Our neighbors on the planet are animals. Neighbors around the planet

Current page: 1 (book has 28 pages in total)

Yuri Dmitrievich Dmitriev
Planetary Neighbors: Pets

THIS IS THE FIFTH BOOK ABOUT OUR NEIGHBORS ON THE PLANET.

THE FIRST WAS DEDICATED TO INSECTS, THE SECOND TO AMBHIBIANS (AMPHIBIANS) AND REPTILES (REPTILES).

THE THIRD BOOK TALKED ABOUT MAMMALS, THE FOURTH ABOUT BIRDS.

ALL PREVIOUS BOOKS WERE DEDICATED TO WILD ANIMALS, ALTHOUGH, OF COURSE, WE WERE ABLE TO TELL ABOUT ALL OF OUR NEIGHBORS AROUND THE PLANET: FISHES AND ARACHIDS, MOLLUSCS, WORMS, CENTIPEDES LIVE NEAR US.

AND THERE ARE ALSO PETS - THEY ARE ALSO OUR NEIGHBORS AROUND THE PLANET, AND THERE ARE THE CLOSEST!

THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED TO THEM.

THERE ARE NOW A MILLION KNOWN SPECIES OF INSECTS.

Amphibians – MORE THAN 2000 SPECIES, REPTIENTS – ABOUT 6000.

THERE ARE ABOUT 3,500 SPECIES OF MAMMALS, ABOUT 8,600 SPECIES OF BIRDS, AND AT LEAST 60,000 SPECIES OF ARANDICS, WORMS, AND CENTIPEDES ON THE EARTH.

AT THE SAME TIME, THERE ARE ONLY A SEVERAL DOZENS OF DOMESTIC ANIMALS, THAT IS THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN DOMESTICATED BY MAN. BUT HERE WILL NOT BE TALKED ABOUT ALL, BUT JUST ABOUT FOUR SPECIES, MAN'S MOST TRUSTED FRIENDS, HIS CLOSE NEIGHBORS ON THE PLANET.

CATS, DOGS, HORSES, COWS

...We are all carried away into the distance on the same planet -

We are the crew of the same ship.

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

This book is different from all previous books about our neighbors on the planet, written by me and published in 1977-1984 by the Children's Literature publishing house. And it can’t help but be different, because the previous books were dedicated to wild animals, and this one is about domestic animals.

But pets are very different. There are people like, for example, a dog who is loyal and true friend, and there are such as, for example, a sheep or a pig; they are also very necessary for a person, but they can hardly be called friends in the usual sense of the word - a sheep or pig often does not even know their owner by sight.

Therefore, of all the domestic animals, we chose only four - the closest and most reliable: a dog, a cat, a horse and a cow. They have been living next to humans for thousands of years, and humans seem to know them well; they seem to have fewer problems with them than with wild animals. Indeed, the book does not, for example, have a chapter on “The Problem of Salvation”, as in previous books in the series; These problems are acute in relation to wild animals. But with domestic animals, humans have other problems: to use as fully and comprehensively as possible the relationships that have developed over thousands of years with these animals.

That's the first thing I wanted to say.

Second, I would like to preface by saying that I conceived this book together with my closest friend. When we conceived it, Danila the cat and Palma the dog helped us. You could write a big book about each of them, talk about their intelligence, their characters and behavior, their tricks, and so on. And probably everyone who had or has a dog or cat, who has or is dealing with horses or cows can also talk endlessly about them. Therefore, we decided not to describe the actions and antics of our pets - this is the topic of a completely different book. This book contains generalizing material, and if individual episodes are given here, it is only to confirm with specific facts some general position or conclusion.

Third, this book deliberately devotes a lot of space to the history of domestic animals. Every day they become more and more more necessary for a person. And in the near future people will have to decide many serious and important issues in livestock farming, the attitude towards domestic animals will have to be reconsidered in many ways, and perhaps significantly change it. But in order to understand the present and look into the future, it is very important to know the past.

Yuri Dmitriev, 1985

ATTENTION! IN THE FORMULATION AND SOLUTION OF PROBLEMS THE following PARTICIPATE:

You will read about these animals on the pages indicated by black numbers, and you will see them on the tables indicated by brown.

Cats

ABYSSINSKAYA 272

ANGORSKAYA 271, 19

BURMAN 272, 16 B

UKHARSKAYA 272

LOP-EARED (Chinese) 271

DUTCH 272

KARTZEYSKAYA 272, 17

KENYAN 270, 18

COCHINCHINSKAYA 272

MADAGASCAR 272

MANESKAYA 271, 18

NUBIAN 44, 45

SIAMES 270, 271, 16

SIBIRSKAYA 272, 18

Cows

ABERDEEN ANGUS 286, 37

ALATAUSKAYA 286, 39

HEREFORD 286, 36

DUTCH 285, 33

KAZAKH 286, 39

KALMYTSKAYA 286, 39

KOSTROMSKAYA 286, 34

RED 286, 287, 34

Lebedinskaya 286, 37

SIMMENTALSKAYA 286, 36

SYCHEVSKAYA 286, 38

TAGILSKAYA 285, 286

KHOLMOGORSKAYA 285, 287, 33

SCHWITZ 286, 35

SHORTGORNSKAYA 286, 38

YAROSLAVSKAYA 285, 33

Horses

AZERBAIJANIAN 283

ENGLISH RACE HORSE (thoroughbred) 273, 274, 276, 277, 22

ARAB 210, 273, 274, 275, 276, 277, 283, 23

KOHEILAN 275, 23

SIGLAVI 275, 23

HADBAN 275, 23

AKHALTEKE (argamak) 277, 278, 283, 22

BRABANCON 280, 28 ,

BURYATSKAYA 282, 283

VLADIMIRSKAYA HEAVY TRUCK 281, 29

VYATSKAYA 283, 26

DONSKAYA 278, 283, 24

KABARDINSKAYA 283, 24

KAZAKH 283, 20

KARABAKH 278, 283, 25

QUARTERHOUSE (“quarter mile”) 279

KYRGYZ 283, 21

CLYDESDALE 281, 28

LOKAYSKAYA 282

MEZENSKAYA 283, 26

MORGAN 279

MEGREL 282

NARYMSKAYA 282

ORLOV trotter 203–206, 279, 280, 27

PERCHERON 281, 28

PONY 206, 281

PRIOBSKAYA 283

SOVIET HEAVY TRUCK 281, 29

TUSHINSKAYA 283

YAKUTSKAYA 283, 284, 20

Dogs

GROUND 17, 33, 117

English (Greyhound) 250, 251, 8

Afghan 250, 8

Arabic (Persian, Salukah) 38

Russian 248–250, 8

Central Asian (tazy) 250, 8

BEDLINGTON TERRIER 246, 247, 13

BOSTON TERRIER 243 BOXER 17, 239, 6

Maltese 212, 264, 15

French 264, 15

BULLDOGS

English 238, 6

French 238, 265, 6

BULL TERRIER 245, 7

BLUDHOUND 253

WELSH TERRIER 246, 13

WOLF-SPITZ 260, 15

HAUNGS 251

English-Russian (piebald) 252, 9

Slovak cops 253

Russian 252, 9 Estonian 252, 9

MURTS 105, 266–269

DOBERMAN PINCHER 18, 108, 109, 234–236, 265, 4

English (mastiff) 206, 237, 238, 6

German 238, 7

Tibetan 237

East Siberian 258, 259

riding 98-102, 103, 104, 115, 257

West Siberian 258, 259

Karelian-Finnish 258, 259, 9

Russian-European 258, 259, 9

LEVRETKA 17, 251, 15

COP 253

Weimar 255, 10

Hungarian 255

griffon 255

longhaired German (Langhaar) 255, 10

German wirehair (Drathaar) 254, 10

German shorthair (shorthaired pointer) 254 ( 10 )

Munsterlander 255

Czech fousek 255, 10

MOSCOW DIVER 19, 242, 5

MOSCOW WATCHMEN 19, 240, 5

NEWFOUNDLAND 19, 240–242, 5

Appenzeal 230

bosteron 230

bobtail 230

Welshkorg 230

Caucasian 19, 233, 236, 240, 242, 2

Scottish (collie) 230–232, 2

commander 230, 3

Languedoc Berger 230

German (Eastern European) 19, 97, 103, 111, 115, 116, 213, 233, 234, 242, 2

osterhound 253

Picardy Berger 230

Slovak dude 230, 234, 3

Turkmen (Central Asian) 232, 236

Swiss 230

shetli 230, 232, 3

Etlebukhskaya 230

South Russian 232

BEIJINGES 262, 263, 14

ordinary 265

dwarf (miniature) 260, 265, 14

POINTER 254

POODLES 261-262

big 262

dwarf 262, 14

average 262

GIANT SCHNAUZER 19, 244, 4

ROTTWEILER 19, 239, 240, 243, 4

ST BERNARD 17, 19, 93–97, 240, 5

SETTERS 117, 212

English (speckled) 255, 11

Irish (red) 255, 11

Scottish (Gordon) 255, 256, 11

SPANIELS 212, 256

256, 257, 12

Russian 256–257

springer 256, 257, 12

DAXBAR BRACK 253, 12

DACHS 17, 33, 206, 243

smooth-haired (large, medium, small) 247, 12

long-haired (large, medium, small) 247

wire-haired (large, medium, small) 247, 12

Australian 243

English 243

Irish 245

black 19, 243

Czech 243, 246

Scottish (Scottish Terrier) 246, 13

TYROLEAN BRACK 253

WHIPPET 251

FOX TERRIERS 206, 213, 244

smooth-haired 244, 13

wire-haired 244, 13

FOXHOUND 253

HIN 263, 15

CHOW-CHOW 265, 14

CHIHUAHUA 17, 37, 264

STYRIAN BRACK 253

SPOZ 260, 15

Airedale Terrier 18, 243, 4

JAGDTERRIER 243, 246, 13

In addition, the book mentions wild animals:

PROTEINS 258, 259

WOLVES 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 83, 233, 1

ERMINE 122

WILD EUROPEAN CATS 48

BOARS 245, 253 GOATS 194, 198

COYOTES 17, 1

RATS 123–130, 244

LASKI 47, 129

PRZHEWALSKY'S HORSE 62, 63, 64, 20

LIONS 20, 33, 85

MONGOOSE 130

MUSTANGS 69–73

MICE 121–122, 219,

SHEEP 109, 194, 198, 229, 230

DEER 62, 221

DONKEYS 134, 195, 202

PIGS 194

ELEPHANTS 202, 216

TARPANS 62–66, 20

TIGERS 17, 85

TOURS 79–83, 32

FERTLES 129

CIMARRONES 70

JACKALS 17, 21, 22, 35, 1

Part one. Problems

Recognition problems

- Who are you? – asked the Little Prince. - How beautiful you are!

“I am the Fox,” said the Fox.

“Play with me,” asked the Little Prince. - I'm so sad...

“I can’t play with you,” said the Fox. - I am not tamed...

- How is it to tame?..

“This is a long-forgotten concept,” explained the Fox. -

...But if you tame me, we will need each other...

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Who are you, dog?

Who are you, dog?

I looked at her lying at my feet and probably said these words out loud. Or maybe he was just thinking. But still the dog heard something or understood something. He stood up, raised his ears and looked at me. He understood: there was no one else in the room and, therefore, the words were addressed to him. And if so, he must, must do something that I ask. But the dog couldn’t understand what. And he looked at me as if asking me to repeat or clarify my words to him...

I patted the dog on the head. She closed her eyes for a moment, lowered her ears slightly, and laid her head on my knee. But only for a short moment. And again she looked into my eyes. I know that she is ready to help, ready to do whatever I ask of her, even if she doesn’t want to do it, even if it is very difficult for her. But she will do everything without hesitation.

And, looking into the dog’s eyes, I was a little ashamed of my question. After all, the answer has been known for a long time, and if a dog could speak, it would immediately tell me who it is. But even without her words, it is well known who she is: a devoted friend of man, who has proven this over many millennia, who proves it daily, hourly and now.

Perhaps this is not how the question should have been posed. I probably should have asked - where did you come to my house from? Or maybe this: who were your distant ancestors and how did you become what you are now?..

The dog continued to look at me carefully. But I was silent. And the sharp expression in his eyes began to disappear, the tension in his whole body disappeared, his ears dropped slightly. I stroked the dog’s cool, intelligent forehead again, and she sighed slightly, as if she realized that I didn’t need her help now. She lay down at my feet again, ready to jump up at any moment and come to the rescue. But, unfortunately, she cannot answer the questions that I am now asking myself. She cannot, not because she is not able to talk and, as the famous English scientist Bertrand Russell wittily noted, she is not able to tell her biography, no matter how eloquently she barks, she is not able to tell us that her parents, although poor, were honest dogs. And not because she is not capable of thinking the way people think. But because many questions have not yet been answered at all. And whether they will be is unknown.

This may seem strange. Dogs are man's closest neighbors on the planet. Man has long paid great attention to them; there are a colossal number of books; moreover, there are a whole science about dogs – cynology (from the Greek words “kinos” - “dog” and “logos” - “science”) is one of the oldest branches of animal science. Dogs, as we will see later, have played a huge role in people's lives, perhaps even one of the decisive roles. And yet, many issues related to dogs have not yet been resolved or have been resolved only recently, and even then only partially.

One of these questions is the origin of the dog, that is, who was its wild ancestor(or ancestors).

This is not to say that people were not interested. Another great Greek scientist Aristotle, who lived almost two and a half thousand years ago, described dogs Ancient Greece, paid attention to the question of their origin. According to Aristotle, it turned out that even tigers were among the ancestors of dogs. Then tigers were excluded from the ancestors of dogs. But hyenas, foxes, coyotes, wolves and jackals remained. Gradually, all other animals except wolves and jackals were excluded from the supposed ancestors of dogs. But the opinion that dogs descended from wolves and jackals persisted for a very long time. And it’s not surprising: the huge variety of dog breeds - size and appearance, disposition and character - everything suggests that these animals must have several ancestors. Such diverse breeds could not have originated only from wolves - wolves all over the world are too similar to each other, and, having such a homogeneous “source material,” as scientists say, it is impossible to create such a variety of breeds. Therefore, it was believed that among the ancestors of dogs there were also jackals, which, even if they do not differ in diversity, are still not as uniform as wolves.

Indeed, about 400 dog breeds are now known. There are not many animals on Earth that belong to the same species, but at the same time are so diverse, so different from each other. It’s hard to believe that a small, 8 centimeters long, Mexican Chihuahua and a huge, almost one and a half meter long, greyhound (one is almost 20 times longer than the other!), a tiny dog, weighing half a kilo - a toy terrier and an eighty-kilogram St. Bernard (one is heavier than the other in 1 60 times!) – close relatives. What about addition? A massive boxer and a thin Italian greyhound, short-legged dachshunds and giant Great Danes - what do they have in common? In short, dogs are so diverse that scientists could not accept the idea of their origin from a single ancestor. The diversity of breeds deceived even the great naturalist Charles Darwin. Scientists have adhered to this point of view to this day. Until now, many printed works - be they scientific works or popular science books - still talk about two types of dogs: “wolf” and “jackal”.

But in addition to being purely external signs there are others. For example, the bones of dogs that were found during excavations in Europe are more similar to the bones of jackals than to the bones of wolves.

But relatively recently, scientists came to the conclusion that not a single domestic animal, including a dog, can descend from two, much less from several ancestors. And “today it can be considered generally accepted that the domestic dog is descended from the wolf; and, moreover, only from him, that is, its origin from two ancestors is completely excluded,” writes the Soviet scientist K. Fabry.

But why is it a wolf and not a jackal?

“Being a highly organized species, wolves, one way or another, had to become the object of selection, promoting further development the diversity of their features, which are so necessary and useful in matters where cooperation is required. After all, a high degree of diversity allows for an equally high degree of division of responsibilities. For example, wolf pack receives equal benefit from the presence in it of both overly timid individuals who instantly and unmistakably sense the approach of danger, and more decisive ones who do not run away at the first alarm, but try to understand the reason that frightened some of their brothers in order to determine how real it is poses a danger to the entire pack,” writes the famous American scientist, one of the world’s leading experts on canines, John Paul Scott. He also conducted a study, thanks to which he established that out of 90 main behavioral traits of dogs, more than 70 are also found in wolves. Jackals have much less common features with dogs. In particular, the howl and bark of dogs and wolves are very similar (the fact that dogs bark more often is not a natural property, but acquired with the help of people), but the howl and bark of dogs and jackals are very different.

It was this fact that forced the largest modern ethologist, Konrad Lorenz, to abandon the theory of the mixed origin of dogs (“wolf – jackal”), which he adhered to for many years.

However, 70 common characteristics between wolves and dogs are apparently not all general signs. J.P. Scott believes there may be more, but some have simply not yet been discovered. (Due to certain living conditions, they have become less noticeable in dogs, but in wolves they are clearly visible.) But all the main signs of behavior in wolves and dogs are common.

As for the diversity of breeds, this is the work of human hands. Breeding occurred over many, many centuries. And in such a time you can literally do miracles. In fact, we are still witnessing this.

Who doesn't know Airedale Terriers or Doberman Pinschers? But one hundred to one hundred fifty years ago there were no such dogs. Airedales were bred by the British one hundred and fifty years ago, and now this amazing dog has “conquered the world.” The same can be said about the Doberman Pinscher, whose “age” is even younger.

It is difficult to say whether the German sausage maker Ludwig Dobermann dreamed of his own glory or the glory of the breed he bred. But he achieved both – the breed of dogs he bred immortalized his name. This is one of the most beautiful, intelligent dogs, it has many qualities that make it an excellent service dog and an excellent guard dog. But the breed was created artificially (in fact, like all the others), and its representatives are not like anyone else!

Aren’t new dog breeds being created in our time, completely different from others? We will get acquainted with them in the future, but now we will only talk about the black terrier, as one of the most “recent” examples. Dogs of this breed - strong, brave, hardy, suitable for all types of guard duty - were bred quite recently by Soviet dog breeders.

Of course, one can argue: those who bred Airedale Terriers one and a half hundred years ago, and those who bred the Doberman Pinscher several decades ago, and those who bred the Black Terrier these days already had a fairly diverse “source material”. For example, the black terrier was obtained on the basis of three breeds: the Giant Schnauzer, the Rottweiler and the Airedale Terrier. And from each breed he took some traits, some qualities. Just like, for example, the Moscow Diver, bred quite recently in our country, obtained from Newfoundland, East European and Caucasian Shepherd Dogs, like the Moscow Watchdog - a “descendant” of the St. Bernard and the Caucasian Shepherd Dog. Yes, of course, modern breeders have much more opportunities than dog breeders of the past had. But there were fewer breeds in the past.

Dog breeds appeared gradually. And their ancestor was the wolf. Maybe not all scientists are convinced of this yet, but most now believe that this is so.

However, if the issue with the origin of dogs seems to have already been clarified, then many other issues remain controversial or even unresolved. In particular: when did man domesticate the dog, where did it happen and how did it happen?

The Moscow Watchdog is similar to its ancestors - the St. Bernard and the Caucasian Shepherd.

When and where!

Two truths are certain: the dog was the first animal domesticated by man, and this happened a very, very long time ago. But when exactly? It is hardly possible to give a definite answer to this question. And there is hardly any need to try to do this. Nevertheless, it is worth looking into the distant past of our closest and most faithful neighbor on the planet.

Interesting evidence that dogs have been domesticated for a very long time is provided by the Soviet linguist academician N. Ya. Marr. The word “dog,” says Marr, is much older in many languages than the words for the dog’s wild relatives. An ancient man first found a name for his four-legged friend. And he called wild predators “ big dogs"(lions, wolves) and "small dogs" (foxes).

Only much later did these predators receive their own names.

But of course, it’s not just linguistics that helps figure out the dog’s history.

It is known that excavations provide enormous material for studying the distant past. Archaeologists find household items (or parts of these items), weapons and tools, excavate entire cities and recreate the life of people who once lived on Earth.

Anthropologists study the bones and skeletons of people of the very distant past, study their close and distant relatives - fossils and modern monkeys, - to restore the path that a person has taken in his development.

Paleontologists study animals and plants that existed thousands and millions of years ago, find out what animals and plants lived in certain places, how many there were and what they looked like, how they changed over thousands of years. And not only that: skeletons and individual bones of ancient animals help modern scientists find out and understand what happened in those distant times on our planet, how the climate and vegetation changed, how animals related to each other. And finally, excavations help, in particular, to learn and understand the relationships between people and animals in certain periods, help to find out how these relationships formed and how they developed.

Especially rich and valuable material Scientists are given excavations at the sites of our distant ancestors. And large, sometimes even very large, hills tell about the relationship between people and animals. Scientists call them "kitchen middens" because they are essentially dumping grounds for mostly ancient people's food scraps. And how I ate primitive man mainly animal food, then for paleontologists, more precisely, for paleozoologists and simply zoologists, such excavations are a real treasure: a huge number of bones tells scientists what animals served as food for humans in those places, what animals lived there, which were more, which were fewer.

Among the bones in the “kitchen piles” there are many dog bones. It seems simpler: determining the age of dog bones ( modern science does this very accurately), and it will become clear that so many thousands of years ago a dog already lived next to a person.

However, where is the guarantee that the bones found are the bones of a tamed dog, and not of a killed and eaten wolf or jackal? After all, ancient man did not disdain these animals when he could not get others. But scientists began to notice that until some time all the bones of large animals, including the bones of dogs, were crushed or split: primitive man ate not only the meat of killed animals, but also their bone marrow. However, in other garbage heaps that formed later (or in older ones, but in layers belonging to more late period), whole ones began to be found among the crushed bones. They quickly determined that these were dog bones. This means that we can assume that at some point dogs stopped being killed for meat. The assumption was confirmed by the following discovery: on the bones of some animals one could see traces of the teeth of both humans and dogs. Apparently, the person has already started feeding the dog, sharing his food with it or giving it leftover food.

Finds that shed light on the origin of dogs are 8-10 thousand years old. This naturally leads to the conclusion: it was then that the dog was tamed. A number of scientists speak in favor of this conclusion, emphasizing that it was during this period that a great event took place in the history of mankind - the bow and arrow were invented.

Now the man began to feel completely different: he no longer had to carefully sneak up on a sensitive animal in order to stun it with a club, he no longer had to wait for hours to watch and grab the bird, he no longer had to depend on chance, hope that the animal would hit into the trap hole. Now people could beat the beast from a distance, and it became easier for them to provide the tribe with food.

But other difficulties arose. For example, it became more difficult to find animals: hunting intensified, became more prey, and therefore there were fewer animals. Or another thing: an animal wounded from a great distance could hide in the forest, hide in bushes or a cave, and a person would lose track of it. That's when an indispensable assistant there turned out to be a dog - she helped find the animals.

Very logical and quite convincing: a man tamed a dog so that it would help him in hunting. However, this logical and seemingly quite convincing version has one weak point: bones that were and are found near the sites of primitive people in different places differ greatly in size, massiveness, and so on. That is, they clearly belong to different dogs.

Until the time when scientists believed that dogs descended from different ancestors, this was explained as follows: in some heaps there were bones of wolf-like dogs (that is, descended from a wolf), in others - descended from a jackal. Jackals can differ from each other, and dogs, even domesticated ones, continued to interbreed with wolves and jackals. Therefore, it is not surprising that tribes living in different places had different dogs. This convincing explanation, it would seem, does not in any way contradict the fact that dogs appeared among humans 10-8 thousand years ago. But having accepted this, we are immediately faced with a new question. For example, with this: how could people who lived, say, on the shores of the sea, which we now call the Baltic, tame and domesticate a jackal (it was believed that dogs whose bones were found in these places came from jackals), if jackals 10-8 thousands of years ago were no longer found here? And the skull is small and, according to experts, an already domesticated dog, found during excavations at one of the sites ancient man on the Baltic coast, scientists date it to approximately the 20th millennium BC.

So the dog came here with the man? Yes, apparently so. But she could only come domesticated: wild beast It is unlikely to follow a person for many hundreds of kilometers. Well, let’s say a dog followed a person, being semi-domesticated, that is, already accustomed to living close to the person, next to him, but not yet in close contact and communication.

This could be allowed if not for one detail: in these places people built their homes on stilts in the water. And they got to land in boats. In this case, it is unlikely that semi-domesticated dogs would remain near a person - they were interested in the immediate proximity of a person and the small benefits that this proximity gave them. But dogs would not be on the shore while a person lived in huts in the middle of the water. This means that they also lived in huts. This means that they were no longer half, but completely domesticated. So much so that they got into the boat. And for this, the dog must already have a lot of trust in the person.

The diversity of dogs during this period (judging by the bones found) is now explained by the non-mixed origin of these animals (wolf and jackal). It indicates that there was already some direction in the breeding of dogs, about some kind of rudimentary artificial selection, which, according to the definition of the famous German scientist of the last century K. Keller, “gave birth to breeds.”

In other words, dogs that lived in human camps 10-8 thousand years ago and whose bones are found in “kitchen heaps” were domesticated much earlier. But when?

There was no definite answer to this question until one day, about eighty years ago, teacher Savenkov, while walking along the banks of the Yenisei near Krasnoyarsk, wandered onto a small hill, called Afontovaya Mountain by local residents. Savenkov's attention was drawn to the cave. Having cleared the littered entrance, he discovered many objects indicating that there was an ancient man’s site here. There were also a lot of animal bones there. One of them seemed to the teacher very similar to a dog. But he himself could not determine for sure whether it was a dog bone or a wolf bone.

Savenkov reported his discovery to scientists. They became interested in the bone, carefully examined it and determined that the bone found was a dog bone.

Savenkov's discovery created a sensation. The fact is that the age of human settlement in the cave of Mount Afontova is determined to be 16 thousand years. This means that 16 thousand years ago a dog already lived next to a person. This means that we can assume that the process of domestication began much earlier. And when, following the Siberian discovery, similar discoveries were made in the Crimea and the Caucasus, in Denmark and France, where dog bones were also found in sites that were approximately the same age as the site on Afontovaya Mountain, no one doubted. that a dog serves a person not ten, but at least fifteen thousand years. Yes, this is the minimum. Konrad Lorenz expressed the idea that man settled a dog in his house at least 20 thousand years BC, and began to tame and feed the ancestors of our domestic dog 50 thousand years BC.

K. Lorenz is not alone: some scientists suggest that man took the first steps towards getting closer to his four-legged friend not even 50, but 60 thousand years ago! This means that the first steps could have been taken not by our immediate ancestor, the Cro-Magnon man, but even by his predecessor, the Neanderthal man.

But these are still only assumptions; there are no facts that would convincingly confirm them yet. However, there are no facts yet that can refute these assumptions.

But if a dog does not serve a person for 50 thousand years, then how many - 10, 16, 18, 20 thousand years?

It is very possible that the answer: 10, 16, 18, and 20 thousand years will be correct. Correct, because domestication took place not in one, but in different places globe and in different times– somewhere earlier, somewhere a little or much later.

Nowadays, the sites of ancient man in Europe and partly in Asia are better studied than others. And we have basic information about the time of domestication of dogs thanks to these excavations.

But it is believed that the most ancient centers of taming and domestication of animals are North Africa And Southwest Asia. And maybe some discoveries that will be made in those places will confirm that K. Lorenz and those who share his point of view are right?

Goals:

Develop visual memory, observation, imaginative representation; expand children's horizons;
Teach correct behavior and activities in nature, identify cases of negative attitudes towards it;
Introduce environmental problems that arise due to human fault, with the security activities of people;
Develop the ability to see and feel beauty native nature;
Nurture love and careful attitude to the animal world.

Equipment:

favorite animal toys on desks;
tables “Domestic Animals”, “Wild Animals”;
photographs of dogs, cats;
Red Book of Bashkortostan,
exhibition of books about animals,
screen, projector, laptop.

Progress of the event

I. Checking the organization of workplaces.

P. Question-and-answer conversation about animals.

Teacher:- What an amazing and unique world we live in. How beautiful and diverse the nature of our planet is - our common house. Where, besides you and me, many other people live. On October 31, 2011, the world's population reached 7 billion people. Who else lives next to us?

Yes, of course, interesting animals live next to us. Listen more carefully and you will understand why they were called that.

Some were named after appearance: rhinoceros, octopus, beluga whale, raven.

Others are so named because of what they like to eat - anteater, bunting, bear.

Third - by what they can do well - shrew, wagtail.

Now listen to why the well-known inhabitants of the Russian forest got their name.

Wolf- from the word dragging, dragging, i.e. dragging. The wolf is a predatory animal; it drags away its prey.

Hare- means jumper. This is a Polish word.

Squirrel- this is an old Russian word. The name comes from the color of the white squirrel and now applies to both red and gray squirrels.

Beaver- builder river dams. Named after the color of a beautiful and valuable fur coat. Beaver means brown, brown.

Frog- cognate to the word “kick”. This was the name given to the resident of the swamps for her jumping.

Snake- pay attention to how she moves. The name snake literally means crawling on the ground, earthen.

The fauna of our blue planet Earth is amazing and unique, and you and I must preserve it. You brought your favorite toys to our lesson.

Do you like the toy fair? Among them there are domestic and wild animals. What animals are called domestic? What about wild ones?

How should we treat animals - our “smaller brothers”? What benefit do they bring to us?

III. Game-competition “Settle the House”

Teacher: Do you know how the animals of our forests winter?

Place the animals in the necessary houses: in house I - hibernating animals, in house II - animals storing supplies for the winter, in house III - animals that can find food for themselves.

IV. Teacher: Who do you think causes the most harm to our nature?

That's right, man.

Unfortunately, for a very long time man lived with the confidence that “we cannot wait for favors from nature; it is our task to take them from her.” Therefore, throughout many years he took from nature everything he wanted, giving nothing in return. And now, as a result of thoughtless human activity, our planet is dying. Many plants and animals have disappeared completely or are on the verge of extinction. That is why people who cannot look at the death of wildlife with indifference have created several volumes of the Red Book, where these plants and animals were listed. They can still be saved. The red color of the book is a danger sign that orders us: “Stop!” Various international organizations, serving the cause of nature conservation. One of them is the World Fund wildlife. The emblem of this organization is the image of a panda - one of the rarest animals in the world. Another international environmental organization- Greenpeace. This name is translated from English language means "Green World".

And a lot depends on you guys too, on your attitude towards everything around you. After all, none of you need to explain that you can’t litter at home, each of you keeps your room clean and tidy, but for some reason, when we go outside, we forget about it. I would like you to feel your responsibility in preserving nature.

You have prepared for our lesson special signs for nature conservation, please comment on them.

Don't break tree branches!
You can't catch butterflies!
Do not destroy insects, frogs and toads!
Don't destroy birds' nests!
Do not touch the chicks with your hands, the mother will abandon them.
Don't take animals from the forest.
You can't pick flowers!

Every year all humanity celebrates international days dedicated to protecting nature. Please get to know them.

Ecological calendar

April 22 is World Water Day.
April 1 is Bird Day.
April 22 is Earth Day.
June 5 is World Environment Day.
June 17 is World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought.
16 – International Day for the Preservation of the Earth's Ozone Layer.
September 20 is Forest Workers Day.
September 27 is International Maritime Day.
October 4 is International Animal Welfare Day.
December 29 is International Day of Biological Diversity.

V. Teacher: And now the guys will read you a poem about those who simply live next to us and with their presence bring happiness and joy to our home. (Reading of B. Zakhoder’s poem “Muzzle, Tail and Four Legs” by prepared children)

Muzzle, tail and four legs

Boris Zakhoder

We barely overtook the monkey,
Taking steps towards the heights of progress, -
They immediately started jumping after us

Sometimes we go astray
(It’s dark all around, and you can’t see anything),
But we won't be allowed to get lost forever
A muzzle, a tail and four legs!

Let the fierce predators howl in the thicket -
You are not afraid of any enemies.
- Don't be afraid, we are close! - they will calm you down
Muzzle, tail and four legs.

And if sometimes sadness gnaws at you
(There is such melancholy, even if you run),
Believe that no one will help you like that,
Like a muzzle, a tail and four legs.

A little meat, a little porridge...
(In short, you won’t have to go into debt!)
Mattress in the corner...
And here they are - ours:
Muzzle, tail and four legs.

I think you guessed who we are talking about. Yes, these are our four-legged friends - dogs. They have been domesticated by humans for more than 2000 years. Over the years, more than 400 breeds have been bred. Naturally, there are so many names. Some of them can be easily explained. For example:

Cur- the most common “breed” of dogs. You see them in every yard. And although they do not have any pedigree, they are loved no less.

Laika- got its name from its ringing calling bark, which helps the hunter determine the location of the dog and prey.

Shepherd- a dog is a guardian of sheep flocks.

Greyhounds- this is a breed hunting dogs. The name greyhound comes from the word greyhound, which means fast.

(As the story progresses, the children look at a photo exhibition of dogs.)

The great scientist Charles Darwin called dogs animals that love us more than themselves. Today you will learn a lot of interesting things about dogs and make sure these words are correct. Not a single animal in the world is distinguished by such affection for humans as a dog. Not a single animal serves man so selflessly, so devotedly as this amazing creature.

VI. Reading children's essays about their favorite pets.

And now I want to listen to your stories about your favorite pets. Children read their essays about their favorite pets.

VII. Generalization, summing up the lesson.

Summarizing the stories of children, it is necessary to emphasize the kind attitude of the children towards their “smaller brothers” - animals.

I believe that if a child had a four-legged friend in childhood, he will grow up to be a kind, decent person and will take care of the surrounding nature.

Let's read the note on the board.

Take care of these lands, these waters,
I love even a small piece of grass.
Take care of all animals within nature.
Kill animals only within yourself.
E. Yevtushenko.

VIII. The final song “We are going, going, going...”

(Children, holding their favorite toys in their hands, sing together)

We go, we go, we go.
To distant lands,
Good neighbors
Happy friends.

We have fun
We sing a song
And the song says
About how we live.

Chorus:

Beauty! Beauty!
We are taking the cat with us,
Siskin, dog,
Petka the bully,
Monkey, parrot -
What a company!

When we live together
What could be better!
And there's no need to quarrel
And you can love everyone.

You're on a long journey.
Take your friends with you:
They will help you
And it's more fun with them.

Chorus.

We drove, we sang.
And with a funny song
All together, as best we could,
We arrived home.

The sun was shining for us,
The wind blew around us
It wasn't boring on the way,
And everyone sang:

Chorus.

Teacher: Dear guys, did you like our class hour! Have you learned anything new? I would like you to never forget that we are not alone in this world and that someone really needs your help, support, protection, or maybe just kind word and a smile.

Literature:

Red Book of Bashkortostan.
Red Book of the Russian Federation.
A.A. Pleshakov “The world around us.”
E.A. Yevtushenko “Poems about the Motherland.”
B. Zakhoder “Poems for Children.”
S. Mikhalkov “Song of Friends”
Wikipedia is the free encyclopedia.

When you live in a metropolis, you inevitably forget that on earth there are not only cats, dogs, and the ubiquitous pigeons. Therefore, we bring to your attention a review of unusual animals, compiled by a person who was deprived of the opportunity to travel, but who retained a passion for exploring everything new and interesting.

Rabbits are not only valuable fur...

The review of unusual animals opens with the Angora rabbit - a creature of indescribable beauty. As you can see, most of the rabbit is wool, which is probably not easy for the little animal in the heat summer time! So, dry data on this beast: body length is 61 cm; average weight- 5 kg, chest girth 38 cm. You can get half a kilo of valuable wool per year from one individual, but for this you will have to work hard - the rabbit needs to be combed regularly.

Some believe that such unusual animals as Angora rabbits were bred in Turkey (Ankara). However, there is no direct evidence of this fact. A variety of things are made from rabbit wool - scarves, stockings, gloves, fabrics and even underwear.

I sleep at night, in the evening and in the morning - and after lunch - insomnia!

Imagine, it turns out that not only the descendants of the wild tribes once discovered by old Columbus live in South and Central America! This territory is also inhabited by sloths - these unusual animals are very active... 9 hours a day - the remaining fifteen hours they sleep. Sloths feed only on leaves, which they can then digest for a whole month.

Sloths do not like to crawl from trees; they do this only to fulfill their natural needs. By the way, sloths have a very large bladder, so they only walk “little” once a week. The body length of animals is 60 cm, body weight is from 4 to 9 kg. Sloths lead such a slow lifestyle that butterflies - moths - appear in the fur of the animals.

Unusual animals - horror from the bowels of the earth

In the northeastern USA, as well as in southeastern Canada, you can meet the star-nosed bat - this mammal belongs to the mole family. Tourists have nothing to fear - despite their rather formidable appearance, star-nosed bats feed only on insects. Long tail(about 8 cm) of this unusual animal is covered with scales and rather sparse hair.

Stigma of the star-nosed plant (which impressed many developers computer games to create masterpieces in the horror genre) is constantly moving when the animal is searching for food. When the starfish eats, all the rays of its stigma (of which there are 22) gather in a heap. Star-nosed animals are unusual animals; personally, I would not like to see such an animal on my country plot.

Finding Captain Nemo

Such an unusual animal as the narwhal is mentioned in the book by science fiction writer Jules Verne “20 Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.” One of the main characters of the work, Professor Aronnax, mistook the legendary Nautilus, a submarine belonging to Captain Nemo, for a giant narwhal.

The real narwhal lives in the North Atlantic and the waters of the North Arctic Ocean. Nature has rewarded the narwhal with a formidable weapon - a bone pike, the length of which reaches 2-3 meters, and the weight of up to ten kg. The body length of an adult narwhal is 3.5 - 4.5 meters, weight - 1.5 tons (males) and 900 kg (females).

The narwhal's tusk is a sensitive organ. Previously, researchers assumed that the animal used it to break through the ice crust. But it is more likely that the tusk helps the mammal sense changes in temperature, pressure and concentration of suspended solids in the water.

But still, these dragons are unusual animals!

IN territorial waters Grandfather relative lives in southern and western Australia seahorse- leafy sea dragon. You can meet this animal in shallow water - where the water warms up thoroughly. One of distinctive features unusual animal - shoots on the head and body that resemble leaves and are intended for camouflage.

The body length of the “sea dragon” can reach 45 cm, its fins are completely transparent. Fun fact: the leafy sea dragon is the state emblem of South Australia. The creature moves quite slowly - no more than 150 meters per hour. From afar sea dragon resembles a torn sprig of seaweed. As befits a dragon, this creature is a predator - its diet consists of small fish and shrimp.

A bird that only flies down

Of all the parrots living on our planet, the kakapo parrot, or as it is also called the owl parrot, is rightfully considered the most unique. Don't believe me? Judge for yourself. Firstly, this is a bird that, unlike all its fellows, has completely lost the ability to fly.

Living on an isolated island and not having to travel significant distances, she ended up evolutionary process became a pedestrian. The muscles of her wings are so weak that they are absolutely unsuitable for flight. The only thing this bird can do is perch on a tree and then glide to the ground.

Secondly, in terms of weight and huge dimensions, the kakapo is an absolute record holder among other parrots. The weight of some males can reach up to 4 kg. And these birds set a record for life expectancy. Many of them manage to overcome the century mark.

Thirdly, the kakapo parrot has a strong but pleasant smell, which gives it the opportunity to communicate its presence to another specimen. Only in New Zealand can you find these amazing birds among various bushes and trees. And it’s sad to think that in our time there are just over a hundred of them left. Rats brought to the island by Europeans - main reason extinction of these birds. Chicks and egg clutches were destroyed by predatory rodents in geometric progression, and adults became victims of martens. Low speed reproduction of birds also affected the process of their extinction.

Interdisciplinary connections: geography, ethnography, mythology, technology.
Period: all year round, except for the period of New Year, Christmas, Maslenitsa and May programs.
Recommended age: from 11 to 18 years.
Duration: 3 hours 45 minutes.

Excursion “Our neighbors on the planet” with a visit to Peace Street and ethnic courtyards (90 minutes + 15 minutes for the transition)
Master class “Ebru” (45 minutes + 15 minutes for transition)
Quest “What does it cost us to build a house?” (60 minutes)

The excursion takes place on the territory of one of the park's ethnoyards and in the pavilion of the Streets of the World "Around the World", for which ETNOMIR received the national award "My Planet" - for the opportunity to make trip around the world in one day: here are a Japanese minka house and a Korean hanok, a European half-timbered house and an Indonesian bamboo house.. - 45 traditional dwellings different nations! An exciting journey introduces program participants to exhibits representing the way of life, traditions, and beliefs of the peoples of the Earth, which gives schoolchildren a vivid idea of the world.

Ebru is a special painting method that involves using an unusual surface – water – as a canvas. There are many versions of where the art of water painting came from: different sources Not only China and Japan are called the birthplace of technology, but also Uzbekistan, India, Pakistan, Persia and a number of other countries. The term Ebru comes from the Persian ebri, meaning "air clouds". And, indeed, if you look at the drawing made using this technology, it becomes clear why it was called that.

Participants in the master class will do amazing things with their own hands, unique product. Throughout the entire process, the master will tell you about the history of the technology, and will also help each participant individually.

During the quest “What does it cost us to build a house?” We invite participants to resolve the dispute between two professional builders! They received an order from ETNOMIR to build a new pavilion and immediately started a dispute among themselves - according to the ancients or modern technologies build? Choose your sides and create an original project for a new pavilion. Along the way, you will learn about how many amazing technologies and discoveries have been made in the corners of our world so that people can move from caves to skyscrapers!

Price

3 hours 45 minutes

Price (full/person) - 1200 rub.
Price (preferential*/person) - 1100 rub.

ETNOMIR programs are conducted for groups of 15 people or more.

When booking a program, the person accompanying the group must read the instructions and rules for staying in the park**. And also, when ordering a transfer, with additional information on the transfer and a reminder for bus passengers.

* Children from 5 to 12 years old, labor veterans, people with disabilities(disabled people of groups 1 and 2), large families. When purchasing a tour, you must provide documents confirming the benefit.
** Anyone accompanying the group must have with them the final version of the tour program sent by the manager. The accompanying person bears full responsibility for obtaining information and documents ( waybills) during the group’s arrival at ETNOMIR, conveying clear information to all group members and keeping information sheets until the end of the program. In case of loss of waybills, the administration is not responsible for the group’s lateness or failure to show up for the program and has the right not to carry out the missed activity. The program does not provide for the group to be accompanied by an ETNOMIR employee. Thank you for your understanding!
* * * To visit ETNOMIR with children, adults must pay for their participation in the program or purchase an entrance ticket to the park. If you purchase an entrance ticket without paying for the program, adults cannot take part in the program with children.
* * * * Entry to this program is free for participants.