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Join us as we explore the wilderness and share the beautiful scenery of nature! For all questions: @magellanvs
🇦🇺 Australian lizards 🦎
In Australia, loving lizards who love to hug will run after you. 😉
The Pied-billed Selenider is a bird whose sounds are more reminiscent of the croaking of a frog rather than the melodious singing characteristic of most birds.
🍈These bright and unusual birds demonstrate a very inventive approach to finding a mate. During courtship, they throw ripe fruits at each other.
🪹Due to the relative fragility of the beak, these birds are not able to build their own nests on their own. Instead, they prefer to occupy abandoned other people's homes, lining their bottom with soft blades of grass and settling down there for their own pleasure.
🦏Rhinoceroses may seem like menacing giants, but sometimes they act very funny.
Small branches or even driftwood are ideal scratching tools. Sometimes they can get so carried away that they look like huge, but very happy babies!😂
Bumblebees can sleep in tree trunks, in the ground and in other shelters. But when they fall asleep right on the flowers, it looks especially cute 🥰🐝
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Southern Pudu Pudu puda is one of the smallest representatives of deer with a body length of 85 cm, a height at the withers of 35-45 cm and a weight of 6.5-13.5 kg. The calves, as you can see, are spotted. This deer is only 5 days old.
Pudus have a rounded body and short legs, an adaptation for gliding through dense bamboo thickets. Their eyes and ears are small, and their tail is very short. Males have short, simple, spike-shaped horns.
Pudus live in the very south of South America, in the lower Andes of Chile and Argentina. They are solitary animals that only come together during the breeding season, in April and May. Pudu is active both day and night, but mainly in the evening and morning, when it feeds on leaves, branches, bark, shoots, fruits and seeds.
Fortunately, the population of the species in Chile has stabilized due to a decrease in the rate of habitat destruction. Pudus also live in a number of national parks.
Tenrec Hemicentetes semispinosus is not a hedgehog! Distant relatives of tiny tenrecs include elephants, aardvarks and even manatees. And he lives on the mysterious island of Madagascar, generous with animal wonders, and can weigh as much as a kilogram!
Soon after birth, the tenrec develops longitudinal rows of spines on its head and back. When rubbed against each other, the needles on their back emit a quiet vibration, with the help of which tenrecs can transmit signals to members of their group about danger or readiness to mate.
These animals are numerous in rural areas of Madagascar and are often eaten by the local population.
Documentary filming by the Smithsonian Institution captured in great detail a whole family feast of tenrecs. Video footage shows the cubs, just a few weeks old, beginning to transition from milk to solid food. In this they are helped by tropical rain, thanks to which it is not difficult to find prey, and a group of tenrecs feast on earthworms.
Every summer, tiny American pikas (pikes) Certhia americana collect hay to stock up on food before the cold weather - they are also called haymakers for this. By the way, they are the smallest relatives... No, not mice! - and hares.
The size of the American pike is about 20 cm. Pikas live in large colonies and are found at an altitude of 2500-4100 m. Most of them live in mountainous areas and alpine meadows.
Pikes are diurnal, feed on grass, and from summer to autumn they store food for the winter, placing grass stacks about 50 cm high, which are stored either on the surface of the earth, or near stones and boulders, or in rocky caves.
Although pikas' homes are sometimes located on the highest mountain peaks, pikas do not hibernate during cold and snowy winters - which is why they need these supplies of hay to survive until spring.
This is a baby Galapagos (elephant) tortoise Chelonoidis niger, the largest of all land tortoises.
The female Galapagos tortoise buries her eggs in the sand and then never shows interest in her children. But this is not a problem, because babies are born very independent.
Hatching under a layer of sand, they do not come to the surface for another 2-4 weeks, doing without food and water. They breathe air penetrating through loose sand. And if the rains do not flood the clutch, the baby turtles will come to the surface.
Then they will begin to feed on vegetation on their own, after 20 years they will become 1000 times heavier and can live up to 100 years (in captivity, caught individuals lived for at least 170 years).
An adult elephant turtle can reach a weight of over 400 kg and a length of over 1.8 meters.
Gorilla gorillas are the largest apes, living in large groups of up to 30 individuals in the tropical forests of Africa. The “family” consists of a male, several females and growing children. All group members treat children with love and attention, teaching them important skills and protecting them from dangers by their example.
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For the first 6 months after birth, the gorilla mother is inseparable from the baby: she carries him with her everywhere, sleeps with him, kisses him and touches his fur. Under the supervision of his mother, the little gorilla learns to crawl and walk - and, before switching to a plant-based diet, he drinks his mother’s milk until he is three years old.
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As the gorilla grows up, it begins to spend more time with its peers. Teenage gorillas often fool around and misbehave, but just one menacing look from their father is enough to restore discipline.
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And at 10-12 years old, a young gorilla already leaves his family to form his own.
Indian muntjak Muntiacus muntjak is widely distributed in the tropical mountains of India and Sri Lanka, as well as in Southeast Asia to the islands of Sumatra, Java and Borneo. It lives in tropical and subtropical deciduous forests, savannas and bushes, on hillsides and in the Himalayas at altitudes up to 3000 meters.
The body of this deer is compact with small, thin legs and a small head with an elongated muzzle. The lacrimal glands are well developed - after all, it is with their tears (!) that males mark their territory.
The body length of the muntjac is 90–135 cm, and the height at the withers is 40–65 cm. The long tongue can reach the ears. Horns grow only on males, reaching a length of up to 15 cm. Horns change regularly, however, there is no specific season.
Muntjacs are active mainly at night. When a predator approaches, deer make a short squealing sound, similar to a bark.
The animals' diet is varied: leaves, shoots, berries, mushrooms and bird eggs, and even small animals and carrion.
The brush-eared (river) pig Potamochoerus porcus lives in West and Central Africa from Senegal to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is found both in forests and in savannas and swampy areas, avoiding only overly arid landscapes.
She is interesting for her bright red coloring with a line of white hair stretching along the entire ridge.
Carpal pigs are active at night, and they spend the day in burrows hidden in dense vegetation. This species lives in family groups of 2 to 15 individuals, led by a mature male.
Brush-eared pigs have their own areas, which they mark with special secretions or by leaving scratches on tree trunks with their fangs. In case of danger, they quickly flee. Sometimes brush-eared pigs actively defend themselves by attacking their enemies (usually cats or hyenas).
Naked-throated bell ringer.
His metallic ringing voice is like the sound of a bell. This is the loudest sound in the bird world!
Mountain goats are amazing animals that live in mountainous regions of many countries around the world. The animals lead an unusual lifestyle for their lowland counterparts, as they are forced to survive in the harsh conditions of the mountains.
Mountain goats, also known as alpine goats, live at altitudes ranging from 1,800 to 4,000 meters above sea level. They live in mountainous regions of Eurasia, Africa and North America. Depending on the type of mountain goat, their weight can range from 30 to 140 kilograms.
🦏The Indian rhinoceros is a huge animal, the weight of which sometimes reaches 2.5 tons and above.
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Nosuha (coati) Nasua narica belongs to the raccoon family. Previously, it was compared to badgers and foxes, but it turned out to be closer to raccoons, especially in character and body structure.
These animals are social and their behavior is interesting to observe. When communicating with each other, they use a large number of sounds, they have active facial expressions - in particular, due to the nose. Nosuh was domesticated.
The nose of this animal looks like a small proboscis; it contains many receptors and is equipped with a large number of muscles, which makes it extremely mobile. With its help, the nose expresses emotions, finds food and deftly removes it from hard-to-reach places.
When searching for food, noses rely on their acute sense of smell; they use their noses to dig up the ground, turn over stones, and sniff grass and trees. Since this is a predatory animal, first of all, noses will give preference to amphibians, frogs and lizards, eggs of reptiles and birds, scorpions, insects, larvae, rodents and mice.
The peregrine falcon can fly at a speed of 390 km/h. This is the fastest bird in the world. Rocks are their favorite habitat. There is a good overview and rising air currents, which the peregrine falcon uses to gain height and then fall down on its prey at full speed.
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🐗Warthogs and meerkats can interact in the wild in a way that is similar to the friendship of two cartoon characters.
Both of these species live in harsh environments and are often forced to rely on each other for survival. Although they may seem very different, their mutual understanding makes them ideal "partners" in the world of wildlife😊
🦌Sika deer may look graceful and calm, but when it comes to sorting things out, they turn into real fighters!
To find out who's boss, sika deer can stand on their hind legs and wave their front legs like boxers.
Wolves are incredibly social animals 🐺
They live in a variety of climates, from tundra to tropical forests. They live both alone and in flocks. A pack usually has a leader who controls the others.
Musang (palm civet, also known as Malayan palm civet) Paradoxurus hermaphroditus became famous thanks to the 2007 film “Until I Played the Box,” we recommend it.
It was from there that many learned from Morgan Freeman’s hero that the most expensive coffee in the world, kopi luwak, is made from beans that have passed through the intestines of the musang - and they were surprised along with Jack Nicholson’s hero.
Anyone interested can find out the details of making this coffee on their own, but we will write about the animal itself.
Musang is found throughout South and Southeast Asia (India, Sri Lanka, southern China, all of mainland Indochina and the islands of Sumatra, Kalimantan, Java and the Philippines).
It belongs to the civet family and is active exclusively at night. Lives mainly in trees and is a good climber. During the day it sleeps in the forks of branches or hollows of trunks; outside the mating season it leads a solitary lifestyle. In some regions, musangs have adapted to living next to humans, inhabiting attics and stables.
Hyena-like dogs Lycaon pictus are dexterous hunters, each hunt ends successfully in 80% of cases.
They resemble a hyena only with a black mask on the face - their body is light and lean, their legs are high and strong, their ears are large, high-set oval “locators” give the head a recognizable silhouette. The body length is about 1 m, the tail is up to 40 cm, the height at the withers is up to 78 cm, it weighs 18-36 kg.
The color is formed by spots of red, black and white on a general brown background. The pattern of spots is asymmetrical (that is, the left and right sides do not coincide) and is unique for each individual.
This wild dog was once widespread throughout the African steppes and savannas of sub-Saharan Africa. Now its range has become mosaic; it is preserved mainly in national parks and in landscapes undeveloped by humans.
Wild dogs live and hunt in packs of 7-15 individuals. The pack consists of a dominant pair and the alpha female's offspring; all males obey the alpha male, and all females obey the alpha female.
Great blue heron dancing is beautiful😍
This is how they attract partners and express emotions...
Fossa Cryptoprocta ferox is the largest predator of Madagascar, this wonderful island that has given us so many amazing animals.
For a long time, people considered the Fossa to be one of the big cats because it looks like a young puma. And he can retract his claws, and his whiskers are long, and he also washes himself like a cat. But it turned out that Fossa is not a cat, but a civet. Like all members of the civet family, the fossa has anal glands that secrete a secretion with a strong odor - and locals believe that the fossa kills its victims with this disgusting stench alone!
Fossas are not dangerous for large animals and people. But chickens and piglets will not be happy when meeting a predator.
Fossas live in the forest and are skilled tree climbers. Even small fossats only two months old can easily jump from branch to branch. Therefore, the main prey of these long-tailed predators are birds and lemurs.
Amur leopard🐆
This is the most peaceful subspecies of leopard. Throughout history, not a single case of an Far Eastern leopard attacking a person has been recorded.
The Nemean thin-bodied Pygathrix nemaeus belongs to the family of marmosets, and these brightly dressed monkeys live in the tropical forests of Vietnam and Laos.
This is one of the most colorful species of monkeys. They are often called “monkeys in a suit” for such amazing body colors. From a distance it may seem that the animal is dressed in a sweater and pants, and has something like a hat on its head.
Now the Nemean thinboll is found only in young forests, since its usual habitats were destroyed during the Vietnam-US war. These monkeys are herd animals. Before the Vietnam conflict, thin-bodied monkeys lived in families of up to 60 individuals, and today it is rare to see a herd with more than twelve monkeys.
The rhinoceros iguana Cyclura cornuta lives on the island of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Its body (up to 135 cm long and weighing from 5 to 9 kg) is covered with sharp prickly spines running along the back, and the tip of the muzzle is decorated with a protrusion similar to a rhinoceros horn. On the head of adult males there is a bulge like a helmet: it serves as protection from the sharp claws of rivals and protects against impacts on stones.
Despite their formidable appearance and combat equipment, in case of danger, rhinoceros iguanas will prefer to hide rather than engage in open combat. Only when pinned in a corner do they begin to show aggression, snapping their teeth and waving their long, flat tail. This tail, also studded with spines, can cause serious injury.
They feed mainly on plant foods - leaves, fruits, flowers and berries. Thanks to these reptiles, the seeds of many plants are spread throughout the islands. However, not being vegetarians, they will not refuse a lizard, snake or large insect.
🐘 Elephants are excellent swimmers. They easily swim long distances up to 60-70 km.
Animals are even capable of diving. The trunk helps them with this.
The spider monkey Brachyteles arachnoides got its name because of its external resemblance to spiders - it has a fragile body, a small head and very long, grasping limbs and tail.
The body length of animals ranges from 40 to 65 centimeters. They have a very long, thin tail. Its size is almost equal to the length of the body, and sometimes exceeds it. On average, the tail length is 50-90 cm, and the weight is from 2.5 to 9-10 kg.
They inhabit tropical forests on the Atlantic coast of South America (Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, Mexico). They spend most of their lives climbing trees - but only in the upper part of their crowns, where predators cannot reach, and only on those trees that have a fluffy, wide crown, abundantly covered with foliage.
Tall trees, many branches, rich, varied vegetation are prerequisites for these primates. They can live close to human settlements, since they are not at all afraid of humans and often accept food from human hands.
Kharza (yellow-breasted or Ussuri marten) Martes flavigula is the largest and most brightly colored of all martens. Its body length (not counting the tail) is 50-70 cm, tail 35-40 cm, weight 2.5-6 kg.
Unlike most mustelids, harsi usually live together in small groups of two or sometimes three individuals. In winter, they form family groups, which can consist of up to 5-7 individuals. Kharzas often hunt together, thanks to which they cope with large prey. During hunting, they move parallel to each other over a long distance (up to 100 m).
Hunts mainly for musk deer. It also feeds on piglets of wild boars, calves of moose, roe deer, sika deer, wapiti, hares, squirrels, mouse-like rodents, birds, frogs, mollusks, insects, eggs, beeswax and honeycombs with larvae and honey.
🐆 Asiatic cheetah
Unlike other big cats, cheetahs cannot roar. Instead, they may purr, chirp like birds, hiss, and even make sounds similar to barks.