Oshmarin P. Pikunov D.G. Traces in nature. Shelters. Defensive behavior In bad weather, animals use the most unexpected shelters

One of the features that also allows mammals to survive adverse periods is the ability to use or create shelters. This ability is expressed in the forms of using and creating microclimatic and microecological conditions, that is, conditions that differ sharply from the conditions of the area or zone.

Shelters serve not only as shelters from bad weather and enemies, but also as places where the important breeding period takes place - feeding the young. Different mammals exhibit different adaptive patterns in the use and construction of temporary or permanent shelters.

The simplest type of shelter is a den (for example, among wolves), that is, a natural shelter in the form of a simple depression or a small clearing in the bushes, chosen by the animal for a temporary stay or for the period of feeding young animals.

More complex indoor shelters are available. First of all, natural shelters are used: hollows, niches in roots or in stones, caves, heaps of dead wood, depressions in the ground, holes, etc. They are inhabited by both large and small animals. Many people make their own homes: holes, nests, huts, underground labyrinths, etc.

Burrows are different - sometimes they are simple depressions in the ground, and sometimes they are a complex labyrinth. Simple burrows are presented in the form of trenches ending in a living chamber. They are built by some mice, voles, ferrets, stoats, raccoon dogs, etc. Complex burrows have many branches, holes, temporary and residential chambers, dead ends, spare closed and open exits and entrances. There are storage rooms, restrooms, ventilation vents and other rooms. Such burrows are built by beavers, muskrats, muskrats, arctic foxes, badgers, marmots, gophers, jerboas, hamsters and other animals.

The settlement of other people's holes is a common phenomenon in the life of mammals, but more often this is done by those animals that do not dig holes themselves and occupy them by force, expelling the owners, or settle with them in the same labyrinth. Often such a lodger (a fox), with its uncleanliness, completely outlives its tidy owner (a badger), who is forced to build a new shelter, if there are suitable conditions for this.

It is known that animals make a complex hole only in a strictly defined place, which would ensure waterproofness, ventilation and safety. Beavers and muskrats, where it is inconvenient to build burrows, make huts out of grass, algae, silt, earth and other materials on the water. These structures can be very durable and complex. The beaver's hut reaches a height of 2 m, the diameter of the base is 5-6 m. In addition, beavers sometimes jointly build dams to raise the water level in the river and a system of canals that allow the rafting of wood. The dams sometimes reach lengths of more than 60 m and have a reinforced abutment and underwater breakwaters.

Some mammals make homes that resemble bird nests. This is what squirrels, dormice, and tiny mice do. Many shelters have special names, for example, the dwellings of wild boars are called zhetaks, or secrets; bears - dens, etc.

In mammals, seasonal, sexual and age dimorphism is observed to varying degrees, i.e., differences morphological features associated with seasons, gender or age.

At different times of the year, many animals have different colors, this is especially noticeable in winter and summer. Winter color is often white or light (arctic fox, mountain hare, ermine, weasel) and sometimes, on the contrary, darker (sable).

Polar bear (Ursus maritimus)

Differences in color are inherent to species and can serve as a systematic feature. It should be noted that, in addition to differences in color according to the seasons of the year, according to gender and a certain age, large individual variations in color are observed in mammals. It can be difficult to select two individuals of the same species that are completely identical in color (fox).

The coloring of animals also depends on climatic and environmental conditions, i.e., on living conditions. Often individuals of the same species, being in different places, have different colors. Thus, animals living in the reeds, in the forest, in the bushes, in the mountains and on the plains, in different geographical zones, will always be differently colored. Southern and reed animals are lighter than their relatives living in the forest or in the north.

Mating season in mammals of cold and temperate climate confined to a specific season, there is a clearly defined seasonality in reproduction. For most tropical species or natives of the tropics (for example, the tiger), the timing of reproduction is not associated with a specific season.

Most mammals give birth to young once a year, but some animals, especially small species, give birth 2-3 times or more. Some mice and voles produce up to eight litters per year.

The form of relationships between males and females in animals can be both polygamous and monogamous. In monogamous animals, both parents care for the offspring, although to varying degrees; In polygamous cubs, only the female raises the cubs. Monogamy is inherent in beavers and wolves; polygamy - for many ungulates, pinnipeds, etc. The mating season has its own specific characteristics and has different names (estrus, rut, roar, wedding, etc.). Mating games are among the very important and interesting phenomena in the life of animals and help us not only get acquainted with biological features appearance, but also to practically use these features. Often the efficiency of fishing depends on knowledge of biology, in particular, the mating behavior of animals.

Fights between males mating season This is not only a struggle for the possession of females, but mainly a kind of adaptation that physiologically prepares the body for the act of mating, this is a kind of “physical exercise” that promotes the maturation of the body and is, as it were, the final stage of maturation. As a result of this, sexual selection occurs, in which only the most prepared individuals begin to reproduce, and precisely those that can produce the most viable offspring under the given conditions. In the process of marital relationships, naturally, pairs are selected that carry within themselves all the best inherent in the species as a whole. When kept in captivity, these amazing adaptations can be significantly disrupted. Exceptional violations also occur in natural conditions. In this case, reasonable human intervention in the lives of animals will be justified.

Pregnancy lasts for different lengths of time in different mammals, but for certain type this sign is a constant. In mice, voles, gophers and other small rodents, pregnancy lasts only 20-25 days, in dogs - 53-61 days, in sika deer - 7.5 months, in red deer - 8 months, in roe deer - 9, in bears - 7 , for a horse - 11, for a camel - 13, for an elephant - 22 months.

Most often, longer gestation periods occur in large animals, but this is not observed in animals that have a latent, or hidden, stage of pregnancy. Such a pregnancy is characterized by the fact that the fertilized egg, while in the uterus, for a long time does not develop, i.e. is in a dormant stage. Dormancy can last up to 5-7 months, after which the development of the embryo occurs at an accelerated pace and embryonic development ends in the remaining short period of time.

From the point of view of the physiology of GND in animals, there are two main forms of defensive behavior: active-defensive and passive-defensive. Their presence and degree of manifestation in animals depends on both genotypic factors and environmental conditions.

Passive defensive behavior manifests itself in the form of fear reactions caused by unfamiliar objects (avoidance of the stimulus, moving away from it, vocalization, self-defense reactions, freezing, concealment, vegetative reactions in the form of emptying of odorous or other glands, urination, defecation). The degree of manifestation of passive-defensive behavior can be different.

Active defensive behavior expressed in the form of aggression directed at representatives of one’s own or another species, a person, or other stimuli. It consists of demonstrating threats or direct attack. There can also be quite a lot of degrees of manifestation of active-defensive behavior. A separate chapter will be devoted to aggression. Here we will pay attention to passive-defensive behavior.

Fear reactions can occur in a variety of situations.

ü There are stimuli that effectively evoke an avoidance reaction almost from the first presentation. Such irritants include, for example, characteristic features a predator or an alarm signal emitted by a conspecific (conspecific).

ü Most animals react with fear to a number of strong stimuli common to different situations that may precede danger, for example, to a rapidly approaching shadow (or a large dark object), an object suddenly increasing in size, as well as to almost any stimulus of unusually high intensity.

ü Fear can be caused by unfamiliar objects and new situations, and in this case it is accompanied by an indicative reaction. R. Hind, referring to the opinion of J. Haugen, notes that fear reactions can be divided into two groups: reactions associated with increased movement(retreat from the stimulus, flight reaction, defensive reactions) and immobility reactions, that is, suppression of activity,(freezing, hiding), which are considered as two independent behavioral systems that inhibit each other. These two groups of reactions are thought to be (at least in young animals) caused by different aspects external irritation: retreat or flight occurs in response to very intense stimuli or to certain situations (including as a result of learning). Stiffness (immobilization) is caused by unusual, new or unexpected stimuli.

In addition to exploratory behavior, fear reactions are often associated with aggression. If attempts to avoid the stimulus do not lead to the desired result (exit from the sphere of action of the stimulus), then two scenarios are possible: avoidance develops into aggression (the situation of a cornered rat) or, if the object is not threatening, defensive behavior weakens and is replaced by exploratory activity. All these forms of behavior are believed to have the same causal factors.

The manifestation of certain fear reactions is influenced by:

ü the nature of external stimuli;

ü various aspects of the internal state (individual experience, hormonal levels, illness, hunger, etc.);

ü factor of communication with specifics. Thus, in infant monkeys, fear decreases in the presence of the mother or her model; in adult rats raised in a group, in the presence of a conspecific.

The patterns of passive-defensive behavior described above were mainly revealed when studying animals in laboratory conditions. D. Dewsbury identifies the search and construction of shelters, and avoidance of predators as the main forms of behavior in natural conditions, which are close in meaning to the concept of defensive behavior.

Finding and building shelters. Most species search for some kind of shelter to hide from sharp fluctuations in temperature, precipitation and predators. Sometimes an animal simply climbs into a cave, crevice or tree, which does not lead to any significant change in the environment. However, in many other cases it builds very complex nests or burrows, which entails significant changes external conditions, Structures can be relatively permanent, such as dams and beaver lodges, or temporary, such as chimpanzees' sleeping nests, in which they usually spend only one night. In many species of birds and mammals, the construction of shelter is closely related to reproduction: when the time for the appearance of offspring approaches, they begin to build a nest or burrow, and also significantly expand existing buildings. The nest-building activity of animals is described in detail in the book by M. Freude (1986) and in M.N. Sotskaya (2003).

Among invertebrates, the construction of shelters is most pronounced in insects, and the most complex structures are built by termites and social hymenoptera (bees, ants).

Among vertebrates, construction activity is most common among birds and mammals. The most skillful bird shelter builders are orioles, common tits, tailor birds, the South American red ovenbird and various weaver birds. Among mammals, the most diverse shelter-building behavior is demonstrated by rodents. The most effective shelters from the point of view of protection from predators are burrows. The construction of burrows is characteristic of many rodents, especially typical diggers (moles, moles, mole voles, etc.), as well as muskrats and beavers leading a semi-aquatic lifestyle. The latter’s structures are considered one of the most advanced. Of the predatory species, badgers create a complex system of burrows.

Avoiding predators. Since most species serve as prey for at least several other species, avoiding predators is essential for survival and reproduction. The main ways to avoid predators are: hiding from them, warning individuals of your own species, warning behavior, flight and active resistance.

Covering. Many animals take shelter from predators in shelters (see above). But shelter can also be facilitated by appearance animal. The phenomenon of camouflage under the general background, imitation of environmental objects is called cryptism(from Greek kryptos – hidden) and is most characteristic of insects. The cryptic effect is achieved through the combined action of several factors: protective coloration, body shape, immobility (resting posture). Among insects there are forms that are highly similar to leaves, moss, twigs and even bird droppings.

Warning other animals. Whatever the species-specific reaction to a predator, the prey must first detect its presence. This is facilitated by periodic inspections of the area, interrupting other activities, and a certain orientation, for example, in relation to the wind. In species with a group lifestyle important role played by so-called observers - animals who, due to increased anxiety or for other reasons, look around more often and, if necessary, give alarm signals.

Some animals graze in mixed herds, such as baboons and antelopes. Baboons have very sharp eyesight, and antelopes have a particularly developed sense of smell. Both respond to alarm signals given by individuals of another species, and therefore are difficult to take by surprise. Many species respond to alarm calls made by birds. As a rule, such calls are relatively pure tones, without sharp breaks; Such sounds are difficult for a predator to localize. In our forests, magpies and jays play an important role in detecting predators and sending warning signals.

Warning signs or actions. Some animals have an unpleasant taste for predators or are even poisonous. As a rule, this property, due to the specifics of metabolic processes, correlates with bright warning coloring(pigmentation is also a result of metabolism, and some pigments were originally excretion products). Such a bright color “warns” the predator that the prey is unfit for food (this experience is acquired through unsuccessful attempts). In the process of evolution, some edible species acquired convergent similarities with inedible ones, which gave them an obvious advantage: predators began to avoid them. This phenomenon is known as Batesian mimicry. An example is the representatives of the hoverfly family of flies (bumblebee flies, wasp flies, bee flies), which have acquired similarities with the stinging Hymenoptera. There are known cases of the so-called Müllerian mimicry, when several poisonous species, found in the same area, acquire similar colors in the process of evolution. And then an unsuccessful meeting of a predator with a representative of one of these species will prevent an attack on the others. An example of species that form the “Müller ring” are the soldier bugs that live in our area, contrastingly colored in red and black tones, some blister beetles, moths, moths, and others.

In some species there is a so-called aposematic or repellent coloring It is characterized by the fact that, with a general cryptic background, there are contrastingly colored areas of the body that are suddenly displayed when attacked by a predator. An example is moths with an ocellated pattern on the hind wings, which are usually hidden by the front wings when the butterfly sits calmly, but when frightened they are exposed (hawk moths, saturnias, etc.).

A variety of active actions are also used to warn predators. Examples include the sounds made by a rattlesnake and the aggressive postures adopted by many mammals. Well known in birds "shouting reaction" in relation to stationary predators, such as hawks or owls: birds fly quite close to them, emitting loud cries and performing various kinds of demonstration actions. The sounds produced in this case are characterized by a wide range of frequencies and clearly defined beginnings and ends, and therefore are easy to localize. The advantage that an animal receives by attracting attention to itself is obvious in such cases. In herbivores (usually gregarious ungulates), a preemptive group attack of potential victims on a potential predator is observed - "mob(b)ing" or "predator baiting". So, cows can attack a dog, wolf, badger, bear, geese can attack a fox, etc. Crows and jackdaws are distinguished by their exemplary organization of mobbing. After an attack by crows, many predators permanently exclude them from their diet.

Escape. Speed ​​and agility serve as the best and probably most common means of escape from predators. Many species, when fleeing, supplement their locomotor movements with display behavior in order to distract the attention of a potential predator or frighten it. Others, on the contrary, lie low to reduce the likelihood of an attack.

Active resistance. As a last resort, the prey may actively resist the predator. At the same time, it can hit the predator, grab it or bite it. Skunks, ferrets, minks and many types of arthropods, such as millipedes and blister beetles, secrete

chemical substances, repelling predators. Other animals defend themselves with thick or poisonous integuments, hard shells, or projections such as spines and spines. Ungulates can kick, causing serious injuries to attacking predators, etc.

1. 3 years old have several simple burrows and only after 5-7 years they build a mass of dams, huts, canals, burrows of varying complexity, etc. According to research by I. Grulich, the burrows of the common hamster have a complex development history: from primary random shelters, permanent structures are formed over time with nesting and feeding chambers. These buildings later either become more complex or are gradually reduced to secondary temporary shelters. The depth of occurrence, the length of passages, the volume of premises and the mass of discarded earth vary greatly. Complex structures can arise from the connection of two or more burrows, which is the result of the work of many individuals or even generations of hamsters.

There are few skilled builders among mammals. Whales, seals, and ungulates do not build anything at all - they do not need homes, and they have nothing to build with.

Predatory animals usually make dens only during the birth of their cubs and during their upbringing. Only in in rare cases they are “registered” permanently (badger) or temporarily, for a period hibernation(bear).

A badger hole is a permanent structure, with several floors and many entrances and exits. The central room, where the whole family fits, is sometimes located at a depth of more than five meters. It is lined with dry grass, which is regularly replaced with fresh grass. The hole is kept in exceptional order; all waste is collected in special holes and covered with earth. Often several badger families settle nearby, and then the area of ​​their communal apartment can reach several square meters. Badgers spend the entire winter hopelessly in the hole, and in the summer they leave it only at night.

A bear's den is an armful of broken spruce branches and about the same amount of torn moss, thrown somewhere in a logging area, under the roots of an uprooted tree, in a dense, low-growing spruce forest, the tops of which are slightly broken by the bear. The snowy roof of the den is covered by nature itself. This is the brown one. A polar bear’s den consists of an oval chamber 1.5-2 meters in diameter and a tunnel leading to it 2-3 meters long, depending on the steepness of the slope and the thickness of the snow blow. The camera is located slightly higher on the slope than the entrance to the tunnel - this helps to preserve internal heat. The temperature in the chamber is 20 degrees higher than outside.

Himalayan bear that lives in Primorsky and in the south Khabarovsk Territory, uses hollows as shelters. It differs from the brown bear in its smaller size (a large male reaches a mass of 170 kilograms). For wintering, he often chooses hollows of trees with soft wood - poplars, lindens. Not all large hollows are suitable for wintering bears. The hollow should be dry and not have holes in the lower part of the trunk that could cause a draft.

It is difficult to imagine animals such as hares as inhabitants of hollows, however, among them there are real hollow nesters. The Manchurian hare, which lives in the south of the Primorsky Territory, establishes lairs not on open beds, like its fellows, but in clumsy hollows of old trees and hollow trunks of thick fallen trees. Characteristic feature has the Japanese tree hare, which inhabits forested areas of Japan. It leads a semi-arboreal lifestyle: short limbs with strong curved claws allow it to climb trunks and thick branches of trees. The animal not only finds food in tree branches, but also produces offspring in hollows.

Most rodents - gophers, marmots, hamsters, gerbils, jerboas - settle in burrows. Usually this is a corridor dug in the ground with a nesting chamber, several dead ends and emergency exits. Most of the corridors usually run obliquely towards the nesting chamber. Near it there is a pantry with supplies in case of bad weather and for the winter. The side holes serve as latrines for a clean hamster. There is also a vertical hole along which the burrow occupant can instantly escape when a ferret or ermine appears.

The mouse is a baby, squirrels, and dormice are building nests. The most successful nest builder is the baby mouse. Her nest is a miracle of architecture. It is woven from thin fibers. The mouse prepares them herself, passing reed leaves or sedge through needle-sharp teeth. A nest about the size of a small orange is suspended from a few blades of grass or cereal stems. It is surprising that the nest has neither entrance nor exit and the little mice sit in it as if walled up. When the mother returns from hunting, she moves the fibers apart and climbs into the nest, and when she leaves, the fibers move again.

Squirrels make cozy nests. First, they weave a spherical frame from small twigs, and then inside it they build a second nest of dry grass, moss, and lichens. In places where there are severe frosts, squirrels make the walls of the nest especially thick and line it with additional down and wool. There are one or two entrances to the nest, which are plugged with moss or lichens. When going fishing, the squirrel also does not leave the door open and, when returning, finds the nest not yet cooled down.

In many mountains there are small rodents - flat-skulled voles. Their nests and food stores are located in crevices between rocks. To protect them from predators and bad weather, voles surround them with a wall made of crushed stone, held together with droppings. Such a wall is very strong and sometimes reaches a length of ten meters and a height of more than one.

The common hedgehog also builds a nest for itself. It is a plant ball made of plant waste - stems herbaceous plants, mainly cereals, mixed with shreds of moss and dry leaves, ground into dust. The nest is located under piles of dead wood in a small depression between the roots of a tree trunk, under old stumps, in dense thickets of bushes or weeds. The hedgehog spends the day in such a nest, raises its cubs, and goes into hibernation for the winter. Only in areas with cold, long winters do hedgehogs make nests in burrows.

Of all rodents, or perhaps even of all mammals, beavers construct the most grandiose structures. Without a reliable home they would have a hard time. On land, the beaver is clumsy, and its flat teeth are only suitable for gnawing wood, and on land, not only a lynx or a wolf, but even a fox are dangerous to it. You won’t live in water all the time either - you need to relax and raise beaver cubs. They live either in holes dug in the river bank or in huts. Their burrow is the same as that of most burrowing animals, only the entrance to it is below the water level. The hut is, at first glance, a heap of disorderly heaps of branches of different thicknesses. However, inside the hut there is a spacious room located above the water level, with two entrances - below and on the side. Usually the hut is installed in a shallow area of ​​the river, but so that both entrances are under water. The huts reach respectable sizes - up to 10 meters in diameter and up to 2.5 meters in height. However, such a shelter does not always suit beavers; in summer, and sometimes in winter, many rivers become shallow, and then the entrances to the dwelling are on dry land. What solution would an engineer suggest here? Of course, build a dam. That's what beavers do. As soon as the water level begins to drop, they get to work. Having chosen a suitable tree, the beaver gnaws a circular groove around the trunk, deepens it and finally with a strong blow the incisors fell a tree, and always towards the river. Then he chews the fallen tree into pieces about a meter long, and drags them into the water, where the dam is planned to be built. At first, the stumps are carried away by the current, but the beavers patiently continue their work, and eventually a blockage forms in the river. Then they drag stones, earth and more and more branches onto the rubble, and gradually the water level begins to rise. Beavers build such dams not only across small rivers, but also across large ones. Beaver dams more than 250 meters long are known.

When building a dam, beavers do not demonstrate any particular skill: they pile up stumps, branches, and earth haphazardly. Another thing is striking: how do they know that the dam can help them? How do they find exactly the place where it is easiest to build it? How do they understand that the stronger the current, the more convex the shape of the dam and the flatter the slope located upstream? Previously, this was explained by instinct. Indeed, beavers have built-in construction skills from birth. They tried to hammer stakes into the earthen floor of a beaver cub, raised alone, in a cage, and upon reaching a certain age, he began construction. However, using instinct alone, beavers would not be able to solve all the problems mentioned above. They can learn some things from older, experienced animals, but some things cannot be explained if beavers are completely denied rational activity.

In addition to beavers, muskrats, platypus, and muskrats also have shelters with access to the water. The muskrat and platypus have burrows dug in the steep banks of the river, and the muskrat has huts made of reeds and small twigs.

Amazing underground fortresses erected by moles. Everywhere in forest clearings, meadows and fields you can see piles of earth - molehills. If we carefully remove the layer of earth from above, we will find a wide passage - this is a shaft through which the four-legged digger throws out excess earth. If we follow the direction of the move, we will soon reach the main apartment. In the center is a cauldron-shaped room lined with dry grass, moss, and soft roots. There are two circular galleries around it - one higher, the other lower. The galleries are connected by passages, usually there are five of them. You can get into the central room either through the upper gallery or through a special passage leading to a wide tunnel, from which the mole’s hunting roads diverge in all directions. They usually reach a length of 30 and sometimes 50 meters.

Most bats do not engage in construction work and live in caves, tree hollows, and attics. However, in tropical America There is a bat that makes itself a house from a specially cut palm leaf.

Some mammals are not averse to taking over other people's apartments. Foxes often settle in badger holes, having survived the previous owners. Ferrets live in gopher burrows. The marten, having driven out and sometimes eaten the mistress, occupies the squirrel's nest. Dormouses often roost in bird houses.

Let's return to our closest relatives - chimpanzees and gorillas. Although their buildings are not particularly complex, they cannot be denied real rational activity. When free, their construction activities are limited to the construction of simple sleeping nests. With the onset of twilight, chimpanzees build themselves a nest from branches for sleeping at night, usually a new one each time. In a dense tangle of branches tropical forest, the animal looks for a vertical fork or several parallel branches. It bends neighboring branches to this base, breaks them and holds them firmly with its feet. Smaller branches, densely covered with foliage, serve to line the bed. And all this is crushed by the chimpanzee’s body. In just 3-5 minutes the construction is over. Often, however, the bed does not seem comfortable enough for the animal. Then, having picked more green branches, the chimpanzee slips them under his head or other parts of his body until he finally calms down. Despite such rapid construction, all the branches of the nest are tightly woven.

Chimpanzees have an innate predisposition to build nests. The kids playfully tinker with constructing a nest, although they still live with their mother and do not need a nest. At this stage, they learn to “process” building material in a way characteristic of this species. However, design abilities are not exhausted only by the innate nest-building program great apes. Under natural conditions, these dormant abilities do not find use and appear only when the monkeys are kept in captivity. Köhler's domesticated chimpanzees used sticks to reach bananas placed outside their cages. They made the discovery that they could connect two too short sticks and thus achieve the desired goal. They learned to retrieve bananas suspended high from the ceiling by making pyramids out of the boxes.

A tower of boxes - no matter that it is shaky, nevertheless stands at an immeasurably higher level than the most skillful webs of spiders, weaver nests or termite buildings, built on the basis of innate behavioral programs. Precisely because its creation is the result of a pre-action analysis of an unexpected situation.

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Wait for a clear day tomorrow.

Swifts flash and ring.

Purple streak of fire

Transparent illuminated sunset.

1. Introduction

Relevance

I have a cat at home - Ryzhik. Every time I come home from school, he greets me at the door. One day I returned home, and Ryzhik was not there. I was surprised - where did my cat go? It turned out that he was sleeping peacefully on my bed in the pillows, curled up in a ball and covering his nose with his paw. Mom said it would get colder soon. I didn’t believe it because the sun was shining outside and it was very warm. But by morning it really got colder. I learned from my mother that there is such a sign that if a cat curls up in a ball and covers its nose, wait for the cold weather. I started watching our cat. After some time, Ryzhik lay for half a day on the floor, on his back, with his paws outstretched. It turned out that in this way he warned us about warming. And this is another sign in which Ryzhik predicted the weather.

People often complain about weather forecasts. It happens that it’s raining outside the window, but meteorologists say that it’s only cloudy. A a pet in this case, it correctly predicts the weather without even leaving home.

I became interested in which other animal can predict the weather, how they show it, and whether their forecast always coincides with reality.

Target: identifying the ability to predict weather in animals to determine the reliability of signs existing among people

Tasks:

Study literature on the topic;

Analyze examples described in the literature confirming the ability of some animals to predict the weather;

Observe cases in nature where animals predict the weather;

Conduct a comparative analysis of examples from the literature and observations;

Chat with class teacher

Conduct a survey among adults and children on the research topic;

Hypothesis: weather changes affect the behavior of animals, folk signs are true

Object of study: animal behavior

Subject of study: the influence of weather changes on the behavior of animals and people’s attitudes to such signs.

Research methods:

study of literature;

analytical, questionnaire, conversation, survey, observation, practical work.

2. Literature review

2.1 . What allows animals to predict the weather

In my work, I used various printed and electronic sources, which contain a lot of material about the life of animals, their habits, and the peculiarities of adaptation to the surrounding world.

Almost one hundred and forty years ago, Victor Hugo so well, in the words of Captain Gertre, described the weather forecast according to folk signs based on taking into account natural phenomena. (Appendix No. 1).

In our age of cities, atomic energy, space travel, people are increasingly moving away from living nature. The townspeople have lost the knowledge that their ancestors had accumulated over centuries: they almost no longer determine the weather by the behavior of animals or the condition of plants. Now they are helped in this by specialists from meteorological stations and radio and television announcers, broadcasting weather forecasts compiled by weather forecasters. It happens that these forecasts sometimes turn out to be wrong. Why?

In hydrometeorological service reports, the weather is usually given for more or less extensive areas, and in some small areas there may be deviations due to unforeseen changes in the course of atmospheric processes. Therefore, animals and plants can become good helpers. In many cases, these forecasts turn out to be more accurate.

Having studied the literature, I learned that in the process of evolutionary development, animals from generation to generation developed the ability to sensitively respond to any changes in the weather that promised them good or evil. And only by learning to predict these changes, animals were able to adapt to them, hide in shelters in advance, and protect themselves from dangers. Such abilities are inherited and help preserve life. biological species. Thanks to their nervous system and sensory organs, animals are able to reflexively detect even the most minor changes in their environment. There are now about 600 species of animals whose behavior can be used to predict weather changes.

Observing the behavior of animals, people since ancient times have noted the connection between phenomena in nature and accumulated various signs. Folk signs reflect patterns of connection between animals and plants and weather conditions. In all centuries, this has been especially important in agriculture, where the results of work depend most on the weather.

2.2. Mentions of signs associated with animal behavior in literature

The ability of animals to predict weather changes is mentioned in the works of many scientists and writers from various countries, from Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome to the present day.

A. S. Pushkin said this very well in his time in the poem “Signs,” written in 1821.

V.I. Dal collected and summarized folk signs about the weather in the book “Proverbs of the Russian People.” Later, at the very beginning of the last century, signs about the weather were described in detail in the three-volume work of ethnographer A. S. Ermolov, “Folk agricultural wisdom in proverbs, sayings and signs.”

Indeed, birds can predict rain and clear weather, cold and heat, wind and storm by their behavior. They are sensitive to change atmospheric pressure, air temperature and humidity, decrease in illumination when clouds appear in the sky and weakening solar radiation, changes in the electric field in the atmosphere before a thunderstorm and react accordingly to this. Real feathered barometers. It was not for nothing that Dersu Uzala trusted them so much.

2.3. Signs that allow one to predict the weather based on the behavior of birds, described in the literature.

There are many examples in the literature of weather prediction by different birds. Winged forecasters can be finches and orioles, pheasants, kites, eagles, owls, chukars, dippers, black grouse, wood grouse and many others.

In the book “In the Wilds of the Ussuri Region,” V. K. Arsenyev talks about how, even if the sky is cloudy and there is no sun, but woodpeckers, jays, and nutcrackers are calling to each other in the forest, and fussy nuthatches are whistling merrily, then there will be no rain. Before the rain it is always quiet and gloomy: “In the morning the birds were in a hurry to eat, but now look for yourself, there are none,” says one of the characters in the book, guide Dersu Uzala. “And in fact, before sunset, birds always show special liveliness, but now there was dead silence in the forest. As if by order, they all hid somewhere... It started snowing at night.”

Scientists have found an explanation for some signs (Appendix No. 2)

2.4. Signs that allow one to predict the weather based on the behavior of poultry and animals, described in the literature

Both poultry and animals are good predictors. Since ancient times, our ancestors learned to determine from the behavior of domestic animals what surprises the weather had in store. And today we can also use these observations. For example, if chickens bathe in the sand, flap their wings, pluck and cackle in bad weather; chickens do not hide from the rain - the rain will not be strong and will not last long; the hen puts the chickens under her in bad weather; If chickens in cloudy rainy weather suddenly begin to sing at the very beginning of the day, it means the weather is clearing up. But not only chickens are able to predict the weather; domestic geese and ducks are also excellent meteorologists:

The goose raises its paw - to the cold;

A goose stands on one leg - it means frost;

The goose sits with its legs crossed - to the cold;

Ducks and geese hide their heads under their wings - to the cold and cold;

Cats are probably the most sensitive to weather changes. In ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, the cat was considered a special prophetic animal, capable of predicting the future. The cat’s behavior was carefully observed and upcoming events were judged based on certain signs:

If the pussy is sleeping, covering its muzzle with its paw, tucking its paws under itself, curled up into a ball, expect frost;

If he sleeps soundly with his belly up - to warmth or heat;

Licking a paw, washing itself - means warming;

Sharpening his claws on the floor - the weather will change.

Domestic dogs, when the frost increases (cold snap), curl up, hiding their nose, and if they stretch out, spreading their legs, they curl up for warmth; they roll in the snow or chase each other - during a thaw and a snowstorm.

In an aquarium, char serves as an excellent barometer. In good weather, it lies calmly on the bottom and does not move. But if the fish begins to swim along the aquarium, wriggling like a ribbon, keep in mind: clouds will soon cover the sky. Just before the snowfall, she rushes up and down in the water.

2.5.Signs that allow one to predict natural disasters based on the behavior of animals.

From some sources I learned that animals can predict natural disasters. Sharks swim deep to a fairly safe distance when a hurricane approaches. For example, ordinary aquarium fish - macrognathus - line up in a vertical chain three to four hours before an earthquake. They can also rush around the aquarium and even try to jump out of it. Another aquarium fish, the neon one, begins to behave restlessly the day before the earthquake. Chinese scientists observed unusual restless behavior of snakes, which began to leave their holes during the daytime. This was accompanied by a number of minor underground vibrations.

3. Research part

3.1.Conversation

From a conversation with my class teacher N.I. Maslennikova, I learned that she lived in Turkmenistan for several years. Natalia Ivanovna said that in November 1992 an earthquake occurred in Ashgabat. About 10 minutes before it began, absolute silence arose in nature: the crickets fell silent, the cicadas did not chirp, and the dogs stopped barking. And about 5 minutes before the shock, the local yard dog Sharik suddenly howled. After this, an increasing rumble was heard, the glass in the windows rattled and a push was felt.

This story confirms the assumption about animals being weather forecasters.

3.2. Observations

I wanted to check for myself whether it is really possible to determine what the weather will be like by the behavior of animals. And my cat Ryzhik became the first weather predictor. When he sleeps and curls up with his nose closed, this means that there will be a cold snap soon (04/5/2016). (Appendix No. 3).

I came to a similar conclusion while watching someone else’s cat on the street on April 30, 2016: the black cat was sleeping on the heating pipes, curled up in a ball, hiding his nose, the next day the weather turned bad. (Appendix No. 4)

04/23/2016 I was walking to school in the morning and saw pigeons swimming in a puddle. From that day on, warm spring weather set in for a week, and before that it had rained and snowed. (Appendix No. 5)

In the summer I rested with my grandmother and continued my observations:

July 7, 2016 it was cloudy, there was a little rain, but our chickens walked outside, not paying attention to the bad weather (Appendix No. 6).

After lunch, the rain stopped, the sun came out, and the air temperature rose to 25 degrees Celsius.

07/09/2016 I watched an anthill located in my grandmother’s garden. Usually ants run around their house, dragging something, but on this day it was calm on the anthill and around it. It was clear and hot, but after 2-3 hours it started to rain. (Appendix No. 7)

On the same day, I noticed that the neighbor’s bees were very actively flocking to the hive, and grandfather did not allow us to stand next to the fence, because the bees were “evil” at that time, the weather did not give them the opportunity to work.

At the beginning of August, my family and I were on vacation on the Sea of ​​Azov and noticed that all week (08/1/2016 - 08/7/2016) seagulls were walking along the shore and did not even try to land on the surface of the sea - the sea was stormy all week. (Appendix No. 8)

We went swimming in the Black Sea. And on the Black Sea in the village of Vityazevo the Sea was calm, and seagulls were flying over the water (Appendix No. 9).

08/08/2016 I swam in the Black Sea in the village of Vinogradny and saw how swallows were flying low over the sea, the sun was setting in a cloud and we had to leave the sea, because it was clear that within an hour it will rain. And indeed on the way home we got caught in the rain.

She presented her observations and results in a table. (Appendix 10)

3.3. Questionnaire on the research topic

Target: determine what signs are known to others and the frequency of their use in life.

Survey questions:

Do you know signs in which animals predict the weather?

Name what animal predictions you know about the weather.

Do you believe animal meteorologists?

Have you observed matches or mismatches predicted by animals in real life?

40 people took part in the survey. Of these, 22 are children, 18 are adults. The survey results are presented in the table (Appendix No. 12)

Conclusion: Most of the respondents know the signs of weather prediction by animals, and use them in life.

Work hypothesis confirmed. I have proven the ability of animals to predict the weather and have confirmed the authenticity of superstitions among people.

My work has practical significance. I myself have become more observant. My classmates learned to use folk signs and determine the weather by the behavior of birds and animals. In class we are working on the project “Plants are weather forecasters,” describing various signs associated with plant predictions about changes in the weather. I hope the work has become useful for my family members: we have become more attentive to our cat.

After analyzing the questionnaire I conducted, I came to the conclusion that modern people Even living not in the city, but among nature, they are far from it, do not understand its laws, and do not always listen and look closely at the clues that animals give us.

For example, my grandmother, who is weather dependent, now pays more attention to the behavior of her pets to prevent or alleviate poor health.

Conclusion

Each of us periodically faces the problem of the need for an accurate forecast.

weather. To do this, we look at TV and the Internet, listen to the radio. But all sources provide different information. Well, instruments and people tend to make mistakes, but natural phenomena, our smaller brothers and plants do not, because they themselves are natural weather forecasters. And this is confirmed by my own observations. By observing them, you can make a fairly reliable forecast. Let us not forget the knowledge of our ancestors acquired over centuries. The peasant always knew how to wisely arrange his life, in accordance with the laws of nature. Let's be sensitive, let's try to hear those who cannot speak, but with their behavior warn us of danger or foreshadow the joy of a sunny day.

Bibliography

Monographs

Zayanchkovsky I. Feathered predictors. //Young Pathfinder. No. 6.- 2004

Petrova E. Tailed meteorologists. // Pages 4-5.

Internet resources

Encyclopedia for children: T. 2. Biology. - 4th ed. corr. - M.: Avanta+, 1997. - 688 p.: ill.

Weather forecasters. ABOUT natural phenomena, animals and plants www.znaika-club.com.ua/

The world of travel and adventure. www.outdoors.ru/weather/weater_land

Appendix No. 1

Captain Gertre, having learned that Clubin was going to sail on his Durand tomorrow morning, said to him:

“If I were you, I would stay. Listen, Captain Clubin, dogs smell like wet dogs. Seabirds have been hovering near the lighthouse, around the lantern, for two nights. Bad omen... Earthworms crawl out of the ground, flies bite, bees do not fly away from the hive, sparrows seem to be holding advice... Tomorrow there will be healthy fog. I don’t recommend swimming...”

Victor Hugo "Toilers of the Sea"

Appendix No. 2. Explanation by scientists will be accepted

Appendix No. 10. List of signs used when observing animals

Appendix No. 11. Survey results