How long does a bank vole give birth? Bank vole (Myodes glareolus) Bank vole (eng.). Appearance of a field mouse

Fans Mozilla Firefox, today we will talk about an animal that is directly related to this browser. Its emblem depicts an animal that looks like a fox. But is it? Firefox translates to "fire fox", that's right. But few people know that the Chinese name for the small (red) panda - “hon ho” - has the same meaning. And it is this animal, and not a fox, that is part of the logo of this browser.

The relationship between the red and giant panda is very distant. Many millions of years ago, approximately in the early Tertiary period, their common ancestor lived on Earth, who lived in the territory of modern Eurasia.

There are 2 subspecies of this animal: the western red panda ( Ailurus fulgens fulgens), living in Nepal and Bhutan, and the red panda Staiana ( Ailurus fulgens styani), living in the area of ​​southern China and northern Myanmar. The main difference between them is their size and coloring - the red panda Staiana is larger and darker than its western relative.

In nature, red pandas are now found only in a few Chinese provinces (Sichuan and Yunnan), Nepal, Bhutan, northern Burma, and northeastern India. Their habitat is coniferous forests(mostly fir), which alternate with deciduous tree species: oak, maple, chestnut and others. They are necessary for the growth of bamboo, the red panda's main food. Such forests can be found at an altitude of 2000-4000 meters above sea level. Most of the year they are shrouded in clouds, which creates favorable conditions for the development of mosses and lichens. You’ll find out why we mentioned them a little later.

Small pandas grow to the size of a large cat, but due to their thick and long fur they appear larger than they actually are. The body length including the fluffy tail is about 80-120 centimeters, and average weight equal to 4-6 kilograms. The short legs are equipped with strongly curved claws, which only partially extend forward, and the feet are covered with short fur, which helps when walking on ice or snow. There is an “extra finger” on the front paws, thanks to which the panda can hold bamboo branches while eating. Externally, males are not much different from females.

These animals have very beautiful coloring- dark or light red, but not everywhere, but mostly on the back, sides and tail. The belly and paws are dark brown or even black. The red tail has light rings. The animal's head is decorated with white areas on the muzzle, on the cheeks, along the edges of the ears and around the eyes.

It was not by chance that nature prepared this color for this animal. The red color performs a protective function and allows the red panda, while resting or sleeping, to remain unnoticeable among the red lichens that strew the trunks and branches. coniferous trees, in particular fir.

In the habitats of these animals average temperature air fluctuates around 10-25 degrees and precipitation constantly falls - rain or snow. This means that the fur must retain heat well. During particularly cold periods, in order to keep warm, the panda curls up on branches or in a hollow into a tight ball and covers its head with its tail, like a blanket.

They spend most of their time in trees, where they feel like fish in water. They come down to earth for food. They are most active in the evening, and during the day they settle down comfortably in hollows and sleep. A long tail helps them maintain balance while in the trees. Descending to the ground, they hold it straight without touching the ground.

Each panda, whether male or female, has its own territory, and a considerable one. For males it is about 5 km 2, and for females it is 2 times less. They mark it with special marks: secretions from the anal glands, urine or piles of droppings, thanks to which the animals immediately learn which neighbors live next to them.

Adults live alone, uniting in groups only during the breeding season, which begins in January. Sometimes you can meet a small group of pandas even in the off season - this is an adult female with her grown-up offspring.

The baby is born only 90-145 days after mating, but a “real” pregnancy lasts only about 50 days. This is explained by the fact that the fetus begins to develop only after a sufficiently long period of time after conception.

Before giving birth, the female builds a nest for herself in a hollow or in a rock crevice. Typically, red pandas give birth to 1-2 cubs, sometimes there may be more, but in the end only one will survive. They develop very slowly. Up to 5 months of age they feed on mother's milk. Initially, the fur of the cubs is colored grey colour and only after 3 months they begin to acquire a red color. The cubs can stay next to their mother for a whole year until a new generation appears. By this period, most often, young animals themselves reach sexual maturity, separate from the female and begin an independent life.

Despite the fact that they are predators, the majority of their diet consists of plant foods (almost 95%). These are primarily young and fresh bamboo shoots, mushrooms, berries and fruits. But sometimes they can snack on small rodents and bird eggs.

As a result, their dental system is like that of herbivores - the structure of their molars allows them to grind plant foods. As we can see, this panda's food is very low in calories, and in order to get the required amount of energy, the animal has to eat about 2 kilograms of food per day. In zoos they are fed fruits, leaves, bamboo buds, grass, rice cooked in milk and sweet milk.

They have few enemies. This Snow Leopard and man. The second one is much more dangerous than the first one. They can quickly climb a tree from a leopard, but you can’t hide from a person anywhere. Now this animal is listed in the International Red Book under the status of “endangered”. The main reasons for the decline in the number of small pandas are deforestation and hunting for their beautiful fur, which is used to make hats.

Fortunately for us, red pandas reproduce well in captivity, since zoos have all the favorable conditions for development. In nature, their life expectancy is approximately 8-10 years, while in zoos it is about 15 years.

In this post there will be scary, nasty, cute, kind, beautiful, incomprehensible animals.
Plus a short comment about each. They all really exist
Watch and be surprised

SNAP TOOTH- a mammal from the order of insectivores, divided into two main species: the Cuban slittooth and the Haitian. The animal is relatively large compared to other types of insectivores: its length is 32 centimeters, its tail is on average 25 cm, the weight of the animal is about 1 kilogram, and its body is dense.


MANED WOLF. Lives in South America. Long legs wolves are the result of evolution in matters of adaptation to their habitat; they help the animal overcome obstacles in the form of tall grass growing on the plains.


AFRICAN CIVET- the only representative of the genus of the same name. These animals live in Africa in open spaces with high grass from Senegal to Somalia, southern Namibia and in the eastern regions South Africa. The size of the animal can visually increase quite significantly when the civet raises its fur when excited. And her fur is thick and long, especially on the back closer to the tail. The paws, muzzle and tail end are completely black, most of the body is spotted.


MUSKRAT. The animal is quite famous due to its sonorous name. It's just a good photo.


PROCHIDNA. This miracle of nature usually weighs up to 10 kg, although larger specimens have also been observed. By the way, the length of the echidna’s body reaches 77 cm, and this is not counting their cute five to seven centimeter tail. Any description of this animal is based on comparison with the echidna: the legs of the echidna are higher, the claws are more powerful. Another feature of the echidna’s appearance is the spurs on the hind legs of males and the five-fingered hind limbs and three-fingered forelimbs.


CAPIBARA. Semi-aquatic mammal, the largest of modern rodents. It is the only representative of the capybara family (Hydrochoeridae). There is a dwarf variety, Hydrochoerus isthmius, which is sometimes considered as a separate species (lesser capybara).


SEA CUCUMBER. HOLOTHURIA. Sea egg pods, sea ​​cucumbers(Holothuroidea), a class of invertebrate animals such as echinoderms. Species eaten as food are common name"trepang".


PANGOLIN. This post simply could not do without him.


HELL VAMPIRE. Mollusk. Despite its obvious similarity with octopus and squid, scientists have identified this mollusk as a separate order Vampyromorphida (lat.), because it is characterized by retractable sensitive whip-shaped filaments.


AARDVARK. In Africa, these mammals are called aardvark, which translated into Russian means “earthen pig.” In fact, the aardvark is very similar in appearance to a pig, only with an elongated snout. The structure of the ears of this amazing animal is very similar to that of a hare. There is also a muscular tail, which is very similar to the tail of an animal such as a kangaroo.

JAPANESE GIANT SALAMANDER. Today it is the largest amphibian, which can reach 160 cm in length, weigh up to 180 kg and can live up to 150 years, although the officially recorded maximum age of the giant salamander is 55 years.


BEARDED PIG. In different sources, the Bearded Pig species is divided into two or three subspecies. These are the curly bearded pig (Sus barbatus oi), which lives on the Malay Peninsula and the island of Sumatra, the Bornean bearded pig (Sus barbatus barbatus) and the Palawan bearded pig, which live, as their name suggests, on Borneo island and Palawan, as well as on Java, Kalimantan and the small islands of the Indonesian archipelago in South-East Asia.




SUMATRAN RHINO. They belong to the odd-toed ungulates of the rhinoceros family. This type of rhinoceros is the smallest of the entire family. Body length adult The Sumatran rhinoceros can reach 200 – 280 cm, and the height at the withers can vary from 100 to 150 cm. Such rhinoceroses can weigh up to 1000 kg.


SULAWESI BEAR COUSCUS. An arboreal marsupial living in the upper tier of the plains tropical forests. The fur of the bear cuscus consists of a soft undercoat and coarse guard hairs. Coloration ranges from gray to brown, with a lighter belly and limbs, and varies depending on the geographic subspecies and age of the animal. The prehensile, non-haired tail is approximately half the length of the animal and serves as a fifth limb, making it easier to move through the dense tropical forest. The bear cuscus is the most primitive of all cuscus, retaining primitive tooth growth and structural features of the skull.


GALAGO. Its large fluffy tail is clearly comparable to that of a squirrel. And his charming face and graceful movements, flexibility and insinuation, clearly reflect his cat-like traits. The amazing jumping ability, mobility, strength and incredible dexterity of this animal clearly show its nature as a funny cat and an elusive squirrel. Of course, there would be a place to use your talents, because a cramped cage is very poorly suited for this. But, if you give this animal a little freedom and sometimes allow him to walk around the apartment, then all his quirks and talents will come true. Many even compare it to a kangaroo.


WOMBAT. Without a photograph of a wombat, it is generally impossible to talk about strange and rare animals.


AMAZONIAN DOLPHIN. It is the largest river dolphin. Inia geoffrensis, as scientists call it, reaches 2.5 meters in length and weighs 2 quintals. Light gray juveniles become lighter with age. The Amazonian dolphin has a full body, with a thin tail and a narrow muzzle. A round forehead, a slightly curved beak and small eyes are the characteristics of this species of dolphin. The Amazonian dolphin is found in rivers and lakes Latin America.


MOONFISH or MOLA-MOLA. This fish can be more than three meters long and weigh about one and a half tons. The largest specimen of the sunfish was caught in New Hampshire, USA. Its length was five and a half meters, there is no data on weight. The shape of the fish’s body resembles a disk; it was this feature that served as the reason for Latin name. The moon fish has thick skin. It is elastic, and its surface is covered with small bony projections. The larvae of fish of this species and young individuals swim in the usual way. Adult large fish swim on their sides, quietly moving their fins. They seem to lie on the surface of the water, where they are very easy to notice and catch. However, many experts believe that only sick fish swim this way. As an argument, they cite the fact that the stomach of fish caught on the surface is usually empty.


TASMANIAN DEVIL. Being the largest of modern predatory marsupials, this black animal with white spots on the chest and rump, with a huge mouth and sharp teeth has a dense physique and a stern disposition, for which, in fact, it was called the devil. Emitting ominous screams at night, massive and clumsy Tasmanian devil outwardly it resembles a small bear: the front legs are slightly longer than the hind legs, the head is large, the muzzle is blunt.


LORI. Feature lori – big size eyes, which may be bordered by dark circles, with a white dividing stripe between the eyes. The face of a loris can be compared to a clown mask. This most likely explains the animal's name: Loeris means "clown".


GAVIAL. Of course, one of the representatives of the crocodile order. With age, the gharial's muzzle becomes even narrower and longer. Due to the fact that the gharial feeds on fish, its teeth are long and sharp, located at a slight angle for ease of eating.


OKAPI. FOREST GIRAFFE. Traveling around Central Africa, journalist and African explorer Henry Morton Stanley (1841-1904) repeatedly encountered local aborigines. Having once met an expedition equipped with horses, the natives of the Congo told the famous traveler that they had wild animals, very similar to his horses. The Englishman, who had seen a lot, was somewhat puzzled by this fact. After some negotiations, in 1900 the British were finally able to acquire parts of the skin. mysterious beast from the local population and send them to the Royal Zoological Society in London, where the unknown animal was given the name “Johnston's Horse” (Equus johnstoni), that is, it was assigned to the equine family. But imagine their surprise when a year later they managed to get a whole skin and two skulls of an unknown animal, and discovered that It looked more like dwarf giraffe times ice age. Only in 1909 was it possible to catch a living specimen of Okapi.

WALABI. TREE KANGAROO. The genus of Tree kangaroos - wallabies (Dendrolagus) includes 6 species. Of these, D. Inustus or the bear wallaby, D. Matschiei or Matchisha's wallaby, which has a subspecies D. Goodfellowi (Goodfellow's wallaby), D. Dorianus - the Doria wallaby, live in New Guinea. In Australian Queensland, there are D. Lumholtzi - Lumholtz's wallaby (bungari), D. Bennettianus - Bennett's wallaby, or tharibin. Their original habitat was New Guinea, but now wallabies are found in Australia. Tree kangaroos live in tropical forests mountainous regions, at altitudes from 450 to 3000m. above sea level. The body size of the animal is 52-81 cm, the tail is from 42 to 93 cm long. Wallabies weigh, depending on the species, from 7.7 to 10 kg for males and from 6.7 to 8.9 kg. females.


WOLVERINE. Moves quickly and deftly. The animal has an elongated muzzle, a large head, with rounded ears. The jaws are powerful, the teeth are sharp. Wolverine is a “big-footed” animal; its feet are disproportionate to the body, but their size allows them to move freely through deep snow cover. Each paw has huge and curved claws. Wolverine is an excellent tree climber and has keen eyesight. The voice is like a fox.


FOSSA. The island of Madagascar has preserved animals that are not found not only in Africa itself, but also in the rest of the world. One of the rarest animals is the Fossa - the only representative of the genus Cryptoprocta and the largest carnivorous mammal, living on the island of Madagascar. Appearance The Fossa is a bit unusual: it is a cross between a civet and a small puma. Sometimes the fossa is also called the Madagascar lion, since the ancestors of this animal were much larger and reached the size of a lion. Fossa has a squat, massive and slightly elongated body, the length of which can reach up to 80 cm (on average it is 65-70 cm). The fossa's paws are long, but quite thick, with the hind paws being higher than the front paws. The tail is often equal to the length of the body and reaches up to 65 cm.


MANUL approves of this post and is here only because he has to be. Everyone already knows him.


PHENEC. STEPPE FOX. He assents to the manula and is present here insofar as. After all, everyone saw him.


NAKED MORAVARY gives the Pallas's cat and fennec cat pluses in their karma and invites them to organize a club of the most fearful animals in RuNet.


PALM THIEF. Representative of decapod crustaceans. Habitat: Western Pacific Ocean and tropical islands Indian Ocean. This animal from the family of land crayfish is quite large for its species. The body of an adult reaches a size of up to 32 cm and a weight of up to 3-4 kg. For a long time it was mistakenly believed that with its claws it could even crack coconuts, which it then eats. To date, scientists have proven that crayfish can only feed on already split coconuts. They, being its main source of nutrition, gave it its name palm thief. Although he is not averse to eating other types of food - the fruits of Pandanus plants, organic substances from the soil, and even his own kind.

The field mouse is a small animal with a brown or gray back and a light gray belly. The red-backed vole has fairly large ears and a dark stripe along its back. The vole family is characterized by a small body size (up to 15 centimeters), and the tail can be longer than the body. Field mice live in large families containing up to 10 nests each. In a month, the pest processes and throws up to 60 kilograms of soil onto the surface.

Despite their miniature size, forest voles, like rats, cause a lot of trouble for their owners. The common vole is the enemy of bumblebees. She destroys their homes, eats insect larvae and the honey they make. This brings significant losses to beekeepers and can completely discourage insects from the area.

Practically all year round The main food of animals is leaves, stems and seeds of wild herbaceous plants. The bank vole also feeds on berries and grain during its growth period. Gray voles also eat insects, their larvae and some invertebrates.

Lifestyle

The lifestyle of rodents follows the principle of seasonality. Also, animal biorhythms depend on the duration daylight hours. Air temperature and, accordingly, the time of year also have a significant impact on lifestyle.

In summer and spring, forest voles are active in the afternoon and at night. How do they live in winter? In winter and autumn, gray voles and rats are active during the day. The animal does not hibernate in winter. E minks during this period are natural shelters or passages underground.

Gray voles, like rats, “build” their minks up to 4 meters in height. They are usually equipped with several exits, one of which leads to water. The mouse lives in a house with a specially equipped chamber. In winter, food supplies are stored in it.

It is worth noting that water vole, living near swamps, does not dig holes. She lives in a spherical house made mainly of grass. The dwelling is located at a height, on a bush.

Video “Vole in nature”

The “main character” of the video is a field mouse who gradually eats a piece of bread.

Distribution and reproduction

Rats and forest voles live in the territory of the former Soviet Union, in Siberia, Kazakhstan, on Far East. In Ukraine, rodents live in the Carpathians, the region of the Azov and Black Seas, where the water vole is found. The bank vole feels uncomfortable in the dry steppes near Sivash, so it does not live there.

Forest voles prefer to live in forest-steppe forests. Rodents are most often found in cultivated fields or hills, rising almost one and a half kilometers above sea level.

The bank vole loves wet areas, so it can be found in grassy meadows and fields. With great desire red gray vole It also settles in vineyards, gardens, and valleys, which is very harmful to gardeners.

The underground vole places its homes among the roots of plants. When the cold sets in, pests easily hide in stacks of straw and piles of fallen leaves. Sometimes the field mouse sneaks into human homes or grain storage facilities, which does not make farmers happy.

The bank vole actively reproduces in the spring. Rodent cubs appear in specially equipped chambers, the bottom of which is covered with dry grass. From this part of the dwelling there are several paths that go to the surface. On average, a female gives birth to 4 litters of 5-8 cubs per year. Pregnancy lasts 22 days.

The interval between litters is about two months. The little mouse is born naked and blind. He is absolutely helpless. Next, the mouse becomes covered with fluff, grows and develops. After 10 days it is no different from an adult. Three-week-old babies search for food on an equal basis with other mice. And after another couple of months, the field mouse is already able to reproduce.

Harm

Despite their miniature and cute appearance, mammals are of little use in the household. They exist, by and large, thanks to the fact that they manage to steal from gardeners, farmers or gardeners.

Mice and rats, settling in apartments, warehouses or in the countryside, cause irreparable harm. They eat tree bark, green parts of plants and gardeners' supplies, including grain. The red vole causes significant losses, and when the rodent population becomes huge, it is impossible to estimate losses from spoiled grain crops at all. Therefore, it is in the interests of gardeners themselves not to allow the mouse family to increase.

To choose the right product, you need to decide what results you are trying to achieve. And also, what method: humane or more radical. It is also necessary to take into account the environment in which disinfection activities are planned. After all, when getting rid of rodents, pets or livestock should not be harmed.

The underground vole is afraid of Storm wax tablets. This drug can reliably protect the crop that the pest feeds on. The substance is scattered in burrows and other places where the bank vole likes or may be. The main thing is not to take the drug with your hands. After all, rats can smell a person and will not eat poison. After consuming poison, the animal’s life ends after 10-14 days.

Mice can also be controlled with Muskidan glue. It is applied to a plywood or cardboard base, in the middle of which the bait is placed. Once on the sticky surface, the field mouse is firmly glued to it.

The water vole is also afraid of natural enemies, which can sharply reduce the population size. For example, an owl takes the lives of 1,000 or more rodents in a year. And for the fox and marten, the red vole is the only food. Therefore, they are actively hunting for her. A ferret, hunting for mice, is capable of destroying up to 12 representatives of the water vole species in one night. And the weasel, with its long and narrow body, easily penetrates the dwellings that the red-gray vole has equipped and takes the life of its cubs.

The bank vole is the most common subspecies of forest voles. Animals make up the main branch the food chain for predators and birds. This cute rodent is recognized as a major pest for parks. The vole is dangerous to humans, as it carries a life-threatening infection.

Characteristic

The animal's head is small, with a thickening in the frontoparietal region. The facial region is lowered down with narrowed nasal bones. The zygomatic arches are low. The animal's eyes are black, slightly convex. The roots of the animal’s teeth form earlier than those of other representatives of the species and have thin enamel. The eardrums are small, but this does not affect the sensitive hearing of the rodent.

The color of the bank vole can vary from light red to rusty. Tail white at the bottom and dark at the top. The surface of the vole's tail appears bald, but in fact it is covered with a thin layer of short hairs, between which scales of skin are visible. The size of the animal rarely reaches more than 120 mm, and the tail is no more than 65 mm. In appearance, the mouse resembles a cute and harmless creature, but if you encounter such an animal, it is better to be careful, since the bank vole’s teeth are sharp and in case of danger it will defend itself.

Lifestyle

The bank vole, a photo of which can be seen in this article, often lives in deciduous forests. Likes to settle on the edges and woodlands. In taiga zones it likes to live in berry spruce forests. In the south, small animals prefer to inhabit forest islands near fields, where they willingly go to feed. In the north, the bank vole prefers to coexist with humans, inhabiting houses and barns.

In the Urals, the animal chooses the most unusual way of life among the stones. If a person sees a vole, then he can be completely sure that several animals live around. The rodent never lives alone, but chooses a couple or a whole family. The vole spends the most active part of its time moving and can only rest a little at night. These mice are quite lazy in terms of home arrangement. Contrary to opinions, this cute animal rarely digs holes for itself, and if it does, it is very shallow, which makes the vole easy prey for predators. Typically, animals build a home by making a small bedding among tree roots, brushwood, and under fallen trees. Sometimes the most nimble mice climb trees and settle in bird nests.

Reproduction and offspring

Bank vole, whose offspring can feel safe in big family, reproduces only if there is a sufficient amount of food. If the animal feels safe and comfortable, it is able to produce offspring at the age of 30 days. This is even before they reach puberty. Basically, animals begin to reproduce 50-60 days after birth.

In one year, a female can give birth to 4 litters of small rodents. On average, their number ranges from 6 to 13 cubs. And if we imagine that there is more than one bank vole in a family, the offspring, no matter how many, can overrun small area forests. The animal's gestation period lasts for half a month. The cubs are born naked and blind, weighing 10 grams each. Already two weeks after birth, babies can calmly leave the shelter and can feed on their own. This one breeds in spring, summer and winter.

Nutrition

In all seasons, the vole’s favorite delicacy is the seeds of branched plants. The diet of rodents also includes green parts of plants and insects. In winter, voles prefer to gnaw tree roots and shoots of berry bushes.

These small animals do not store reserves, so if necessary they can eat whatever they find. Therefore, in winter they often prefer human housing, where they have something to eat every day. If the rodent lives in the forest, then it can feed on the roots of the tree all winter, which leads to the death of the plant. That is why bank voles are considered the main pests of forests.

Habitat

The bank vole, whose characteristics show that the animal is unpretentious, lives in almost every corner of the planet. The range stretches from Scotland and Scandinavia to southern Italy, Turkey and Yugoslavia.

Also, the small animal can be found in all regions of Russia. Unfortunately, not all voles are able to survive in cold climate conditions, but this does not in any way reduce their total number. Voles also constitute the main diet for predatory animals, which supports their populations.

The main enemies of the animal

• Gray owl. It is a large bird with strong wings and powerful hearing. She is able to detect the movement of a vole even under a large layer of snow. Thanks to its tenacious paws, the tawny owl dives into the snow and takes out its prey. Thanks to bank voles, this predator survives the winter without knowing hunger.
• The flexible predator is able to pursue a vole due to its small size and agility. Weasel rodents are the main diet in winter.
• Kestrel. The rufous falcon mainly hunts gray voles, but does not reject red-haired representatives of the species.
• Marten. IN summer time this animal can eat berries and insects, but in winter the main diet for the marten is voles. On average, an adult marten can even attack a squirrel, but this is much more difficult than finding a small rodent under the snow.

Maliciousness

The bank vole (taxonomy classifies it as a rodent) is the main pest of forests. When the number of rodents increases, they actually destroy the gardens and young trees of the reserves.

Animals living near fields cause enormous damage to the crop, polluting it and often infecting it with various viral infections, which requires human control of the animal population. If voles begin to live next to humans, they often contaminate food and livestock feed. The rodent also causes a lot of trouble, spoiling things and gnawing through loopholes. In Europe frequent cases is infection with hemorrhagic fever and outbreaks of renal syndrome. It is this subspecies of the vole that carries the dangerous