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Join us as we explore the wilderness and share the beautiful scenery of nature! For all questions: @magellanvs
Before you is the Cuban anole Anolis bartschi, puffing up its throat pouch. Apparently, this endemic species of the island of Cuba, belonging to the iguanas, is frightened by something.
When actively defending, any iguana inflates the throat pouch and the whole body, hisses and makes head thrusts towards the opponent. If such threats do not help, iguanas can bite painfully or hit strongly with their tail.
Common iguanas are exclusively herbivorous, consuming leaves, shoots, flowers and fruits of about 100 species of tropical plants. They cannot chew food, but only cut off fairly large pieces of plants and swallow them whole immediately.
🐒 The striped tail of the ring-tailed lemur is not only a bright distinctive feature, but also an important communication tool.
Lemurs use their tails for visual signals within the group: by raising it up, they signal to their relatives when moving through the thickets.
And during conflicts, males engage in "stinky fights" - they rub their tails on scent glands and wave them in front of their opponents.
The spotted-tail quoll or quoll is the last representative of the Dasyurus genus on the mainland. This living illustration of evolutionary ingenuity has a prehensive tail with a white tip that acts as a rudder when jumping, and sharp claws that allow it to quickly climb trees in search of insects. Today, fewer than 10,000 individuals remain. 🦡🌳🐾
This rare marsupial is a master of adaptation, using its clever tail and nimble claws to navigate the forest canopy with ease. 🌿🐾 But habitat loss and other threats have pushed quoll numbers into alarming decline. 😢
Conservation efforts are underway to protect these amazing creatures and ensure they continue to thrive in the wild. 🌿🦡💪 Let's appreciate the incredible biodiversity and unique adaptations found in nature! 🌎🐾
🌟Anteaters have amazing fathers who are true pillars of their families. The dad carries both his wife and baby on his back. What devoted and loving parents! ❤️🐜
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🐦 The male plumage of the common bullfinch is bright raspberry-pink, especially noticeable in winter against the snow. Females are more modest, olive-gray with a light pink tinge.
These birds love berries, especially mountain ash, and can have real feasts in the trees🍒
Leaf-tailed gecko - the invisible guest from Madagascar
Hiding among tropical vegetation, the leaf-tailed gecko becomes a true master of camouflage. Its body and tail, resembling a dried leaf, help the animal blend into the landscape.
Found exclusively on the island of Madagascar, this gecko rests peacefully on a tree during the day and moves silently among the leaves at night, hunting insects. Its light step is made possible by special sticky structures on its feet.
However, the population of these unique animals is declining sharply due to habitat loss and illegal trade. Scientists consider leaf-tailed geckos to be indicators of the region's ecological well-being, emphasizing the need for their protection.
The evolutionary history of the leaf-tailed gecko is a vivid lesson in nature's mastery, calling for the preservation of rare representatives of flora and fauna.
Spotted deer are quiet, peaceful and completely harmless herbivores with a very beautiful coloration and velvety antlers. At the beginning of the last century, the main enemy of spotted deer was man. Hunters could have completely exterminated these beautiful animals. In the wild, spotted deer are mainly hunted by wolves, lynxes and tigers, while foxes and bears attack small defenseless fawns.
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The Surinam golden-eyed tree frog is a species of frog in the family Hylidae. 🐸🌳
It inhabits subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests in Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, French Guiana, Peru, Suriname, and Colombia. 🌿🌴
This secretive and sedentary frog gathers around temporary or permanent water bodies once a year during the rainy season for breeding. 🌧️🌊
The body length is between 5 and 6 centimeters, with females often slightly larger than males. 📏
The moist skin is covered with a substance that acts as an antibiotic, protecting the animal from fungal infections. 🧴💊
The meat of this frog is edible, and many indigenous tribes hunt it for consumption. 🍖🥢
The Bornean orangutan 🦧 is an endemic species of the island of Borneo, known for its orange-red fur and solitary lifestyle.
This species is endangered, with a diet consisting mainly of fruits. Their lifespan reaches up to 40 years in the wild and over 50 years in captivity.
The corncrake is a shy and secretive bird with a very distinctive call that makes it easy to recognize. Its voice is loud, raspy, and medium-pitched, repeating a "krek-krek" sound.
Corncrakes feed on seeds and grasses, as well as insects, spiders, termites, and beetles. They are known for their unique mating calls, which can be heard from a distance.
Camels are known as the "ships of the desert" due to their incredible ability to navigate through vast sandy landscapes. These majestic creatures are not only adept at traversing dunes but also surprisingly skilled swimmers! Camels can swim up to 3 kilometers at a time, showcasing their adaptability to various environments. 🐫🏖️🏊♂️
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Black panthers prefer a solitary or paired lifestyle in their relationships with other animals. Each individual or pair has their own territory, the boundaries of which cannot be violated by their relatives.
When encountering a human, the animals do not show aggression if they are not hungry and do not need self-defense. However, if the panther is hungry, it can be dangerous, for example, to people: at night, it can sneak into a village and attack a sleeping person.
In the wild, black panthers have almost no enemies. They can fight for prey with another large predator but can always soberly assess their capabilities and step aside, yielding their trophy to another animal.
🦏 Rhinos may seem like intimidating giants, but sometimes they can be quite amusing.
Small branches or even logs are the perfect tools for a good scratch. Sometimes they can get so into it that they look like huge, but very contented babies! 😂
These gentle giants are not as fierce as they may appear. In fact, rhinos are quite playful and curious creatures. They often use their horns to explore their surroundings and communicate with other rhinos.
Despite their size, rhinos are actually quite agile and can run at speeds up to 30 miles per hour! So the next time you see a rhino, remember that beneath that tough exterior lies a heart of gold. 🦏💛
Ocelot
The Latin name "ocelot" sounds like "similar to a leopard," but the species name most likely originated from the Aztec language and translates to "field tiger."
However, ocelots are only conditionally related to true leopards or tigers. Leopards and tigers are members of the big cat family (roaring cats), while ocelots belong to the small cat subfamily.
Ocelots are small, American wild cats about twice the size of domestic cats. Their coat has distinctive markings in a variety of patterns. Each ocelot's coat is unique, with dark spots on orange fur and brown spots on white fur.
The fishing cat is a wild cat native to Southeast Asia. It is the largest member of the Eastern cat genus, nearly twice the size of a domestic cat. Males can reach up to 86 cm in body length and weigh up to 16 kg in larger individuals. In addition to fish, it eats almost anything it can catch, including rodents, snakes, frogs, and birds.
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Crows can be affectionate too! 😊 When they feel comfortable, they make these sweet sounds 🎵 Listen to the adorable cooing of these cuddly crows 🐦💕
Did you know crows are highly intelligent birds? They can recognize human faces, use tools, and even solve puzzles! 🧠 Such fascinating feathered friends 🐦✨
Lyrebirds - the Artistic Birds of Australia
Deep in the forests of Australia, there are incredible birds called lyrebirds. These feathered creatures are known for their amazing ability to mimic the sounds of their surroundings with incredible accuracy. They can reproduce almost any natural sound and even artificial noises created by humans.
Lyrebirds are not only talented mimics but also have a unique appearance. The male lyrebird has an impressive tail that resembles a lyre, a musical instrument from ancient times. During the mating season, males perform elaborate dances and vocal performances to attract females.
These artistic birds are a true wonder of the Australian wilderness, enchanting all who are lucky enough to encounter them in their natural habitat. 🎶🦜✨
Just recently, cute fluffy balls with curious eyes hatched on the rocky shores - the chicks of the grey-headed albatross.
They have a lot to learn, as they have no idea what it's like to soar high above the waves. However, nature has endowed them with an innate urge to travel.
While adult birds bring food to their offspring, caught far from home, the chicks grow and gain strength. Soon, soft down is replaced by strong feathers, and the future travelers will set out to conquer the skies, covering vast distances without a single landing.
For albatrosses, flying is life. And each newborn chick will become part of the amazing world of aerial adventures over the vast expanse of the ocean.
The Lowland Tapir is a large mammal belonging to the order of odd-toed ungulates.
Although its vision is poor, only able to distinguish moving objects, the tapir compensates with its keen sense of hearing and smell.
Its upper lip combined with an elongated nose forms a unique, yet highly flexible trunk that ends in a small patch. Using this trunk, tapirs skillfully pluck leaves, helping them survive in their native grasslands.
Found in South America, east of the Andes, tapirs are herbivores, preferring the soft parts of plants.
Adélie Penguins - Small Inhabitants of the Icy Antarctic
Adélie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae) are one of the most iconic symbols of Antarctica. With their small stature (about 70 cm), black and white plumage, and distinctive black cap on their heads, they attract the attention of researchers and tourists from all over the world.
Known for their colonial lifestyle, they gather in thousands on coastal territories.
They incubate eggs on bare rocks, actively guarding their territory and chicks.
Their diet consists mainly of krill, fish, and squid.
Despite the impact of global warming, Adélie penguins remain one of the largest bird groups at the South Pole. Their existence reminds us of the fragility and importance of preserving the planet's natural resources.
Drunk elephant family blocked the road in the Mala Mala park in Africa.
There is such a Marula tree. The fruits of this tree contain a lot of sugar, so much that they can even ferment on the branch. Local primates take advantage of this.
Elephants also love to spend Friday evenings under intoxicating drinks.
They dig a small pit or find a ready-made one, then fill it to the brim with marula fruits, and then step on them a little. Next, the sun's rays do their job. This is how the elephants get drunk. And then they lie on the ground and have fun.
🐘🍻☀️
Elephants in the wild sleep for a maximum of two hours, often standing up. They only lie down on the ground once every three to four days and spend about an hour in this position.
Some sleeping positions of elephants:
- Leaning against the trunk of a tree or embracing it with their trunk.
- In moderately hot weather, they fall asleep on their stomach, with their legs tucked and their trunk curled.
- Baby and teenage elephants love to doze off on their side.
- Older animals sleep less often on their stomach or side, preferring to doze off standing up.
Elephants need silence and tranquility to sleep. If they sense predators, humans, or noisy hooves nearby, the whole herd will get up and can travel up to 30 kilometers, sacrificing their night's sleep to find a peaceful place.
The sleep pattern of elephants is not strongly dependent on the time of day. They fall asleep when the humidity and temperature are suitable for sleep, usually early in the morning before sunrise.
Tiger Python
A large non-venomous snake from the genus Python, one of the most well-known species in the genus.
Body length can vary from 1.5 to 4 meters or more, depending on sex (females are usually larger than males) and lifestyle.
The coloration is variable. On the light yellow-brown or yellow-olive background, there are large dark brown spots of various shapes, forming a complex pattern.
The Tiger Python is widely distributed in South and Southeast Asia.
The Tiger Python feeds mainly on mammals and birds: small ungulates, rodents, monkeys, pheasants, ducks and other animals.
Large pythons are capable of attacking predators, such as jackals. There have been recorded cases of giant specimens attacking humans as well.
The common shrew is the largest, cutest, and most venomous mole in Europe. Its body length reaches 10 cm, and its tail length is 8 cm. It weighs up to 20 grams.
It inhabits areas from Britain to the Pacific coast within the forest zone. In the north, it is found in Scandinavia up to the shores of the Arctic Ocean.
The common shrew is an excellent swimmer and diver. It attacks not only invertebrates and fish but also mouse-like rodents and chicks of waterfowl.
The shrew's saliva is toxic because it contains a specific secretion with paralyzing properties. When bitten, the venomous saliva enters the bloodstream, immobilizing but not killing the prey.
It breeds during the warm season from April to September. A litter consists of 3 to 12 offspring, with 2 to 3 litters per year. In the wild, its lifespan is 2 years.
The common shrew is a species threatened with extinction and is included in the Red Book of Moscow.
Peters' Eelephant Shrew
An amazing creature found in Africa, these adorable animals are about the size of a rat and have elongated snouts that help them forage for food like ants, beetles, and spiders. Elephant shrews form lifelong pairs and are a rare example of monogamous relationships among mammals. Unfortunately, their lifestyle and population are not fully understood, and it remains unclear if they are facing extinction. 🦔🌍💔
🦝 Young raccoons are bundles of energy and mischief
They jump, tumble, sniff everything in sight and can play for hours.
Raccoons have excellent memory and dexterity. At a young age, they can remember how to open complex locks or find hidden food stashes - and use it again months later!
The Royal Harpy Eagle 👑
The harpy eagle's talons are as large as a bear's, allowing it to grasp prey the size of a monkey or even a deer. 🦅🐵🦌
This majestic bird of prey is one of the largest and most powerful eagles in the world. 🌎 Its incredible strength and sharp talons make it a formidable hunter in its rainforest habitat. 🌴
The marabou stork looks very unusual! 😅
It has a bald head with a large, thick beak. Adult birds have a pouch-like sac hanging from their chest. This throat pouch is connected to the nostrils, so it can inflate and deflate while the marabou is resting.
Elephant trunk - an incredible and functional organ of these huge mammals. It's an extension of their upper lip and nose, serving multiple purposes.
Feeding: Elephants use their trunk for drinking, bathing, and even to pluck plants and leaves, which they then send to their mouth.
Breathing: The trunk also acts as a breathing tube, helping the elephant breathe while eating.
Touch: The trunk is very sensitive and can be used by the elephant to explore its surroundings. Elephants use it like a hand, lifting objects and manipulating them.
Communication: The trunk is used for communication with other elephants. With its help, an elephant can make sounds that other elephants can hear up to 10 kilometers away.
Thermoregulation: The elephant's trunk also helps them regulate body temperature. In the heat, an elephant can use it to cool down, and in the cold - to warm up.
Water storage: An elephant can collect water in its trunk and then pour it into its mouth, holding up to 7.5 liters of
🐾 Mother cheetahs are vital for the survival of their cubs, caring for them until they can defend themselves. After a pregnancy lasting about 90-95 days, they give birth to a litter of one to eight cubs, most often three to five.
👀 The cubs are born blind and helpless, and the mother fiercely protects them from predators like lions, hyenas, and leopards. During the first six weeks when the cubs are most vulnerable, the mother uses hiding strategies to keep them safe from danger.