created stem cells using human cells, and in May 2013, embryonic stem cells were created from human skin cells.

Dolly became one of the most famous animals in science, and in 2003 she was euthanized due to a lung disease. The remains of the famous sheep were exhibited at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh.

7. Groundhog Day: Phil the Groundhog

Every year on February 2nd between winter solstice And spring equinox Groundhog Day is celebrated and everyone watches the groundhog emerging from his hole. According to this tradition, if Phil sees his shadow, then six more weeks of winter will follow, and if not, then it will soon warm up and an early spring is expected.

Punxsutawney Phil became history's very first groundhog meteorologist in 1886, and the groundhog's predictions are considered accurate 39 percent of the time.

8. Polar bear Whip

Knut became the world's most famous polar bear, winning millions of hearts after he was born at the Berlin Zoo in December 2006. His mother abandoned him after birth, but he was adopted and raised in a zoo.

Knut became the first polar bear at the Berlin Zoo in 33 years. There were those who opposed keeping him in captivity, believing that the cub should die after being rejected. But numerous fans came to his defense.

Thanks to worldwide fame and media attention, the bear became the source of 140 million dollars in profit.

Knut died suddenly in 2011 after falling due to brain damage and drowning in his enclosure. A bronze statue in honor of the bear cub was installed at the Berlin Zoo.

9. Laika the dog

When the Sputnik 2 spacecraft was launched on November 3, 1957, the dog Laika was on board - the first animal sent into space to orbit the Earth.

Laika was a stray dog ​​who was caught on the streets of Moscow and began to be trained for a space mission.

However, her flight was short-lived. After 6-7 hours, Laika died from overheating due to the lack of a thermal protection system and from stress.

Despite surviving only a few hours in space, her mission helped scientists understand more about the effects of weightlessness on animals and paved the way for humans into space.

10. Michael Jackson's chimpanzee

Bubbles the chimpanzee, who was housed in a research facility that raises animals for experiments, was acquired by Michael Jackson in the 1980s. He accompanied the King of Pop at parties, press conferences and during tours. There were rumors that the chimpanzee had tea with Japanese politicians and carried a ring at Elizabeth Taylor's 8th wedding (which was denied).

In addition, Bubbles became a famous artist, and two of his abstract expressionist paintings were sold for $1,500 each.

In 2003, Jackson gave Bubbles to the sanctuary because the chimpanzee had become very aggressive.

In August 2009, Bubbles released his "memoir" of life with Michael Jackson, entitled Bubbles: My Secret Diary, From Swaziland to Neverland, written by journalist John Blake. The book reveals dark aspects of the chimpanzees' lives, including addiction to bananas, which cost them up to $2,000 a day, and depression.

If a person does not like animals, then he is a very callous and cruel person. Animals cannot but evoke affection, because they are very honest and sincere towards people. Animals have repeatedly proven their devotion to people or simply surprised them with their actions. This article will tell you about the most famous animals on the planet. The most famous animals in the world photos and descriptions TOP 10 - look!

The most famous animals in the world photo TOP 10

Chimpanzee Ham

The most famous animals in the world - Chimpanzee Ham

This animal was the first to go on a long journey into space, and fortunately, everything ended very well. The monkey had to pull levers at the moment when the lights flashed during the flight. The animal went to spaceship January 31, 1961, but his journey did not last long. The fact is that the flight stopped three hours after takeoff, as problems arose with the air. When the monkey got out of the rocket, she felt good and was even able to eat a little.

Lioness named Elsa

The most famous animals in the world - Elsa the Lioness

From birth, Elsa had a very difficult life, because even when she was a child, her mother was shot by Joy’s husband, who then took in the baby and her brothers. When the wild cats grew up, the woman gave the boys to the zoo and kept Elsa with her. Despite the fact that Elsa became a pet for the family, the owner tried to raise her as wild cat. After a while, Elsa gave birth to babies who began to live in the wild, and the lioness herself died at the age of five because she fell ill with babesiosis.

Jonathan the Turtle

The most famous animals in the world - Jonathan the Turtle

The oldest creature on the planet is a turtle named Jonathan. The animal lived for 179 years, which many people find hard to believe. If you look at photographs of the turtle, you will find a photograph taken in 1900, when Jonathan was 50 years old, if not older. Today the turtle lives with other turtles, leads a fairly active lifestyle, and if not for blindness in one eye, she could not be called an old lady. Jonathan enjoys caring for the much younger turtles.

Mongoose named Mister Mary

The most famous animals in the world - Mongoose Mister Mary

This sea ​​creature consuming green tea and killing snakes, a terrible fate awaited him: he was to be executed or deported to India. The animal came into the country with a foreign sailor, but the authorities did not want to leave Mister Mary because they were afraid that he would begin to multiply quickly. In fact, the animal could not reproduce, since it had no one to do it with. As a result, the sentence was postponed, and the animal was placed in a zoo, where it escaped large number people to admire the mongoose. Some thought that Mr. Mary was dangerous, so they needed to get rid of him, while others, on the contrary, were dissatisfied with the verdict. The story ended with the mongoose living his life peacefully and dying in 1968 own death.

Phil the Paxatonic groundhog

The most famous animals in the world - Phil the Groundhog

The most famous groundhog has been predicting the weather since February 2, 1886. In fact, Phil the groundhog is several groundhogs. The fact is that marmots live no more than 10 years, so one could not live to this day. Today there is a whole team of predictive marmots, who are watched by a mysterious group of people. For important ceremonies, the animals are dressed in beautiful tailcoats and top hats. No one knows where the predictive marmots came from.

The most famous animals in the world - Sam the Cat

Otherwise, this cat is also called unsinkable, because he was able to survive after three shipwrecks during the Second World War. For the first time, a cat survived the crash of the German ship Bismarck on May 27, 1941. About 2,000 people died that day, but the cat miraculously escaped. Then the cat was picked up by a British ship, which was later blown up, but this time the cat remained safe and sound. After everything that happened, the animal was taken onto an aircraft carrier and nicknamed the unsinkable Sam. The aircraft carrier took part in the battle, as a result of which it was blown up, but this time the seal survived. After this incident, the animal never lived on ships again, but died of its own death in the house of a sailor.

Pigeon named Cher Ami

The most famous animals in the world - Pigeon Shar Ami

This hero pigeon was a postman during the First World War. Over the entire period of its service, the bird was able to complete 12 very important missions. IN last time The bird's flight was not so successful, as the pigeon came under fire. Cher Ami was shot in the chest, his leg was literally hanging by one thread, and the bird was blind in one eye. And yet, this did not stop the bird from conscientiously fulfilling its duty and saving 200 soldiers. At the end of the war, Sher Ami was awarded a wooden prosthesis, but a year later the bird died.

Horse Morocco

The most famous animals in the world - Morocco Horse

This legendary horse was very famous in its time, so it is not surprising that Shakespeare decided to describe its image in one of his works. The horse was so talented that it easily performed unusual tricks, danced on two and four legs, and was able to answer many questions, which is why it was even nicknamed a psychic. However, such abilities of Morocco could not help but interest the authorities, who accused the animal and its owner of witchcraft. Both the animal and the owner were sentenced to death, but they were not destined to die. During the hearing, the horse fell to its knees in front of the judge, thereby touching everyone present with its action. How exactly the owner and Morocco lived the rest of their lives is unknown.

An elephant named Jumbo

An African elephant named Jumbo was born in 1861. When he grew up, his weight was 6 tons and his height was 3.5 meters. For a long time the animal lived in a French zoo, but at the age of 4 he was transported to the London Zoo.

The elephant did not live there for long as he became very aggressive and unhappy, so he was sold to Phineas Taylor, who sent him to the circus. Despite the fact that the residents were very unhappy with this and expressed their disagreement in every possible way, the elephant liked it much more in the circus. Probably, Jumbo would have lived in the circus for a long time if a tragic incident had not happened to him at railway, as a result of which the animal died.

A dog named Laika

The most famous animals in the world - a dog named Laika

Very tragic fate ended up in the dog Laika, who was picked up by scientists on the street. Laika became the first dog to fly into space. Unfortunately, the animal's flight ended very sadly, as the poor thing died. For a long time, scientists claimed that the dog died 6 days after the start from lack of oxygen, but later it turned out that the animal did not last even 6 hours, dying from severe overheating and stress. Posthumously, a monument was erected to the dog at the Institute of Military Medicine.

LABORATORY ANIMALS, animals serving in laboratories various types for practical purposes. L. zh. They should be those that are easily obtained, well maintained or bred in a laboratory setting and, in addition, are suitable in their own way... ... Great Medical Encyclopedia

Those that either have poisonous apparatuses, which are organs of defense and attack, or those whose tissues contain toxic substances, making these animals unfit for consumption. In all likelihood, the release of trichocysts from the body... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary F. Brockhaus and I.A. Ephron

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The request for "Dolly" is redirected here; see also other meanings. Dolly the Sheep (English Dolly, July 5, 1996 February 14, 2003) is the first cloned mammal, which was obtained by transplanting the nucleus of a somatic cell into ... ... Wikipedia

English Snuppy Breed: Afghan Hound Gender: Male Date of Birth: April 24, 2005 ... Wikipedia

- (Roy, Silo) a pair of chinstrap penguins from the Central Park Zoo New York, which has become one of the most famous examples so-called homosexual behavior in animals. The story of Roy and Silou was widely covered in the press and even... ... Wikipedia

This term has other meanings, see Bo (meanings). Bo English Bo... Wikipedia

Phil predicts the arrival of spring in 2005. A long winter was “predicted” that year, as in other years from 2000 to 2006. For the longest period long winter there was a gap between 1903 and 1933. Punxsutawney ... Wikipedia

Francesco Ubertini. Distribution of manna from heaven. 1540. The painting depicts... Wikipedia

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• , Laurie Triefeldt. Every inch of this book contains exciting and reliable information about the world around us: about animals and plants, countries and famous people. Each page is dedicated to a specific topic...
• , Laurie Triefeldt. Every centimeter of this book contains fascinating and reliable information about the world around us: about animals and plants, countries and famous people...

We all love exciting stories about pioneers and discoverers - people who were the first to do what humanity could only dream of before. However, not all discoverers are human. Among our younger brothers there are also many pioneers. Here are just a few animals that were able to leave a significant mark on history.

Dolly the Sheep

This furry animal proved to the whole world that cloning is a very real achievement of science. In 1996, Dolly was born in a completely traditional way. What was a unique breakthrough in the field of science and genetics was its “conception.” The fact is that Dolly was actually an exact genetic copy of the donor sheep, which had already died at the time of the experiment, and the cells containing the genetic material were frozen in liquid nitrogen.

The cloning technique used to create Dolly involved transplanting the nucleus of an adult somatic cell into the cytoplasm of an egg lacking genetic material donor. That is, Dolly has only one “parent”. Dolly died at the age of six from a lung disease, but her birth proved the feasibility of cloning large warm-blooded mammals.

Dove Cher Ami

This homing pigeon managed to save the lives of hundreds of American soldiers during the First World War. She was one of several carrier pigeons for an infantry signal battalion that found itself cut off from the main army in 1918.

The first message sent by the soldiers who found themselves surrounded contained a set of inaccurate coordinates, and because of this oversight, not only enemy artillerymen, but also their own artillery began to shoot at them.

Two pigeons sent with precise coordinates were shot down by the Germans. The soldiers only had Sher Ami left. Dove broke through the German fire, despite being wounded several times, and managed to save the lives of the soldiers.

Chimpanzee David

Until 1960, scientists assumed that only humans had the intelligence to create and use tools in life. everyday life. However, in November 1960, Jane Goodall noticed a chimpanzee named David using a long blade of grass to catch termites. After David stopped being afraid of being watched, Goodall noticed that the chimpanzee regularly used various tools to make it easier for him to get food.

Lioness Elsa

The amazing story of this lioness marked the beginning of an active social movement to protect wildlife.

In 1956, a Kenyan couple adopted a tiny lion cub, whom they named Elsa. The couple raised the lioness and taught her to hunt on her own and survive in wild conditions. Eventually the couple had to release the young lioness into the wild, and to everyone's surprise, she managed to survive.

In 1960, a documentary book about Elsa was published, and six years later a film was made that won the hearts of critics and viewers.

Dog Balto

In 1925, the town of Nome, located on the far western coast of Alaska, was facing a terrible diphtheria epidemic. Only a medicine developed in Seattle could save the city. Unfortunately, during a severe snowstorm, the medicine could not be delivered to the city by plane, and there were no trains to Noum. Officials developed a complex plan, according to which the serum would be transported to the city by several dog sleds. The latest and greatest the hard part The journey went to a team led by a Siberian husky named Balto. Balto led the team in the dark, late night, through a terrible snowstorm, and he managed to deliver the serum in the morning. Thus, Balto saved the lives of many residents of the northern city. He even has a monument, not to mention a popular cartoon.

Horse Jim Key

IN late XIX- at the beginning of the twentieth century in America, the show of Handsome Jim Key and his owner and trainer Dr. William Key was especially popular. All newspapers wrote about the unique horse and thousands of people in every city came running to see it. Not bad for a draft horse and former slave, isn't it?

William Key's humane training methods resulted in his horse "learning" to read, write, count, add, tell time, use the telephone, mail and cash register. During his entire tour of the states, several million people looked at the miracle horse.

During a time of strict segregation, when whites and blacks rarely appeared in the same places, Handsome Jim Key's show brought Americans together to get a glimpse of a unique animal.

Even President William McKinley was amazed by what he saw when he saw the performance in Tennessee. He stated that the Handsome Jim Key show was the most interesting and amazing spectacle he had ever seen.

Snowball the cat

This cat helped the police solve a murder. In 1994, the small island of Prince Edward off the coast of Canada was rocked by the brutal murder of a 32-year-old woman. She was suspected of murder ex-husband, since the man had a harmful character and had a tendency to domestic violence. However, the police did not have enough evidence to charge the man.

The murder remained unsolved until a bag of bloody clothes was found in the forest, on which, in addition to the blood of the murdered woman, there were also hairs of a white cat. It turned out that the ex-husband murdered woman there was a snow-white cat named Snowball. By that time, science was already quite developed and a forensic specialist was able to extract enough DNA from the hairs and prove that it belonged to Snowball.

Thus, Snowball was the first cat whose DNA helped solve the crime.

Sheep Montosiel

The name of this sheep is French translates as “climb to heaven” and no wonder! She was the first animal balloonist in history. Long before Belka and Strelka went into space, and even before the Wright brothers made their first flight, hot air balloon Montosiel was sent in the company of a duck and a rooster. The experts wanted to check whether the balloon could withstand a person, and were sure that if the sheep survived the flight, then a person could easily cope with it.

After the animals landed without any major injuries, except for the rooster that Montosiel kicked before taking off, the now world-famous Montgolfier brothers took off in a hot air balloon.