Animals do not shed. Why do animals shed in the spring? N. Sladkov. Birds brought spring

Instructions

Spring molting occurs in animals and birds. The change of plumage should occur gradually, there should be no bare areas. Thanks to molting, by summer the birds lose the down that kept them warm. In addition, the plumage is completely renewed, old and damaged feathers are replaced with new and healthy ones.

Usually, during molting, the condition of birds worsens, and they may lose healthy sleep. Calcium and sulfur begin to be used more actively, so during this period the bones are the most fragile and metabolic processes intensify. The area where the feather is lost may begin to bleed due to hemorrhage in the feather bursa.

The process of changing plumage is influenced not only by the time of year, but also by the type of bird, temperature and air humidity. Parrots do not react so sharply to molting; their condition remains virtually unchanged. Insectivores and predator birds may lose their feathers due to - do not pick up your pet too often.

Natural spring molting does not affect the condition of the animal in any way. The coat remains shiny and the hairs do not break. Off-season fur change is characterized by excessive hair loss (when hair comes out in clumps), the fur becomes dull and brittle. This may be a symptom of some disease that is already at a late stage.

Wild animals and yard pets shed only twice a year. Animals kept in an apartment or other enclosed space can lose hair all year round. This is due to the fact that natural rhythms indoor animals are disturbed, molting becomes sluggish, spring gradually turns into winter.

Winter has passed, along with snowfalls and frosts. The long-awaited spring has arrived, the sun is shining - the best time to go to the zoo. But some visitors are dissatisfied and complain: why are snow goats so shaggy, and their fur sticks out in clumps, why has the fox’s fur lost its winter shine and looks somehow dull? Even usually neat wolves still look somewhat unkempt.
In fact, everything is very simple: our animals shed. In spring, they no longer need long, thick and luxuriant hair, without which they could not survive. harsh winter. It's time to replace it with another, lighter, summer one, which is half as long and less common. For example, a squirrel has 1 sq. cm of body surface, instead of 8100 winter hairs, only 4200 summer hairs grow, and instead of 14 thousand hairs, the white hare grows only 7 thousand.
The molting of animals has long been of interest to zoologists. Research recent years It has been established that, in addition to temperature, it is influenced by light acting on the animal’s body through the endocrine gland - the pituitary gland. For hare molt length daylight hours- the determining factor, temperature only accelerates or delays this process.
The timing of molting in wild animals depends on geographical latitude terrain. In some mammals and birds, along with molting, the color also changes: the light color is replaced by a darker one. The white winter color of the mountain hare turns gray in summer, and the squirrel changes from gray in spring to red. A similar transformation occurs with ermine, ptarmigan and other species. Here, too, everything is clear: in winter, animals become invisible against the background of snow; in summer, they are more difficult to notice against the background of earth and grass. This is called protective coloring.
The molting of animals occurs in a strict sequence and in each species in its own way. For example, in a squirrel, spring molting begins from the head. First of all, bright red summer hair appears on the front end of its muzzle, around the eyes, then on the front and hind legs, and last of all on the sides and back. The entire process of “dressing up” lasts 50–60 days. In foxes, signs of spring molting appear in March. Her fur loses its shine and begins to gradually thin out. The first signs of shedding can be seen on the shoulders, then on the sides, and the back of the fox's body remains covered with winter fur until July.
Almost all animals shed. But the inhabitants of a continental climate, characterized by sharp seasonal changes in temperature, the alternation of cold winters and hot summers, shed quickly, but the inhabitants of the tropics and semi-aquatic animals (giraffe, muskrat, nutria, sea otter) - gradually. Most mammals living in temperate latitudes ah, she sheds twice a year - in spring and autumn, but some animals (seals, marmots, gophers, jerboas) - once.
Shedding is a natural process in which old and dead cells and tissues are replaced by newer ones. This means that the fact that our animals shed is an indicator of their health. But if shedding becomes irregular and is accompanied by various painful phenomena (as sometimes happens in domestic cats and dogs), this can really be a cause for concern.
Now comes the turn of the second question: why don’t we comb our shedding animals? Well, firstly, this is not entirely true: we still help pets get rid of winter fur. For example, the yak living in the Children's Zoo is regularly brushed. But this won’t work with predators - after all, a zoo is not a circus, and not all animals here allow you to touch them. But they are also not “abandoned to their fate.” Take a closer look: in some enclosures (for example, those of musk oxen) you will notice old Christmas trees or special structures made of different materials- the so-called “scratchers”. Animals scratch about them regularly and with obvious pleasure. And their winter wool is not wasted - employees then collect it and give it to birds and small animals, who use it to build nests. Such nests can be seen in the Night World.
Well, in conclusion, let's look at who is actively molting in the spring in the zoo, who needs to be paid special attention to, and who is interesting to watch. Molting is easy to notice in guancos, domestic llamas and vicuñas, foxes and hares, gray and red wolves, raccoons and raccoon dogs, musk oxen, snow goats and camels. Maybe you yourself will add someone to this long list?
M. Tarkhanova

Shedding is a natural process in which dead tissue and cells are replaced by new ones. Almost all animals shed, with the exception of some breeds of domestic dogs and cats. The question of which animals shed and change fur color worries many. Coat change often occurs in spring and autumn, when wild animals stock up on good fur for the winter to survive terrible frosts, and in the spring they shed their “heavy coat”, since they have no need to bathe in a winter coat.

What does animal molting depend on and how does it happen?

Animals molt 2 times a year: in spring and autumn. With the onset of spring, the sun shines brighter and gets hotter, so animals have no reason to stay with thick winter fur. At this time they change it to a shorter and rarer one. For example, if in winter a squirrel has 8,100 hairs per 1 cm2 of body surface, then in the same area in spring only 4,200 summer hairs can be counted; similarly, a white hare has 14,000 winter hairs and only 7,000 summer hairs.

Zoologists have long been interested in the molting of animals and in the process of research they found out the factors influencing the change in coat color and the process of changing hair fibers.

Factors influencing the change in animal fur color

• Influence external factors. Coat change depends on temperature environment, which is why spring and autumn molts are observed.
• Length of daylight. In addition, light is important for animals, as it affects the pituitary gland, an endocrine gland.
• Geographic latitude of the area. Its influence is reflected not only in molting, but also in changes in coat color. For example, a white hare changes its snow-white coat to a gray one in the spring, and a gray squirrel “puts on” a red coat in the spring. This protective feature of coloring helps preserve the appearance, since thanks to this ability, animals become invisible in the snow in winter, and in summer against the background of grass and earth.

The molting process occurs differently in different animals. For example, the spring coat change of a squirrel begins from the head. The appearance of new hair, colored red, can be noticed first on the face, then red spots appear in the eye area, then on the paws, and at the very end - on the back and sides. The coat changes over the course of 2 months.

All animals on the planet are subject to molting, but the process itself can happen quickly or slowly. For example, animals that live in continental climate characterized by rapid and sharp changes in temperature depending on the season, when Cold winter quickly gives way to hot summer, they shed rapidly. Semi-aquatic animals and those that live in tropical climates shed gradually. These include: sea otter, muskrat, giraffe, nutria.

Most mammals in temperate latitudes molt twice a year, but there are exceptions: jerboas, marmots, seals and ground squirrels change their fur only once a year.

Hare

Let's look at hare equipment using the example of a white hare and a brown hare. The white hare completely changes his outfit for the winter, his fur coat becomes white, and the hare spends the winter in his usual fur coat. So as not to freeze everything internal organs, on the abdomen of the hare for the winter the fur noticeably lengthens throughout the body. Growing hair near the nostrils helps prevent a cold nose.

The hare's fur becomes thicker in the winter. The hare can do without a camouflage robe, since it prefers to spend the winter close to rural areas, while the hare hides in the forest.

A white hare lying in a ditch is very difficult to spot. Only the black tips of his ears can give him away, Brown eyes and the tip of the nose. Molting begins with a change in the length of day and night - as daylight hours shorten, the hare changes its coat to a winter version, and as daylight hours increase, it changes its “winter wardrobe” to a summer one.

Squirrel

The molting time of squirrels depends on the region of residence and is observed 2 times a year. Timing is variable. The change in squirrel fur is also influenced by factors such as gender, fatness, the presence or absence of diseases, pregnancy, and age.

Males moult earlier than females. Young squirrels also molt. The beginning of the autumn coat change occurs in mid-September and continues until the second ten days of November. Depending on the individual characteristics of each squirrel’s body, the duration of molting varies from 45 to 50 days.

The spring change in squirrel fur color occurs in mid-March and lasts 2 months. You can tell that a squirrel is changing its coat by its dull appearance. First, the hair falls out from the head, then the hair on the body changes, and at the very end the tail sheds.

Cat

IN wildlife cats shed once a year. When kept at home, a cat's shedding can occur chaotically. If in wild representatives the change of undercoat is associated with climatic conditions, then pet Other factors may also influence shedding:

• unbalanced diet;
• presence of stressful situations;
• avitaminosis;
• leukemia;
• postpartum period;
• excess fat in foods;
• allergy;
• diseases.

Natural shedding lasts 2 weeks; if the process takes longer, it is important to contact a veterinarian. The longest period of molting occurs in 5-8 month old kittens, when they exchange their fluff for real wool. Long-haired breeds require special attention at this time. It is necessary to take care of a nutritious diet enriched with vitamins.

Weasel

Weasel – carnivorous mammal, similar in appearance to an ermine. Prefers to live alone. Distribution area - all of Europe, most of Asia, Belarus, North Africa.

Weasel can be found in the forest, it can settle on the edge of the river, in the floodplain, wild representative can be found on the outskirts of meadows and fields. It feeds on mouse-like rodents.

If a weasel has chosen the southern regions to live in, then the color of its coat does not change for the winter; if the weasel has chosen the northern regions, the color of its coat becomes white for the winter.

Arctic fox

The Arctic fox (polar fox) belongs to the predatory mammal of the Canidae family. Depending on the region of residence, arctic foxes are characterized by dimorphism in fur color. Arctic foxes with blue fur inhabit the islands, while those with white fur are found everywhere.

The beginning of the change in the color of the weasel's fur coincides with the arrival of spring. A complete change of coat occurs in 120 days. The autumn moult is also long, beginning in September and ending in December. Arctic fox fishing occurs in January and February; it is at this time that the arctic fox's fur is warmest and lushest.

Ermine

Ermine - small predatory animal with an elongated body from the Kunya family. Many people confuse the ermine with a weasel, but this animal is larger in size and is less able to cope with mouse-like rodents.

The ermine has short but thick fur. IN summer time the sides, tail, upper back, paws and top of the head acquire Brown color with a shade of brown, the tip of the tail becomes black, and the throat, paws and inside, chin, abdomen.

Unlike the weasel, the ermine has a thicker and a long tail. Animals molt twice a year. Spring molt occurs in March-April, autumn moult occurs in September-November.

In the spring, real molting occurs. At this time, the winter heavy fur is replaced by lighter fur. In autumn, you can observe an increase in the undercoat and a change in coat color from brownish-brownish to white.

Depending on the ecological situation In the region where stoats are distributed, a shift in the timing of molting can be observed.

The spring molt is very interesting. First, you can see a dark spot located above the eyes, then it constantly increases, spreads along the animal’s spine, then “crawls” onto the sides, then onto the paws and tail. The lower part does not change its color, only acquires a lemon tint. Females and males molt at the same time.

Lynx

Lynx is graceful and dangerous predator Cat family. In appearance, it is a typical cat, with a body size slightly larger than that of a dog, only with a short body, a chopped tail and wonderful tufts on the tips of the ears.

The color of the fur of wild animals depends on their geographical distribution. You can find reddish-brown representatives of the family, as well as pale-smoky ones. Spotting also has a pronounced character depending on the habitat. The spots on the head, paws and sides can be dark, almost black, or light, even red. In the southern regions you can find lynxes with short red hair and short legs.

In most cases, the thick, soft and long fur of lynxes is colored grey colour with a reddish tint, which can also be reddish or blue, with dark specks visible on the sides and back.

The abdomen is covered with thin white hair with small speckles. In summer, the lynx's fur is quite coarse, brighter in color than in winter time. Winter fur is very warm, soft and thick.

Wolf

The wolf is a predatory mammal from the Canidae family. The wild animal has fairly large proportions, strong and long legs. Outwardly it resembles a dog. Wide muzzle, pointed ears, short neck, bushy tail constantly hanging down.

Wolves shed 2 times a year. The fur of a wild representative of the Canidae family is very thick, the fibers are long, in winter the back and sides are painted rusty-ochre or brown with a gray tint. The fur on the chest and belly takes on a dirty gray tint. Guard hairs are visible throughout the body, protruding above the main fur. It is not difficult to notice them, since the tips of the guard hairs are colored black.

The summer coat is coarser than the winter coat, the hair is shorter and sparse. The wool has a rusty tint. Baby wolf cubs have thick dark brown fur with reddish spots on their paws and face.

The spring coat change begins in February. A complete change of fur occurs by May. Autumn molt occurs in August-October. Pregnant (puppy) females shed longer. The larger the animal, the faster the coat changes.

Reindeer

The mammal belongs to the Deer family. Both males and females reindeer boast gorgeous horns that arc forward, backward and upward.

Reindeer fur has 2 layers. The lower one is the undercoat, which helps animals withstand bad weather and cold weather, and upper layer with longer hair.

The coat color of males and females is no different. In winter, the coat takes on a lighter shade and becomes thicker.

A remarkable feature of reindeer fur is that a cavity can be found inside the hairs. It is the hollow hairs that help retain heat.

Fox

The fox is a predatory and cunning representative of the Canidae family. The body of the animal is covered with thick, tall and soft hair. The back and sides are most often colored reddish with a reddish tint, the abdomen and chest are gray, sometimes the color approaches black. The tip of the tail is colored White color, ears with back side- in black. Sometimes you can meet albinos - pure white individuals.

The red color of the fur is more pronounced in summer than in winter. In winter, the coat becomes thick and the color saturation is slightly lost. Juveniles have soft and delicate fur, the back is gray with a reddish tint, the chest and belly are white with a gray tint, and the paws and sides are yellowish. The tip of the tail in babies is also white.

The fox changes fur color 2 times a year. More rapid molting begins in the spring. Its peak is in May and ends at the end of June. By the end of winter, the fox's coat begins to lose color, becomes dull, begins to curl in some areas, the hair thins and gradually falls out. As the top layer of fur falls out, the undercoat begins to tangle and fall out.

Autumn shedding can take a long time. It all depends on weather conditions. The warmer the autumn, the slower the new wool matures. If cold weather sets in quickly, it means that the coat changes much faster.

Mammals are characterized by age and seasonal shedding. At this time you can observe a change hairline, changing its color and thickness. In some animals, in addition to seasonal and age-related molting, compensatory molting is also added. For example, this type of hair change is characteristic of a mole, since the wool, due to unusual image life, it wears out quickly. Shedding is a natural process that occurs in animals twice a year.

Molting is a periodic change of skin or its formations (fur, feathers, shell, etc.) in vertebrate and invertebrate animals.

It's the end of summer in Greenland, and the wheatear finishes feeding its chicks. Now she has to fly to a distant tropical Africa where she will spend the winter. But it’s too early to set off: the bird’s flight feathers have become fairly frayed while hatching the chicks and have faded under the rays of the sun that never sets beyond the horizon. It's time to update the plumage.

Feathers for flight and decoration

Not all migratory birds molt before a long journey. Some, such as the ragged gull, which nests in the Arctic and flies south of the equator for the winter, prefer to save supplies before flying and molt already in wintering areas, on the coast of Africa or South America.

Of all animals, birds have the most varied modes of molting. Feathers are constantly in use and gradually wear out, so they have to be changed regularly. The first time a bird molts is in its youth, exchanging chick down for real plumage. Adult birds usually molt once or twice a year. During molting, many birds do not change all their feathers, but only part of them, so they do not lose the ability to fly normally.

However, in some ducks, geese, cranes and rails, after the breeding season, all the flight feathers fall out at once, so the birds cannot fly for some time and often become easy prey for predators. Fleeing from enemies, birds gather in hard-to-reach corners of reservoirs or impassable swamps.

Males of other ducks (for example, mallards, pintails, shovelers, goldeneyes, long-nosed merganser and tangerines) dress in luxurious wedding attire in winter. At this time, they are already looking for a mate, and their bright plumage apparently helps them seduce females. Females, on the contrary, acquire nondescript plumage, which will make them invisible on the nests during the period of incubation of eggs. When the mating season ends, the males molt again. Their outfit becomes as dull as that of females. Now they, too, should not be conspicuous by predators. Their fine feathers will grow back during their partial winter moult, in anticipation of the new breeding season.

New invisibility cloak

Molting allows animals to completely change color. In some species living high in the mountains or tundra, the color turns pure white in the fall, allowing them to remain invisible in the snow in winter. In the spring, the animals again acquire grayish-brown feathers or wool - the color of stones and lichens.

This is what happens, for example, white partridge, a relative of the common gray partridge, as well as the ermine, a small predatory animal with a thin long body and thick fur - brown in summer and white in winter (except for the tip of the tail, which always remains black). The Arctic fox also updates its outfit. Predators, therefore, also molt in order to change color and become invisible to their victims.

Crawling out

In snakes, molting usually occurs once a year and, unlike birds, does not take much time. These reptiles shed their old skin as it wears out. A few days before molting, the snake’s eyes become cloudy, its color becomes dull and pale, and its appetite disappears. She can be very aggressive during this time. Some snakes spend a lot of time in water before molting to soften their skin.

When it's time to shed, the snake rubs against a rock or some other hard object to break through the old skin. The first thing the snake does is free its head. From the rest of the body, the old skin comes off like a stocking and remains lying on the ground in the form of a transparent crawl. Since the snake loses a lot of fluid when changing its skin, after molting it is often tormented by severe thirst. The molted snake looks like new!

Lizards, unlike snakes, shed their old skin in patches. They tear it off with their mouths and eat the shreds.

When the shell is too tight

The body of arthropods (spiders, insects, crustaceans, centipedes) is protected from the outside by an external skeleton - a shell. These animals can grow only because from time to time they shed their old covers, under which new, more spacious ones have already formed. Woodlice molt in two stages: first, they shed their integuments from the dorsal side of the body, and after a few hours, from the ventral side.

In some millipedes, molting occurs only at the larval stage; adults do not molt. With each molt, the larva develops a new body segment, and when the required number is formed, the animal stops growing and becomes sexually mature.

Molting is a very crucial moment in the life of all invertebrates. Having lost their protective shell, their soft, delicate body turns out to be very vulnerable to predators. Crabs and crayfish hide under rocks and other shelters for several days and even weeks after molting until the new shell hardens. The matter is further complicated by the fact that, trying to pull the claws out of the old shell, animals often tear them off and, thus, are deprived of their main weapon for a long time (after some time, the claws grow back).

The quality of fur varies depending on the seasons. By winter, animals acquire fluffy, thick fur that protects them from the effects of extreme cold, and in the summer they shed this fur and put on lower, coarser and sparse hair. The process of changing hair is called molting.
In animals leading different lifestyles, molting occurs differently. Most fur-bearing animals do not fall into hibernation and leads an active lifestyle all year round. They usually have two molts - in spring and autumn.
Spring molting is more noticeable, since at this time thick winter fur falls out and is replaced by sparse summer fur. In addition, molting occurs much faster in spring than in autumn. Autumn molting in many species of animals is poorly expressed outwardly, since its timing is very extended and the loss of rare summer fur occurs less noticeably.
Winter fur differs from summer fur in greater thickness and height, as well as a different ratio of the number of coverts and downy hairs, color and a number of other characteristics.
The winter fur of most fur-bearing animals is lighter in color than the summer fur. In some animal species, winter and summer hair coats differ sharply in color. For example, a squirrel is dressed in bright red or dark brown or even black fur in the summer, and by winter it is covered with gray, bluish-gray or dark gray fur. Only the belly remains white in winter and summer. The white arctic fox, mountain hare, ermine, and weasel change their color with the seasons. In summer they have brownish fur, and in winter they wear pure white fur. By winter, the brown hare exhibits only partial lightening of its fur, and in the northern regions the animals turn whiter, and the further to the south, the weaker the lightening appears. For example, the brown hare in Vologda region turns white almost completely, and the brown hares of Transcaucasia remain in brownish fur for the winter. In most species of fur-bearing animals, as a result of molting, the height and thickness of the hair coat changes sharply. Usually in winter the covering hair is about one and a half times longer, and the down is almost twice as long as in summer. The thickness of the fur varies different types not the same. In land animals, the fur on the spine in winter is approximately 2 times thicker than in summer; In aquatic animals, the differences* in fur density between seasons are less pronounced. Summer fur is much coarser than winter fur, which depends not only on the length and thickness, but also on the ratio of the number of coverts and down hairs. In winter, the number of downy hairs per covert increases by 2-2.5 times.
For most fur-bearing animals, spring molting begins with dulling of the fur. The hair becomes dry and more brittle. At this time, the hair roots are located shallowly near the surface of the skin; The closer to spring, the weaker their connection with the skin becomes, and they easily fall out. The covering hair falls out first. As the fluff is exposed, it begins to fall off and falls out in clumps. When the process of fur destruction proceeds very rapidly, new hairs begin to grow in place of those that fall out, first covering, then downy hairs. The formation of new hair is accompanied by thickening and darkening of the inner layer. The appearance of dark spots on the flesh is associated with the formation of a dye in the hair follicle - a pigment that is visible through the skin. Darkening of the underbelly is observed only in cases where dyed hair grows. In places of undergrowth white fur the flesh does not darken.
As the new summer fur grows, the inner layer gradually brightens, becomes thinner, and in areas where the hair is fully formed and has finished growing, it takes on its usual color and thickness. Summer skin, like winter skin, has a thin and clean inner core.
For most fur-bearing animals that do not hibernate, the spring shedding begins on the head and front legs and moves on to the neck, shoulder blades and hind legs. Later, the molting spreads to the front part of the ridge, then to the sides and hips, then the back part of the ridge and the womb are moulted, and the rump and tail are the last to shed. During the spring molting process, the quality of the skin gradually deteriorates and, consequently, its value decreases.
In autumn, a second molt occurs, during which the summer fur is gradually replaced by winter fur. Autumn molting usually begins with the appearance of new buds in the thickness of the skin, first covering and then downy hair. The destruction of the summer fur by this time is still almost imperceptible, but the skin thickens significantly and turns blue in places where new dark-colored hair grows.
The growth of white hair during autumn molting, as in spring, is only accompanied by thickening of the skin.
The growth of new winter fur gradually reaches the length of the old one, forming mixed fur. This is especially noticeable in animals that turn white for the winter, in which dark summer hair is clearly visible against the background of growing snow-white winter fur (the so-called “business” in ermine and mountain hare). Gradually all the summer hair falls out, and the winter fur continues to grow until it reaches its full size. normal length. By this time, the flesh becomes thin and clean.
The sequence of autumn molting is the opposite of spring, that is, it begins in those parts of the body where spring molting ended. In most fur-bearing animals, the growth of winter hair and the loss of summer hair begins from the tail and goes towards the head and paws. During the autumn molting, the quality of the skin improves as the winter fur grows and, accordingly, its value increases.