Animals are man's companions, Animals are man's companions, the importation of birds to other continents, the scale of changes in the fauna as a result of the conscious import of animals, how many animals were brought to New Zealand by the Hawaiian Islands?, photo Animals are man's companions.

The garden of the dacha plot froze over the winter; all life was hidden in the buds, seeds, sprouts, eggs, larvae and pupae of insects. They only appear in the evenings eternal companions people are sparrows and, when they see me, they are frightened and shy away to the sides. We lost the habit over the winter! Early in the morning they fly towards the city and hunt in garbage dumps.

Two types of sparrows - field and house sparrows - do not pay attention to each other and do not quarrel with each other. The Tree Sparrow is brighter, more beautiful, with a chocolate brown cap, white collar and black throat. Females have a black throat and a smaller white collar; the color is not so bright. The house sparrow is more modestly colored than the field sparrow. The male has a less elegant cap, no white collar, and no black spot, but just a stripe. The female is completely grey, with an ocher or whitish stripe above each eye.

Over the winter, our flock of sparrows has decreased. I didn’t say a word and it was no coincidence that I called the flock “our”: these noisy and active birds spent the night in my house all winter. Probably some of them died, others remained in the city or settled in other places. Among the gray brethren of field sparrows, completely black cities appeared, smeared with soot and smoked by the smoky air. Probably every year city sparrows go to live in the fields and settle in dachas. We people are also hiding from the city. Spring has come, and I noticed: when the time comes for sparrows to take care of their offspring, very animated and noisy females begin to squeak like chicks and flutter their half-opened wings. They probably explain to each other that winter and migrations are over, spring has come and with it the time to take care of their offspring. What could be stronger than parental feelings! I observed a similar behavior in a swallow, and it may be widespread among small birds.

In winter, starving country cats, left to the mercy of fate by their frivolous owners, learned to hunt for sparrows. Today I witnessed an unusual incident. On a neighbor’s property, on leaves that had fallen from the trees and dried up from the warm spring rays of the sun, a cat lay down and began to roll around on the ground somehow unusually. Her strange behavior caught my attention.

The cat was instantly noticed by a flock of sparrows sitting on a tree, and since the cat was about thirty meters away, they flew to another tree closer and, bowing their heads, froze.

A grimacing cat and a flock of sparrows silently watching her - I saw this for the first time in my life.

Soon the sparrows, one after another, began to descend from branch to branch. The most curious of them galloped up very close to the cat. Now he'll get it!

I would like to watch the show to the end. But he could not stand the upcoming triumph of deception and scared off the insidious predator. The cat rushed off, and the sparrows scattered in all directions. That's how it all ended!

Then there were warm rains for two days, the buds swelled, the grass turned green, and the sparrows washed themselves for the first time and became clean and beautiful. While it was cold, they did not take a bath. The black sparrow, the "black man", as I called him, darkened from the night in the pipes of city houses, also brightened, but still did not wash properly. It was very dirty.

Two wagtails spin around in freshly dug beds, looking for thick beetleworm larvae and bent cutworm caterpillars. Each find is necessarily accompanied by a triumphant squeak: obviously, in order to inform your companion that there is prey here, you need to continue the hunt.

While digging the beds, I collected about two dozen beetle larvae and put them in a jar. The wagtails noticed, ran up to the jar, began to look into it, and knock on the glass with their beaks. But they were afraid to get into it or didn’t think of it. I had to pour the larvae onto the ground. What a triumphant squeak arose then! Birds also know how to express their joy. The sparrows saw everything, noticed everything. They forgot the quarrel with the starlings and attacked the beetle larvae. There was enough loot for everyone. The wagtails were so full that, sitting on an apple tree, they even took a nap. I have never seen this energetic and restless bird so sleepy...

The gardens were decorated with soft pink clouds of apricot flowers. Sparrows sit on the trees and - what scoundrels! - peck pollinating insects arriving on flowers.

A mass mating flight of winged female harvester ants has begun. One female fell at my feet. I put her on my finger. She quickly took off from him and began to rise. Set off on a mating flight. But a sparrow noticed the wanderer (probably not by chance sitting on the power wires), caught up with her, grabbed her and swallowed her...

After winter, sparrows gradually get used to people, pick up crumbs of bread, and examine the dog’s bowl.

According to the unanimous conclusion, one of my neighbors is an unimportant summer resident. It’s been three years since he laid the foundation, but he hasn’t built a house. And the garden started. But this spring I was inspired: I brought boards, sand, tow and... I calmed down. The tow came in handy for the sparrows. One by one they dragged her into the nests: the tow bedding was soft and tender. The rumor about the ownerless material spread throughout the entire dacha village, feathered builders flocked from everywhere, and stole all the tow.

It's getting warmer every day. Spring is gaining strength. The sparrows adapted; a large group of them settled in the gap under the ridge of the roof of the country house. Now every couple is spying on each other. One brought two thin straws, but sat on the roof unsuccessfully, slid his paws down the smooth slate, as if on ice skates, and dropped his load in surprise. He managed to grab one straw, but the neighbor immediately dragged away the other. Now the sparrows have become homebodies, spending all their time on the site, watching the feeders. Sometimes, with loud screams, they attack a fellow who has done something wrong. But the one who got screwed is not particularly discouraged after the beating. Minor everyday failures do not discourage him.

When the sparrows gather near the table after dinner to feast on crumbs, the dog, like a real owner, drives them away. But the birds are always on the alert and are not particularly afraid of her. For them, running away from the dog means playing at easy danger. Perhaps they collect more crumbs of food that fall from the table old habit, having fun. Now there is a lot of food everywhere...

In the steppe and desert, sparrows have a hard time building nests: there are few suitable places. Ingenuity helps.

During drought years, sheep in wintering areas have to be fed hay stored in compressed bales tied with iron wire. This harness causes a lot of trouble for livestock farmers. It clings to the legs of the sheep and is pulled apart by them in all directions. Therefore, caring owners of winter huts collect wire and put it in dense piles. From a distance, such piles stand out against the light background of the desert in a dark color and appear to be bushes.

The birds liked one of these large iron bushes. When I approached it, a noisy flock of sparrows flew out of the weave of wire. The wire turned out to be an excellent shelter. A predator cannot get into it, and a snake - a hunter of chicks - cannot crawl into it. Even a couple of shrikes settled in one of these iron weaves. These birds, brave and grumpy, did not tolerate the proximity of other birds. Not a single sparrow was allowed near them.

Summer has come. The sparrows have offspring. I set up the tape recorder and extended the microphone to the corner of the veranda. There, in the nest, the chicks were chirping. I had to stand for a long time with the microphone in my outstretched hand. The recording was unsuccessful: the radio started talking, a motorcycle rattled, a car drove nearby, and they banged on the boards with a hammer. The two neighbors, not embarrassed by the distance of a good two hundred meters separating them, began to inquire about each other’s health. Sounds that you usually don’t pay attention to came from all sides.

But during the long wait, small secrets of sparrow life were revealed. Things were, in general, simple. Almost always only one hungry chick screamed. He immediately fell silent as soon as he received a handout, and completely devoted himself to blissful digestion. Instead, another hungry person started the concert. As soon as a cry was heard, the old sparrows rushed to look for prey and dragged it away. The sparrows did not give rest to their parents.

And one more thing turned out interesting feature. Having had their fill, the chicks fell silent. But as soon as a squeak was heard in the next nest, sleep was interrupted in the one where I was on duty with the tape recorder: a friendly concert there also began. “Since the neighbors are asking for food, we need it too.”

Nevertheless, despite the interference, I managed to record the conversation of the chicks. When I turned on the recording for playback, the chicks immediately responded, the parents became worried and immediately began to supply them with food. And so on endlessly: as soon as I turned on the tape recorder, the chicks began to squeak. Then I realized: as if the brood would not suffer from overeating. The experiments had to be stopped.

Sparrows raised one generation. We moved on to something else. Some were late with their second offspring. One pair of these latecomers made a nest under the ridge, the other - on the edge, under the roof of the veranda. At first the chicks squealed very quietly and in thin voices. Every day their voices grew stronger and lower in tone. By the sounds one could judge the age of the younger generation.

One day a lone sparrow appeared above the veranda. He filled his beak with food and circled around the nest for a long time, could not find the entrance to it, looked into every hole in the slate roof, and finally climbed into the nest, but not the way it was supposed to, but from the side. Soon he reappeared with food and - so stupid - again could not find his way. The sparrow was clearly a stranger.

In the evening he again took advantage of his parents' absence. Who is he, a volunteer assistant? An uncle, an aunt, an older brother or sister, or just a compassionate stranger whose heart could not stand the chicks’ request?

Finally, early in the morning, a flock of sparrows flew to the ridge of the roof. They sat down near the nest, huddled together, and everyone tried to climb into the nest to see who was there.

Parents angrily chased away the curious. I knew one of them well. His tail was runny and was missing several feathers. But - amazing thing! The sparrows hovered only around the nest under the ridge. The nest under the veranda - no attention.

Who are the sparrows of this flock? Good old neighbors, distant relatives or grown-up children? They wandered through the fields, then, having agreed, they rushed to visit their people. Probably, birds distinguish each other well by sight and retain related feelings for a long time.

How little we know about their lives!..

The affairs of sparrows, late with their offspring, on summer cottage ended unexpectedly. Early in the morning, the yellow-throated sparrows flew out of the nest one after another. Parents closely watched the appearance. Now I am convinced: the belated ones were raised by old, experienced sparrows, and I was probably mistaken, for them it was not the belated second, but the third generation.

The smallest and timidest sparrow did not dare to fly out of the nest for a long time, he kept looking and looking into the garden. Finally he flew out, sat on a peg, but saw me, got very scared, flew on and landed in the bushes. The old sparrow instantly descended there and began to pronounce something, chirp, teach and instruct.

The second nest under the ridge was also empty. The sparrows have finally finished the breeding season...

It smelled like autumn. The air became elastic and fresh, the nights lengthened and became cool.

In the morning, sparrows flew in, and one of them climbed into the birdhouse. They began to visit winter apartments. From the tall, dense elm trees came a loud chorus of many chirping sparrows. Old sparrows have long since raised their offspring to become “people” and, having gathered in flocks, wander around, and early in the morning they gossip for a long time and noisily. What is the meaning of this choral singing - no one knows. Now it will be like this all autumn and all winter until spring...

In the morning our garden began to rustle: sparrows flew in and began checking the apartments. Some people pulled straws. It turns out that the correct weather forecast was broadcast on the radio: cold weather and rain were expected by the end of the day.

Noctuid caterpillars and young crickets crawled into the country house, and a sedate holy woman climbed into the house. A fat and prudent toad slithered into the underground. By evening it really began to rain and became sharply cold. He cleared the air and killed the dust. It smelled even more like autumn.

Sparrows mill about on the roofs, looking closely at old nests: where to spend the winter, where to find a warmer place? One liked the titmouse I cooked. But he was afraid to slip into the narrow entrance. The birdhouses are already occupied, heads are sticking out of every window. Large flocks perch on bare, leafless trees. From here you can clearly see, you won’t be able to take your enemy by surprise.

Once a large flock of sparrows descended on the dacha. The birds chirped for a long time and noisily, as if they were discussing some important event. And they scattered to secluded places, to winter, pre-allocated apartments. This was the noisiest gathering of sparrows this year.

It will be frosty! - said the neighbor, looking at the flock of birds, and went to close the grapes.

Apparently, in anticipation of bad weather, the sparrows flew to the fields and fed thoroughly. Soon a tedious and fine rain began to drizzle over the dacha. A couple of sparrows sitting on the wires became columns: the body is vertical, the tail is lowered down. This way you'll get less wet.

Now winter has come. The dachas are empty. A difficult time has come for the sparrows. The nights became long. At first, a faint dawn penetrates the window. Then it brightens, objects become distinguishable. I get out of bed, light the fireplace and hurry outside. The east is already turning red, but the sun is not yet there, it is behind the mountains. The clouds frozen over the snowy peaks turn red, and the distant glaciers turn red, then they lighten and become golden. sun rays illuminate the tops of nearby hills. Finally the sun appears. The sparrows wake up and, with cheerful chirping, go about their business. They gather in flocks near browned weeds. While some peck the seeds on plants, others pick up those that have fallen on the snow. Birds destroy a lot of weed seeds and thereby benefit the farmer. Only few people know about this.

Our sparrows are different from those that live in the city. The “townspeople” are black from smoke and soot, but the people here are clean and grey. The lungs of city dwellers are probably just as dirty.

Several species of sparrows live in our country. Of these, some are not associated with human habitation, such as, for example, saxaul and black-breasted sparrows.

Black-breasted sparrows nest in colonies near highways in forest belts. Sometimes there are so many of them that all the trees are covered with nests, and in the forest belt there is an incessant hubbub of a great many voices.

When the colony is located on both sides of the road, the sparrows continuously fly to each other. Young people are also included in these mutual visits. Many of them, incompetent, die when they collide with cars on the fly. Along such a road, kites fly sedately and with dignity, picking up fresh prey that is so easily obtained. They've probably gotten completely lazy and don't want to hunt themselves.

The black-breasted, or, as it is also called, the Spanish sparrow, is a wandering bird that does not stay for the winter and flies to warm countries. It builds nests from thin plant stems and prefers fragrant gray wormwood. Each nest is like a hollow ball, slightly oval, the size of a small watermelon. The entrance to it is from the side, invisible.

I climbed into a forest belt inhabited by sparrows. The birds quickly noticed me, and their noisy flock scattered to the sides. I knew that the young people had long since flown the nest, so I photographed several of their homes and inquired about their structure. The bed for the chicks is not particularly comfortable; it only contains one or two feathers here and there. But one nest amazed me. It was thoroughly filled, even, perhaps, filled with fresh cocklebur fruits.

Who doesn't know this weed? It especially often grows in wastelands, between roads, and in places of overgrazing. Its oval-spherical fruits, the size of a small bean, are completely covered with strong prickly spines. The tip of each spine is slightly curved. The fruits firmly cling to human clothing. They are difficult to get out of wool, and pets suffer a lot of inconvenience because of them.

When I was getting ready to go to the reserve, many people envied me, saying that they would also be happy to live in a deserted dense forest. I sometimes tried to imagine what these inveterate city dwellers would look like in summer time in floodplain areas.

However, not only does the forest greet people with hostility, it does not give space to the animals associated with them. Like weeds that do not grow in natural meadows and forest clearings, birds living near humans feel “out of place” in the reserve. Sparrows do not dare to fly here at all. Although gray crows visit the reserve regularly, they rarely nest here. By the way, it is mainly the raven that oppresses them. Magpies stay along the border of protected lands and are as rare here as nightingales in orchards.

And only starlings in spring and summer are ready to populate all birdhouses and hollows both in villages and in the forest. Their large tribe is constantly lacking nesting sites, so in the spring the songs of starlings were heard in the most remote corners of the reserved forest. The famous mockingbirds, these birds, which saw almost half the world during winter migrations, wove into their melody the cries of lapwings, the whistling of lentils or orioles, and sometimes the voices of some overseas inhabitants. It happened sometimes that, having heard an unfamiliar voice, I tried to find the unknown singer, but it turned out that it was still the same ordinary starling, selflessly singing near a hollow hollow hollowed out by a great spotted woodpecker. But most of these birds nested on the forest edges, where the reserve workers hung out many good birdhouses.

Although starlings successfully populate all suitable nesting sites, their life in the forest is by no means as idyllic as in villages or even cities. When the chicks begin to grow up, predators take over them. Every now and then the alarming cries of adult birds are heard from all sides. You can’t help but wonder if it’s a person they’re calling for help. At every opportunity I tried to find out the cause of the commotion. And it was always the culprit pine marten. One day the animal was caught right at the crime scene. Sitting in the birdhouse and sticking his head out of the entrance, he drooled satiatedly, looking indifferently first at me, then at the destitute owners flying next to the loud screams. The predator, apparently, had just eaten the entire brood and had no desire or was unable to get out through the narrow entrance with a full belly.

Nowhere have I seen martens so often and, moreover, during daylight hours. Either they were chasing each other along the sandy road, then the fluffy animal was sneaking through the tall grass, then its bright fur flashed among the windbreaks.

As soon as the chicks began to fledge, from all the birdhouses at the edge of the forest, which were systematically observed, one or two birdlings began to disappear, and some were found dead at the bottom of the nest - all this was the “handiwork” of the pine marten. It is no coincidence that this animal, usually active at night, switched to being awake during the day during this period. In this way, he made it easier for himself to find prey: during the day, the grown starlings make such a noise that they can be detected from a distance of more than a hundred meters, but at night they are silent.

During the period when the nestlings fly out, the martens enter a kind of harvesting time - this small predator kills more than it can eat. IN hot weather The corpses of chicks quickly dry out in birdhouses. In winter, when there is no food, the animals look for these summer reserves, and they serve them as a great help.

It was necessary to take special measures to save starlings from martens, at least in those nest boxes where the feeding of this species of bird was studied. The trunks of several trees were wrapped in wide strips of old plastic film, which prevented the marten from climbing up. And in the end, the broods survived only in birdhouses hanging on such “slippery” trunks. So, in well-made, clearly visible from afar artificial nests With a large entrance in deserted places, starlings have a hard time.

No better fate awaits other birds - human companions. Even if sparrows and killer whales decide to enter the reserve, they huddle here only near the cordons where people are. I lived for about a month in the empty cordon of Berezhin, where I became an involuntary witness to the deplorable situation in which animals who have cast their lot with people find themselves in those cases when they are suddenly left without their owners.

The huntsman and his family left Berezhina in the winter. The good-quality house, surrounded by a two-meter-high log fence, was empty. Although this fence could not isolate the yard from birds and rodents, it still created its own, conditionally closed world inside. I only came home to spend the night. The ground around, no longer trampled by the hooves of domestic animals and people, was overgrown with grass. Traces of desolation were visible everywhere. But behind the ridge of the roof there were still six pairs of house sparrows and three pairs of tree sparrows, and in the spring, killer whale nests were built in the dilapidated rooms of the stables, cowshed and poultry house. However, some kind of evil fate seemed to hang over all the feathered inhabitants of the house: as soon as they finished laying, someone destroyed them. Fresh shells of broken eggs appeared every now and then at the gate and in the yard.

With the swallows everything turned out to be quite simple. One morning, staying at home later than usual, I saw a magpie stealthily jumping along the fence. Approaching the barn, she quickly slipped in through the open door. The bird was checking to see if new clutches had appeared in the swallows’ nests to replace the ones it had previously destroyed. From then on, all outbuildings had to be bolted to prevent the wind from accidentally opening them. Swallows easily entered through the cracks above the doors, but they turned out to be too narrow for the magpies. After that, things went smoothly for the killer whales, and no one bothered them anymore.

Meanwhile, the sparrows continued to suffer. Their pitiful cries were often heard in the yard. These birds, who cannot stand loneliness, dine, rejoice, and face danger together. Every now and then the entire sparrow population of our yard flew up to the only apple tree and, sitting in a row, began to squeal alarmingly. Several times I tried to determine what excited the birds so much, but I didn’t find anything suspicious. We didn't even have a cat. However, the sparrows cautiously looked behind the siding of the house, where they had hidden nests. Someone, invisible from the outside, was climbing under the roof. One day, when there was another noise in the yard, I left the house and saw a snake calmly basking in the sun. The sparrows, sitting on the lower branches of the apple tree, looked at him with horror. It is known that this snake, harmless to humans, is not averse to feasting on bird eggs and chicks, like all reptiles. This is not the first time I have seen this. In the morning he sometimes came across me near the porch. As I approached, it crawled away, as if flowing into a small gap between the boards. In the evenings he appeared in the middle of the yard and looked at me defiantly. From the first days I suspected that it was exactly what was robbing birds’ nests. So it apparently was. He looked excellent - well-fed and shiny. However, there was no way to block his access to the sparrows' nests. And not a single pair of birds was able to hatch chicks.

The Hobby took a considerable toll from the adult passerine population of our yard. This rather large, beautifully flying falcon often appeared near the house. Usually he chose the moment when the sparrows sat down on the apple tree with alarming cries and their attention was focused on the tree. The falcon quickly swooped around the corner, grabbed the gaping bird and, holding it in its paw, carried it off into the forest.

It is known that sparrows often settle near large birds of prey. In the desert of Central Asia, I found nests of Indian sparrows, built between thick branches, in the home of a golden eagle; sparrows often adapt to living together with buzzards. I came across nests in Kazakhstan tree sparrow in the home of a kite and even a crow. This custom of enjoying the protection of a strong neighbor among sparrows, in all likelihood, extended to people. In addition, humans provide these birds not only with a safe shelter, but also with food. A house abandoned by people can be remotely compared to an empty eagle's nest. Deprived of strong patrons, sparrows in broad daylight timidly huddled against the logs of the fence, warily watching the sky. There was no sound of chicks squeaking under the roof.

The predators did not leave our house at night. Before the real warmth arrived, before the mosquitoes appeared, I often spent my evenings on the porch. There was no electricity at the cordon, but the moon was shining so brightly that it was possible to write in the diary, for which there was not enough time during the day. The silence of a cool, windless night is special. There is no more depressing mosquito buzz. The cold does not allow the nightingales to sing. First one, then the other of them timidly begins to chatter, but immediately falls silent mid-sentence. By eleven o'clock they also calm down. One day at such a time appeared unexpected guest. First, someone knocked softly on the roof of the barn. Then they quietly hit the goal. And suddenly an owl landed on a woodpile right in the middle of the yard. If it weren't for the light sound of her claws hitting the wood, her appearance would have been completely silent. A light gray bird the size of a kite was only two meters away from me. The moonlight reflected in her large round black eyes. It was a gray owl. She was interested in mice that were forced to get out of the house at night and run around the neighborhood in search of food.

The owl silently turned its head, listening. She flew over the fence and sat on the roof. This time not finding a mouse rustle anywhere, she went behind the barn.

The old house no longer belonged to people, but to the forest. This island of deserted human habitation was absorbed by nature - her kingdom was in the reserve.

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The man is changing more and more environment. This is manifested not only in the displacement of wild nature by cultivated plants, as well as the construction of buildings and technical structures, but also in a qualitative change in the flora and fauna that still remain. While discussing the possibilities of passive dispersal, we have repeatedly mentioned the unintentional transportation of animals on ships and planes, railways and in cars.

What was more important for leveling out faunal differences (in other words, for “faking” faunas): intentional or unintentional dispersal of animals by humans during the development of new areas of the globe, as well as when moving from one country to another? In general, we can assume that for vertebrates, unintentional dispersal played a very small role (but don’t forget rats!), much more higher value it had for invertebrates, especially insects.

Colonization of overseas countries led to a partial "Europeanization" of local flora and fauna, which went in parallel with the introduction of European civilization. In the old colonies, even the earthworm fauna acquired a European appearance. At the same time, the interpenetration of faunas went in both directions.

The motives for relocating exotic animals are different - there are both economic reasons and purely emotional ones. Sometimes it is difficult to understand why, in fact, this was done. Let's take our house sparrow, this not-so-desirable companion of civilization. It serves just a shining example active settlement associated with humans, their residential and commercial buildings.

Birds were rarely brought anywhere due to oversight. How does the house sparrow ( Passer domesticus) found himself together with European settlers in a place where he clearly could not get on his own due to insurmountable sea spaces? It is difficult to imagine that anyone would take sparrows with them to foreign lands, as happened with other birds. And yet, some of the first settlers, apparently, did not want to part with their dear and dear chirping. (True, this can explain only part of the intentional transportation of sparrows!) It seems completely implausible that there could be considerations for such a relocation of sparrows economic order, especially considering the devastating raids of flocks of sparrows on our fields. And yet this happened more than once! In 1850, the sparrow was brought to North America, and in 1872 - to Argentina. In the sixties of the last century, he ended up in Australia and, finally, somewhere between 1900 and 1906 - in Brazil! In a number of cases, sparrows did not immediately take root in a new place, and the first arrival was followed by repeat arrivals.

In North America, after the failure of the first attempt to resettle sparrows, birdhouses began to be hung for them, and enterprising businessmen even organized the sale of food. From 1860 to 1870, sparrows spread to Missouri, and soon they had to be fought against. But according to the plan, in all these cases the sparrows were supposed to help humans in the fight against harmful insects. And yet, later sparrows were brought to New Zealand, to the Hawaiian Islands, Melanesia, South Africa, Cuba, Jamaica and Bermuda!

It is very difficult to assess the scale of changes in a particular fauna as a result of the deliberate import of animals. A comprehensive answer cannot be obtained even with sufficient data. It is well known that pets repeatedly replenish local wild fauna. Often savagery occurred without human intent, but in a number of cases it was allowed to occur quite deliberately. So, on some islands, in order to create food sources for the shipwrecked, goats were also released - after all, before the invention of radio, the unfortunate ones had to wait months, if not years, for communication with the outside world.

House sparrow (Passer domesticus)

There are feral pigs, for example, in North and South America, on various islands south seas, in New Zealand and Madagascar. In the prairies of North America, herds of feral cattle and “wild” mustangs are still found. The same is true for the pampas and llanos of South America and some areas of Australia. Feral cattle can be found in New Zealand, New Guinea and Hawaii. Herds of feral goats have lived in the British Isles for hundreds of years. Feral one-humped camels (dromedaries) were once found in the southern United States, in Spain (at the mouth of the Guadalquivir), in the Kalahari Desert, in Australia and, probably, have survived in some places to this day. It is interesting that the Spanish herd, formed in the first half of the 19th century, moved to live in the swamps. It existed until 1950 (the last ones were stolen). By the way, it is assumed that the remains of wild Bactrian camels in Mongolia also represent feral domestic animals. There are populations of feral dogs and cats in many places around the world. But truly new" wild beast"only the Australian dingo became, whose ancestors were apparently brought to Australia by humans even before historical time. Feral bees are found even in Central Europe.

There was a particularly great desire to bring animals to isolated areas, whose own fauna was very poor. We have already said that mammals did not previously live on the Mascarene Islands at all. At first, neither amphibians nor reptiles were found in Hawaii, and there was only one species of mammals. A similar situation existed on other islands. It is understandable that the colonists, in an attempt to expand food resources, imported animals that could be hunted.

New Zealand was also unattainably far away for mammals. It is about 2000 km from Tasmania and Australia. It is therefore not surprising that at the time of its discovery, only two species lived there bats, not counting the Polynesian rat, apparently introduced by humans.

Since then More than 600 species of animals were imported to New Zealand! Of these, 40 species of mammals and 28 species of birds have successfully taken root. Approximately half of the settlers are of European descent. Today you can meet here: hedgehog ( Erinaceus europaeus), weasel ( Mustela nivalis), ermine ( M. erminea), African ferret ( M. furo), black ferret ( Putorius putorius), house mouse ( Mus musculus).

As you can see, there is a whole collection of ungulates. And the tar goat was also brought from the Himalayas ( Hemitragus jemlahicus), from Australia - couscous and several small and medium-sized kangaroos. And of course there are all the pets; some of them went wild, which greatly contributed to the destruction of the local fauna, which is now on the eve of death. Thus, cats and dogs pose a great danger to kiwi ( Apteryx) and owl parrot ( Strigops habropiilus) - terrestrial nocturnal birds unable to fly.

Although the relocation of birds is a very difficult matter, they still live in New Zealand: the mute swan ( Cygnus olor), pheasant ( Phasianus colchicus), rook ( Corvus frugilegus), rock pigeon ( Columba livia), blackbird ( Turdus merula), greenfinch ( Chloris chloris), (Carduelis carduelis), skylark ( Alauda arvensis), common redpoll ( Carduelis flammea), house sparrow ( Passer domesticus), common starling ( Sturnus vulgaris). Here you can also meet old acquaintances: a peacock ( Pavo cristatus), turkey ( Meleagris gallopavo), (Melopsittacus undulatus).

Some of these migrants multiplied so much that they began to cause noticeable damage. Overgrazing of the goat-like aurochs has led to soil erosion. I had to resort to poisons. Unfortunately, as always, other animals also became victims of these events, for example the Nestor parrot ( Nestor notabilis). Poisons were also used against chamois, red deer and couscous.

The introduction of new mammals on the Hawaiian Islands was no less widespread, but the world of birds was especially changed there. The relatively small size of the individual islands contributed to the extinction of local inhabitants after they began to be persecuted by humans and the animals introduced by them. Rats were largely responsible for the destruction of ground-nesting species. To combat them, mongoose was brought in ( Herpestes auropunctatum). In response, the rats moved to live in the trees and began to collect tribute from the birds nesting there, while the mongooses took their place and began to destroy the ground-nesting species.

In total, 94 species of birds were brought to the Hawaiian Islands, and 53 species took root in the new place. The local bird world, by contrast, has suffered enormously: of the 68 species of land birds, at least 26 have ceased to exist. Of 13 other species, pitiful remnants have survived. Now, while taking an ornithological tour of the Hawaiian Islands, you can meet birds of European, American or any other origin, but not local ones! In historical times, at least 42 indigenous forms became extinct on the Mascarene Islands, and their place was taken by 30 alien, introduced ones.

An example of the catastrophe that thoughtless movements of animals can turn into is the story of another world-famous migrant - the wild rabbit. At the beginning of the 19th century, rabbits were kept everywhere in Australia. Quite a few of them escaped from their cells, or were simply released into the wild; only a small local colony appeared and that was all. But in 1859, wild rabbits brought from England were released in Victoria. Just three years later they became a real disaster in those places. Moreover, moving up to 100 km per year, rabbits were rapidly expanding their distribution area to the north and west. So sudden mass reproduction surprising because in Europe, as well as in North and South America, rabbits spread very slowly. This can probably be explained by the absence in Australia natural enemies European fox ( Canis vulpes) was brought here for the first time only in 1870.

I would not be opening America if I said that the heroes of this book are our mutual acquaintances. There are also “invisibles” among them, whom we know only by their actions and deeds; but there are also those that we often encounter in life, eye to eye, face to face. We are talking about our actual “tenants” and the inhabitants of our houses.

More than one and a half thousand species of living beings are directly related to man and his home. Who are they? Friends? Enemies? Harmless guests?

To answer these questions, we must get acquainted with the lifestyle of our “tenants”.

Who are there among microbes - our friends! Microbes are cooks, pharmacists, brewers, winemakers...

Sometimes we get poisoned food products. It is not so rare for pickled cucumbers, tomatoes, mushrooms, sauerkraut. We are familiar with the defects of milk - rancid taste, curdling, red color. Sometimes the bread blooms. It's no secret that even wines have diseases - sourness, obesity, rancidity, mousey taste, cloudiness. It often happens that fruits and vegetables rot. We are familiar with the bombing of cans of canned food. There are times when fabrics, books, tools and machines get damaged. “Saboteur” microbes are to blame for all this.

There are a lot of ticks life path which is somehow connected with a person. These are cheese mites, flour mites. But the most famous of all are ixodid ticks, which settle on the skin of our body.

Of course, there are so many living companions of man that it is impossible to tell about them all.

Listen to what the outstanding zoologist of our era said Karl Frisch about his work “Ten Little Uninvited Guests”:

“This book is not a reference book or a guide.

My essays are written only to provide some information about small domestic creatures, usually rarely mentioned or little known. And most importantly: I wanted to show that the least attractive creatures, often even the most despised, can also have amazing properties.

Everything in nature is worthy of study,

Anyone can answer your question...

But still the white light will forever be full -

From tiny insects to planets -

Mysteries that excite the serious mind."

The same applies to this book.

Part I. “Invisible Women” - familiar and unfamiliar

The criminal always leaves a trail by which he can be found. You just have to look - this is the criminologist's formula. The virologist thinks the same thing when hunting for the culprit of the infection.

V. A. Parnes

This was recently. In our country, preparations were underway for the launch of the Soyuz 4 and Soyuz 5 spacecraft. These are the rooms where the astronauts live.

Disinfection, irradiation with quartz lamps and increased ventilation are constantly carried out here.

Gauze bandages cover the mouth and nose of the attendants. Meetings between astronauts and people around them are kept to a minimum. This is how our astronauts are protected from the flu before flying into space.

December 22, 1968. Commander of the American spaceship"Apollo 8" Frank Borman, after the first hours of the flight, reported from space to the director of medical services at Cape Kennedy, Dr. Charles Berry, that he had a severe headache, at times his temperature rose and he felt nauseous. “I think I had something like the flu,” Bormann said. Frank Borman, William Anders and James Lovell were the first to orbit the Moon. Bormann was also the first person to contract influenza in space.

The launch of the American Apollo 9 spacecraft with three astronauts on board - James McDivitt, David Scott and Russell Schweickart - has been postponed.

What is the reason? Technical problems? No!

The astronauts are poisoned by the influenza virus. The ship was launched into orbit when the astronauts recovered - on March 3, 1969, three days later than planned.

Veins seem full ice water It’s as if the blood has frozen in your veins, and the temperature rises to 39 degrees. The muscles ache, the bones ache, and every attack of obsessive coughing strikes in the head.

Fatigue and weakness overwhelmed the body. In 1968–1969, the symptoms of the “Hong Kong” flu were a runny nose, muscle weakness, hoarse cough, elevated temperature and stomach pain - felt to one degree or another by about a billion people.

This is the work of invisible invaders in the cells of our body - influenza viruses. They make transcontinental flights and infect us anywhere in the world.

Today, viruses have firmly taken first place among the culprits of infectious diseases. They lead people to disability and death. Flu became the third scourge of the century. He, as one of the dangerous enemies of humanity, ranks third after cardiovascular diseases and cancer.

Flu won the right to be called the disease of the century.

He sails on all steamships, has mastered all types of motors on wheels, and flies on airliners.

Left behind are the centuries when influenza “walked or moved at the speed of a mail coach.” The higher the speed of transport, the more flu epidemics.

In the 15th century there were 4 influenza epidemics, in the 16th and 17th centuries - 7 each, in the 18th-19th century, and in the 19th century - already 45 epidemics.

The 1889–1890 influenza took more than 11 months to sweep the world, and in 1957–1958 the influenza bypassed globe already in six months.

Beginning of the 20th century. 1918 A flu called “Spanish flu” is rampant on a global scale. He failed to get only to the place of Napoleon's exile - the island of St. Helena and passed several islands lost in the Pacific Ocean. One and a half billion people experienced the Spanish flu. In a year and a half, the Spanish flu claimed 20 million lives of people of all ages: from unborn babies to grandparents. This is approximately double the number of people killed in the first four years of the First World War, and slightly less than half the loss of humanity during the Second World War.

Mid-20th century. 1957–1958. The flu already has a new name - “Asian”. More than 2/3 of the population of our planet - about 2 billion people - have had the Asian flu.

And finally, 1968–1969. Invasion of people by the “Hong Kong” flu. And this time, humanity paid a huge tribute to this flu - about a billion patients.

What about other years? At least a quarter of all people on earth fall ill with the flu every year. Influenza and influenza-like illnesses account for half of all infectious diseases. 15–20 % total number loss of working capacity of the population is due to influenza. Flu viruses attack various systems our body with toxic substances - toxins, causing chills, headache, fever, general weakness, dizziness, fainting, decreased blood pressure, pain in the eyes and increased sweating. In a weakened body after the flu, various complications easily arise.

Cancer- the second misfortune, the disease of the century - is still largely mysterious and, despite the efforts of thousands of scientists and doctors studying it, does not remove the veil of secrecy. Now everyone knows that cancer is a disease in which the cells of the body begin to multiply at a breakneck speed. There are many types of cancer. Hundreds of cancers affect plants and animals. Over 250 types of cancer have been discovered in humans. In the USA alone, the richest capitalist country, cancer claims thousands of lives every year.