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Join us as we explore the wilderness and share the beautiful scenery of nature! For all questions: @magellanvs
🐆 Asiatic cheetah
Unlike other big cats, cheetahs cannot roar. Instead, they may purr, chirp like birds, hiss, and even make sounds similar to barks.
Artificial snowdrift. There is a person in it. He is found and pulled out by the wolverine Gulo gulo! And you know that she is tame, but it’s still alarming...
This is a predator from the mustelid family, the only representative of the genus Gulo (translated from Latin as “glutton” - and why am I not surprised?) Body length 70-85 cm, weight 10-30 kg.
Externally, the wolverine resembles a bear or badger: the body is squat and clumsy. The head is large, the muzzle is blunt in front. The feet are disproportionately large - 10 cm wide and 9 cm long, which allows her to easily move through deep snow.
The wolverine spends most of its life alone, actively defending the boundaries of its territory from individuals of its own sex. Easily climbs trees. Has keen vision, hearing and sense of smell. Makes sounds similar to the yelping of a fox.
Wolverine is a fearless and dangerous animal (only the honey badger is comparable to her), so even the bear tries to avoid her.
Gorilla Gorilla is a monkey from the order of hominids. They are comparable in height to humans, but weigh on average much more and are many times stronger. But they do not pose a danger: being herbivores, they are distinguished by a calm and peaceful disposition.
Previously, gorillas, along with chimpanzees and orangutans, were grouped into the family Pongidae, but are now classified in the same family as humans - hominids. According to geneticists, gorillas separated from their common ancestor with humans approximately 10 million years ago - earlier than chimpanzees (4 million).
Gorillas are very large apes, their height can reach 180 cm. When compared with men of the same height, male gorillas look much more powerful - their shoulders are about a meter wide and weigh 150-200 kg. The muscle strength of the upper limbs exceeds the capabilities of human hands on average by 6-8 times.
Searching for food takes up most of the gorillas' time: since they are herbivores, and at the same time large animals, they need to eat a lot. Their diet consists of leaves, stems and fruits.
🦒Giraffe parents can gently press their head against their baby, as if hugging him.
This helps to establish a connection and show you care, despite their impressive size🥰
Lioness Panthera leo against a pack of hyenas Hyaenidae. Just listen to this menacing roar of a hunted lioness!
Lions and hyenas are two of the most formidable forces in the vast African savannah. Both live in families, which allows them to hunt the largest prey; they have a common food supply.
Yes, that's right! Hyenas are not scavengers, as is often believed. They get most of the food (up to 80%) for themselves, and less often take prey from other predators, most often from cheetahs. Carrion in their diet is no more than 10%.
Living in the same territory and eating the same things, lions and hyenas unwittingly became enemies and literally hate each other, not missing a single chance to deal with their eternal rival.
The marsh (reed) harrier Circus aeruginosus belongs to the family Accipitridae; it feeds on smaller birds, as well as eggs, fish, frogs and small animals. Like all hawks, the harrier is an enemy of hares. When hunting, it flies over the ground, looking for prey, and then dives at it, instantly capturing it and carrying it into the air.
The hares who noticed the predator in time would rather hide in a hole or try to run away, but the hero of the video entered into battle with the harrier. Every time a bird approaches, the hare jumps up and seems to be trying to grab it, actively waving its paws.
In this case, apparently, we are talking about a hare. She cannot leave her offspring to be torn apart by a predator and does her best to protect the babies hidden somewhere in the grass.
Papio baboons are a species of monkey of the marmoset family that lives in Africa. These monkeys are highly aggressive, but at the same time skillfully get along with people. For their colorful appearance, baboons are nicknamed “dog-faced” monkeys.
The marmoset family differs from other families of monkeys in its aggressiveness not only during the mating season, but also during the rest of the time. There were cases of attacks on tourists, destruction of city stalls, and breaking of car windows. Their body constitution allows them to move quickly and strike hard, and the size of these monkeys ranges from medium to large.
A baboon's mane can be used to determine its age and social status. The male leaders have a well-groomed, thick mane, which they carefully comb for each other.
What distinguishes baboons from other monkeys is also their tail: it is shorter, since it does not perform any important functions and is not able to move.
The shrew Sorex araneus is a small insectivorous animal of the shrew family, living on all continents of the northern hemisphere, mainly in forests and tundra. This genus includes the winners in the categories “smallest” and “most voracious” among all mammals.
The relatively large head with a muzzle elongated into a flexible proboscis is striking. The animal constantly moves it, sniffing and looking for prey - such small animals cannot do otherwise, they lose too much heat compared to large ones, they constantly need energy replenishment of metabolic processes that go on at breakneck speed. “The less weight, the more food” is a general rule for all warm-blooded animals.
The body length (without tail) in different species can range from 4 cm in a tiny shrew to 10 cm in a giant shrew; weight ranges from 1.2-4 g to 14 g, respectively.
The glass frog Centrolenidae lives on trees in the forests of Central and South America, its bones, intestines and beating heart can be clearly seen through the skin.
The transparent skin of the lower part of the body makes them indistinguishable on the leaves, creating an optical illusion. To study their camouflage, they photographed 55 glass frogs on green leaves and against a white background, and then used computer analysis to evaluate the color and outline of the frog in each photo.
The frogs always looked green, but they became lighter or darker depending on the background they were sitting against. This “twisting” of brightness allows these amphibians to more accurately match the shade of the leaf on which they are sitting at the moment. At the same time, their barrel, tummies and paws are transparent - the more “peripheral” the part of the body, the more transparent.
Together, this creates the effect of blurring the contours of a sitting animal, which helps to perfectly blend with the environment and become almost invisible to predators.
The giant anteater Myrmecophaga tridactyla looks like an alien stepped out of a spaceship! The great artist Salvador Dali was so inspired by him that he was one of the first to have an exotic pet that delighted everyone around him.
We recently wrote about this amazing animal, but here we will tell you something new.
The length of its body reaches one and a half meters, and with a fluffy tail - almost three. An adult anteater weighs up to 40 kg.
A common feature of all anteaters is the great strength of the long bones of the skull. These amazing creatures do not have teeth at all (in which they are similar to echidnas), so their lower jaw is very elongated, thin and weak.
Anteaters are very picky about their food; they definitely know a lot about tasty termites and ants. They do not eat soldier ants and those insects that have chemical protection in their arsenal.
Surprisingly, the anteater's stomach is devoid of hydrochloric acid, which helps digest food. It is replaced by formic acid, which enters the body with food!
You can say that snails can't run. But the worms and slugs, as well as smaller snails, that fell victim to this monster the size of an adult's fist, could argue with you! But they won't be able to...
Powelliphanta augusta is a genus of large, air-breathing land snails found only in New Zealand.
The largest species of these snails has a shell up to 9 cm in diameter and can weigh 90 g. Powelliphanta's striking, delicately patterned shells come in a variety of shades, from brown or red to yellow or black.
Some species of Powelliphanta live only on limestone soils: they need calcium to create shells and eggs. Others get their calcium by eating smaller snails that get their calcium from the limestone environment. Powelliphanta requires a moist environment because, unlike other land snails, it cannot seal its shells with a protective mucous membrane.
Angora rabbit, tour. Ankara tavşanı looks like a cloud of fluff because its fur is incredibly long, making the rabbit appear huge. In fact, Angora rabbits weigh only about 2-5 kg, and the body seems massive due to the large amount of fluff. These animals are kept as pets all over the world. Angora is a whole group of breeds, artificially bred by man for decorative purposes and for the sake of beautiful wool.
The first Angora rabbits appeared in Europe in 1723; they were brought from Turkey by sailors who were surprised by the quality of items made from Angora wool - its length is 16-26 cm, depending on the breed.
The distinctive features of Angora rabbits of all breeds are a slightly flattened, almost invisible nose, very long hair, large and long paws, invisible under the fur.
This breed is especially widespread today in China, where the production of fluff from Angora rabbits reaches 8,000 tons per year!
The Southern Saki is a monkey from South America that looks like a cross between King Kong and Godzilla 🐵
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Saguinus tamarins are small monkeys of the marmoset family that live in South America. They have a very memorable, bright appearance. These primates are among the smallest in the world.
The tamarin's body length is only 19-35 cm, but its tail is very long (20-40 cm), and its weight is 300-400 g. Tamarins differ from other monkeys in their bright and unusual appearance and unusual combination of colors. They have very thick and soft wool with a wide variety of colors.
As a rule, these monkeys have very clearly defined eyebrows, nose contours, mustaches, beards, and “socks” on their legs. Some have such an unusual combination of colors that from a distance they are often mistaken for unusual outlandish birds.
Their small size and tenacious paws with a long tail allow them to climb to the very top and feast on ripe fruits at the top of the tallest trees. Monkeys prefer warm, dry climates. They do not tolerate sudden changes in climatic conditions, cold and humidity.
Folivora sloths can also run, but very slowly! And not because they are lazy, but because of their slow metabolism. It’s even strange that these animals have survived to this day - after all, both wild cats and anacondas and harpies are not averse to snacking on them.
But most predators become a threat to the sloth only when they descend to the ground, and it rarely does this. This is the secret of the survival of small species of sloths when large ones become extinct - they are able to hang on thin branches where predators cannot reach them.
Since sloths do not make sudden movements, they have almost no need for muscles - nor do they need a strong heart to intensively supply these muscles with blood during exercise. Therefore, the heart mass of a sloth is only 0.3% of the body mass, and the muscle mass is 25%. In both of these indicators, he is one and a half to two times inferior to a person - who, in turn, is far from a record holder himself.
Here is a Cuban anole, Anolis bartschi, inflating its throat sac. Apparently, this endemic of the island of Cuba, belonging to the iguanas, is scared of something.
During active defense, any iguana inflates its throat sac and entire body, hisses and lunges with its head towards the enemy. If such threats do not help, iguanas may bite painfully or whip their tails violently.
Common iguanas are exclusively herbivorous, eating leaves, shoots, flowers and fruits of about 100 species of tropical plants. They cannot chew food, but only cut off large enough pieces of plants and immediately swallow them whole.
The bear cuscus Ailurops ursinus is a marsupial, but it does not live in Australia, but on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. This island serves for marsupials as a distant border outpost on the border with more highly organized placental animals.
This marsupial, weighing about 7 kg, spends its life high in the crowns of trees, feeding on their leaves and occupying the same ecological niche as the sloth.
The bear cuscus is a possum, and it appeared on Sulawesi, apparently, thanks to floating means of transportation - for example, logs.
Unlike other possums, the bear cuscus is awake during the day. To move in the treetops, he has a healthy, grasping tail and those crazy eyes of a man after the tenth mug of coffee that day. Couscous eats leaves, seeds, fruits and other plant foods.
The Indian elephant Elephas maximus occupies an important place in the cultural traditions of the Indian subcontinent. India's main religions, Hinduism and Buddhism, traditionally use this animal in ceremonial processions, with Hindus worshiping the god Ganesha, who is depicted as a man with the head of an elephant. Although revered, Indian elephants were not killed as aggressively as African elephants.
The Indian elephant is native to mainland Asia: India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Thailand, Malay Peninsula, Laos, China, Cambodia and Vietnam.
Indian elephants follow strict migratory patterns that are determined by the monsoon season and occur between the wet and dry seasons. The eldest of the herd is responsible for remembering the travel routes of his clan.
Problems arise when farms are built along the migratory routes of the herd. In this case, Indian elephants cause great damage to newly established agricultural lands.
🥰 You won’t see anything cuter today
The sugar glider is an inhabitant of the forests of Australia. It is almost impossible to see these miniature flying squirrels in nature - they are shy and can be considered true masters of camouflage.
The Indian condor is a species of bird from the American vulture family, the only representative of the condor genus 🙌
Distributed in the Andes and on the Pacific coast of South America. Considered the largest flying bird in the Western Hemisphere.
The stoat Mustela erminea hunts a rabbit. It is interesting that this little predator completely ignores other rabbits, because he has already exhausted his prey.
This is a very common species in the Northern Hemisphere: it lives in the arctic, subarctic and temperate zones of Eurasia and North America. In Europe, it is found from Scandinavia to the Pyrenees and the Alps, with the exception of Albania, Greece, Bulgaria, Turkey and Crimea.
In Asia, its range extends to the deserts of Central Asia, Iran, Afghanistan, Mongolia, Northeast China and northern Japan. In North America, it is found in Canada, on the islands of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago and in the northern United States (except the Great Plains). Also lives in northern Africa.
The average weight of an adult stoat is about 260 g, while an adult rabbit weighs 1-2 kg. Despite this difference, rabbits are the main source of food for carnivorous animals. Stoats also feed on insects, fish, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates.
Deer antlers are an indicator of their health, a symbol of masculinity and a warning to other males. Deer shed their antlers regularly (depending on the species, this may be once a year or once every few years). While new antlers grow, they are covered with skin containing blood vessels and nerves. Externally, such horns look velvety. Before the breeding season, deer begin to strip the velvet covering from their antlers. This must be done in order for the horns to harden. Once the horns harden, mating duels will begin.
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🦥Little sloths are the embodiment of calmness and tenderness!
Even small sloths move very slowly. They can spend minutes just stretching or slowly turning their head to watch the world around them 🙂
Did you know that lynx cubs are the only feline babies born deaf? 🤔
They open their eyes 12-14 days after birth. After another 20-25 days, they will have to try solid food for the first time - a mouse or a rabbit. The lynx feeds the kittens with milk for 3-4 months. At the same time, she tries to start feeding them meat as early as possible.
Interesting fact! Ram horns are made of keratin, which is about the same as our hair or nails. Another interesting fact is that the weight of a ram's horns can exceed the weight of its entire skeleton. What kind of strength do you need to have to wear such luxury on your head!
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The Tasmanian devil (marsupial devil) Sarcophilus harrisii was named so by colonists frightened by its heartbreaking screams. In addition, the name of the genus is translated from Latin as “lover of flesh.”
The dimensions of the marsupial devil are like those of a small dog: height 24-30 cm, body length 50-80 cm, and weight 10-12 kg. This predator has a dense and stocky build. It seems that he is clumsy and clumsy, but the devil is very dexterous, strong and muscular.
Compared to the whole body, the head is quite large and is armed with developed powerful jaws. Just one devilish bite pierces the victim’s spine or skull, and the molars, like millstones, crush even thick bones.
Tasmanian devils are greedy for food and are quite gluttonous. At one time they can eat 15% of their own weight, and if they get hungry, then all 40%. Devils are indiscriminate; along with carrion, they can eat harness, pieces of fabric, plastic tags used to mark cows and sheep, and even collars.
Petrogale wallabies are often confused with kangaroos - all kangaroos are very similar and for the most part differ only in size. Often the word “kangaroo” is generally used to refer to any members of the family. In fact, kangaroos refer to the largest representatives of kangarooids, and the smaller ones are wallabies.
These marsupial mammals make jumps up to 10 meters long and up to 2 meters high. Their images are on the rock paintings of Australian aborigines, which appeared 18 thousand years ago!
Like large kangaroos, wallabies have a pouch in which the baby spends the first months of its life. Little wallabies leave the pouch and become independent only a year and a half after birth.
Wallabies are common in Tasmania, New Guinea and the Bismarck Archipelago. They were also introduced to New Zealand and the British Isles (Isle of Man).
🐸 Five surprising facts about the red-eyed tree frog:
1. Red eyes and bright colors are considered adaptations that deter potential predators.
2. Male red-eyed tree frogs tremble during breeding season to attract females and intimidate other males.
3. Red-eyed tree frogs have suckers instead of toe pads. This allows them to hang upside down from the leaves.
4. When they sleep, they tuck their green legs around their body and close their eyes. This turns the frogs completely green and allows them to sleep undetected on leaves in the rainforest.
5. Their eyes do not have eyelids, but they are protected by nictitating membranes. These membranes are thin enough to allow light to pass through.
The Fox Possum (fox possum) Trichosurus vulpecula lives in Australia and the islands of New Zealand and Tasmania. It is also called brushtail or simply kuzu-fox. Its body length is 32-58 cm (females are smaller), tail 24-40 cm, weight from 1.2 to 4.5 kg.
Kuzu has a sharp muzzle and long ears, gray or brown fur, and albinos are also found. The tail is long and fluffy.
The fox kuzu lives in trees and is active at night. During the day it rests in hollows or in peculiar nests. It feeds on leaves, berries, and fruits.
Despite the fact that these marsupials are excellent at climbing trees and are perfectly adapted for this type of movement, they are rather slow creatures.
The main predators that hunt fox kuzu are birds of prey and monitor lizards. Previously, people destroyed these animals in significant quantities because of their valuable fur. It was exported from Australia under the name "Australian possum" or "Adelaide chinchilla". Today Kuzu is under protection.