Furry animal from South America 4 letters. Fauna of South America - list, types, description and photo. Andean or spectacled bear

Home to hundreds of thousands of species of fauna and the largest rainforest in the world, South America is a continent with varied climatic zones ranging from glaciers to deserts. Animal and consists of a huge variety of unique animals, some of which have evolved in relative isolation. Only a few million years ago, the Isthmus of Panama was formed, providing a small migration corridor for South and North American animals. Below is a list and a brief description of the bright representatives of the fauna of South America, sorted into the following groups: mammals, amphibians, reptiles, birds, insects and fish.

mammals

Agouti

Agouti is a rodent from the tropical forests of Central and South America, similar to a large guinea pig. Its rough coat is coated with an oily substance that acts as a protective cloak. On the back of the body, the coat is longer. Agouti has five toes on its front paws and three on its back. Like many rodents, they walk gracefully on their toes rather than the entire foot.

Although difficult to see, the agouti does have a tail: it is very small, like dark beans glued to the back of the animal's body.

Andean or spectacled bear

The Andean bear from South America, also known as the bear, has distinctive light spots around the eyes that can look like glasses and stand out against black or dark brown fur. These marks often extend to the animal's chest, giving each individual a unique appearance and helping researchers to easily identify the species.

This is the only bear species in South America, with a body length of 1.5-1.8 meters and a weight of 70-140 kg. Males are 30-50% larger than females.

armadillos

Armadillos have a really strange appearance. Although most species of armadillos look bald, they have hair on their sides and abdomen (for example,).

These animals have a shell, which consists of stripes. The number of stripes depends on the type of animal. Although the stripes are as hard as fingernails, the carapace is flexible, with softer skin that expands and contracts between the stripes. Armadillos also have long claws for digging and searching for food. Their favorite food is termites and ants.

otters

Otters are the only serious swimmers in the mustelid family. They spend most of their lives in the water, so well adapted for this. Their sleek, streamlined bodies are ideal for diving and swimming. Otters also have long, slightly flattened tails that move from side to side to help them swim. The hind legs are used as a rudder to steer the body in the water.

giant anteater

The name is associated with the favorite food of this animal - ants. It has an elongated muzzle that resembles a pipe. This unique animal of South America is the largest of the edentulous order. The Giant Anteater is similar in size to the Golden Retriever, but thick and bushy hair makes it look more massive.

The gray hairs of the anteater feel like straw to the touch and are especially long on the tail (up to 40 centimeters). It has a stripe of white, red or gray color, which starts on the chest and extends to the middle of the back. Below this stripe is a dark collar. The hairy and fluffy tail is often used as a blanket or umbrella. The elongated head and nose of the giant anteater are excellent for catching ants and termites.

Mountain lion

This wild cat is from the cat family (Felidae), has several names: mountain lion, puma, cougar. But no matter what you call it, it is still the same animal, the largest in the subfamily of small cats. (felinae). So why does the cougar have so many names? The fact is that they have a wide range of habitats, and people from different countries gave them different names.

Early Spanish explorers of the Americas called it Leon(lion) and gato monte(mountain cat), hence the name "mountain lion". "Puma" - this name came from the Incas. The word "cougar" comes from an old South American word cuguacuarana, which was shortened to the name cougar. All of these names are considered correct, but puma is generally preferred by scientists. In Southern California, they are commonly referred to as mountain lions.

Guanaco

Pelicans

Pelicans are fairly easy to identify, as they are the only birds that have a pouch under their beaks used to catch fish. Pelicans are large birds with short legs and are quite clumsy on land. Thanks to their webbed feet, they are excellent swimmers. Birds use their beaks to coat their feathers with waterproof oil from a gland at the base of their tails.

Pelicans are great fliers, however, in the absence of wind, flying can be a challenge for these birds. To get enough speed to take off, the pelican must run through the water, flapping its large wings and swinging its legs.

The species is found in South America Pelecanus thagus, which until 2007 was considered a subspecies of the American brown pelican. It prefers rocky coasts, as opposed to trees. The population size is about 500 thousand individuals.

parrots

Currently, there are up to 350 species of parrots. Despite the fact that the species are very different from each other in many ways, all parrots have a curved beak, a special structure of fingers, eat nuts, seeds, fruits and insects. Parrots have thick, strong beaks that are ideal for crushing tough nuts and seeds.

In South America, there are parrots from the subfamily of true parrots. (Psittacinae).

South American harpy

The South American harpy is a legendary bird, although few have seen it in the wild. This dark gray bird of prey has a very distinctive appearance. When the bird senses a threat, the feathers on the top of its head rise up to form a collar in the form of "horns". Small gray feathers form a disc around the head, which improves the bird's hearing, similar to owls.

Like most species of hawks, the female "harpy" is almost twice as large as the male. The legs of the South American harpy can be as thick as the wrist. small child, and the curved back claws are larger than those of a grizzly bear, at about 13 centimeters long. The harpy is not the largest bird of prey on the continent (the title belongs to the Andean condor), but they are still quite heavy and powerful creatures.

Insects

butterflies

There are about 165,000 known species butterflies found on every continent except Antarctica, and these insects come in a wide variety of colors and sizes. Most large species can reach 30 centimeters in diameter, while the smallest - no more than a match head.

The best-known butterflies of South America are diurnal butterflies of the genus Morpho ( Morpho), butterflies of the genus Greta (greta).

Hercules beetle

This species is one of the largest beetles on the planet. body length adult varies from 80 to 170 mm. The body is covered with short hairs. The elytra of the beetle is yellow-olive. There are horns on the head and pronotum.

Ants

Ants are one of the most common insects on earth and their contribution to the ecosystem is essential.

One of the brightest inhabitants of the mainland is a large tropical ant paraponera clavata, which has a very strong poison, surpassing in strength the poison of any wasps and bees. Body length 18-25 mm, brown-black color.

arachnids

Spiders

Spiders have a bad reputation and inspire fear in many people. But only a few species are dangerous to humans, and bite if they feel danger. Spiders are not classified as insects due to certain anatomical differences. For example, spiders have two main body parts: the transferred part is called the cephalothorax, and the back is the undivided belly; Insects have three body parts: head, thorax and belly. Spiders have eight legs, while insects have six.

Spiders-tarantulas from the family Theraphosidae are one of the largest spiders in the world. They are found not only in South America, but also on other continents with the exception of Antarctica. Their diet is quite varied and contrary to their name, they do not always eat bird meat. All species have poison, but in varying amounts. The poison is not lethal to an adult and healthy person, which cannot be said about small children and people who are sensitive to it.

scorpions

Scorpions belong to the order of arthropods. They prefer hot climatic conditions and lead a terrestrial lifestyle. There are about 1750 species of scorpions, but only 50 are dangerous to humans due to their venom. Six pairs of limbs are attached to the cephalothorax, four of which are designed for locomotion.

These are viviparous animals, they go through the life cycle without metamorphosis. Scorpions lead night image life and are able to run fast. The diet consists of insects and arachnids. The poison of most species is harmless, but some individuals are dangerous and can be fatal, especially for children.

In South America, scorpions from the following families are found: Buthidae, Chactidae, Scorpionidae, Euscorpidae, Hemiscorpiidae, Bothriuridae.

Fish

Arapaima

Arapaima is considered one of the largest freshwater fish on the planet, with a body length of about 2 meters. The body of the fish is long and slightly flattened, covered with scales. It is common in the Amazon River. The diet consists of fish, small animals and birds.

common piranha

The common piranha is a type of fish that has gained a reputation dangerous predator for people and animals. The body length varies from 10 to 15 cm, and the weight is within 1 kg. This fish is characterized by flat and sharp teeth with which they bite into their prey. They have a very sensitive sense of smell, thanks to which piranhas can recognize blood from a great distance. Their diet consists of fish and birds.

flathead catfish

The flathead catfish is another species of ray-finned fish found only in the freshwater rivers of South America. It can reach a body length of about 1.8 m and a weight of 80 kg. These colorful catfish have a brownish back and orange-red dorsal and caudal fins. There are antennae on the upper and lower jaws. These fish are capable of making sounds that propagate up to 100 meters.

Tired of the endless series of viral pictures of "seals", periodically diluted with hedgehogs and ferrets, the editors of Marie Claire decided to make their top list of animals worthy of tenderness.

Quokka (quokka)

This touching animal is a real marsupial smiley! His muzzle looks like a quokka smiles all the time. The miracle of nature lives in Australia, which, as you know, is generally rich in marsupials. And if earlier kangaroos were very popular in this country, now the quokka has won the palm. It's all about her love... for the selfie. Quokka is an extremely friendly animal, absolutely not afraid of people and is happy to be filmed on the most modern gadgets. And one of the quokkas was even presented to the Duchess of Cambridge and her husband during their official visit to Australia. Kate even fed grass to the smiling animal.

Outwardly, the quokka is very similar to the kangaroo. As for the size, it is not very large. It can be compared to a domestic cat or a small dog. It has a brown-gray color, thick and short fur, a long tail. Like all marsupials, the quokka prefers to eat leaves and grass, and live in the shade of trees, closer to moisture.

Bearded Tamarin (Emperor Tamarin)

Tamarin is not just bearded, but also imperial. This type of monkey owes its name to its resemblance to the emperor of Germany and the king of Prussia, Wilhelm II. Not that they were indistinguishable, but the noble mustaches were at least nearly identical. The emperors of the jungle live in the wilds of the Amazon - they prefer to hide in impenetrable thickets, probably to rule the world on the sly.

By the way, females are the main ones in the tamarin family - nature also did not deprive them of mustaches, and sometimes the gray beards of females look much more impressive than those of males. As for the territories, here the bearded monkeys show their regal disposition. One small group lives on an area of ​​thirty or even forty hectares. All strangers will certainly be expelled. However, emperor tamarins tolerate the neighborhood of tamarins of other species. Sometimes these South American monkeys even rally against common enemies. And it is better not to encounter an angry imperial tamarin, because, despite their tiny size, these bearded monkeys have sharp claws, large fangs and desperate courage. Tamarin will fight to the last for her cubs.

Fennec fox

The fennec fox is a tiny animal with huge ears and a sharp, cute muzzle. In fact, representatives of the canine family smaller than the fennec simply do not exist in the wild. At the same time, it turned out that this little fox gets along well with a person. can be tamed, and if desired, the fennec can even be taught standard commands. For example, as in this video:

Mostly the fennec lives in the Sahara desert - large ears help it cope with the heat, and also contribute to a successful hunt. With such locators, the fox catches the slightest rustle of the intended prey - the fennec feeds on insects and small vertebrates. This animal, it turns out, is completely incapable of a lonely existence - tiny foxes live big families, in which there is always a ruling couple, which is almost impossible to overthrow from the throne.

Hazel dormouse (Common Dormouse)

Remember Lewis Carroll's famous tea party in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland? There, in the teapot, sat that very mouse dormouse - pretty to disgrace and very small. Of course, in a fairy tale, all animals acquire almost human features, but meanwhile the representative of rodents and in real life incredibly pretty! In general, dormice is divided into two types - mouse-like and protein-like. I must say that the squirrel-like dormouse is much prettier than the one that lives on earth. It's all about her amazing tail, which is covered with fluffy fur! In addition, the dormouse is very tiny - an adult can easily fit in a human palm.

Their habitats: North Africa, Europe, Asia Minor, Altai, the northern regions of China and Japan, the northern parts of Scandinavia and, finally, southern Africa, where the only African dormouse of the same name is found. It turns out that it was recently discovered that dormice of all subspecies is rapidly disappearing from the face of the earth. So, until the last babies died out, scientists listed the animals in the Red Book and now mice are also bred at home.

Alpaca

Alpaca belongs to the camel family. These touching creatures live high in the mountains in South America. Fluffy bangs give a special charm to alpaca. By the way, it is precisely by the intricate hairstyle that one can distinguish an alpaca from a llama: after all, as a rule, that one does not have long hair on its head.

Alpaca is quite small in size: its weight does not exceed sixty kilograms, but it is the owner of chic wool, which is often used to make clothes. Alpaca wool is very soft and at the same time very strong and light, almost waterproof, with excellent heat-insulating effect. For 6,000 years, alpacas have been bred by the Peruvians along with llamas. But if llamas were used as a pack animal, then alpacas were groomed and cherished.

Ay-ay

They say that the name "Ai-ai" appeared due to the exclamations that were made by anyone who saw the animal for the first time. In fact, this animal is called the Madagascar arm and, as you might guess, lives in Madagascar. Once upon a time, they tried to attribute it to rodents, then to primates, although Ai-ai does not look like either of them. I must say that he does not look like anything intelligible at all: a small body covered with black hair, eternally surprised eyes and a huge tail, which is longer than the animal itself.

The only part of the body that is free from wool is ... middle finger on the forelimb, more precisely both middle fingers. Actually, this finger is the most important tool for the arm: it cleans its fur, drinks water and gets food. When searching for beetles and larvae hidden in the bark of a tree, the little arm always uses its miracle finger. First, he taps the trunk with it, finding suitable prey, then gnaws through the bark (here sharp teeth are already in use), and at the end he sticks his middle finger into the hole formed, pricks the larva on the claw and sends it into his mouth.

Little slow loris

In fact, the full name of this big-eyed animal sounds: “Small fat Lori”, small (its size does not exceed 23 centimeters in length) it lives in tropical forests and bamboo groves in Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, parts of China and Cambodia. Sometimes a little fat man is mistakenly considered a lemur, which is actually not at all the case. Small and fat belongs to its own family - Loriev. The most amazing thing is that this handsome man with short thick hair and incredibly touching huge eyes that are always wide open is poisonous.

On inside In the elbow joint of the animal there are special glands, the secretions from which, in combination with the saliva of the loris, turn into the strongest poison! This is so unusual for primates that the little loris has received the first line in the ranking of poisonous animals that are unknown. general public. A fat fellow lives in the crowns of trees, daring to go outside only when it gets dark - the poisonous animal has a lot of enemies, so sometimes it has to hang for hours, clinging to a tree branch, which, fortunately, allows loris to make a specific structure of paws.

African black-footed cat

They look like real domestic cats - small, even tiny, because the weight of an adult does not reach even one and a half kilograms. In fact, these striped and charming animals living in Africa are real predators! They hunt like any other member of the cat family at night - miniature forms and the corresponding color help the seals to remain completely invisible, and large ears pick up every sound - no one will hide from such animals. Behind the retina is a special vascular layer that acts as a reflector necessary for night vision. It increases visual ability and causes the eyes to glow bright blue at night.

In Africa, they are called "Antlion" - these babies live, as a rule, in termite mounds and anthills devastated by themselves. By the way, insects are not the only favorite dish of Black-footed cats - in addition to ants and termites, small predators prefer to eat another 54 species of a wide variety of animals - brave kids do not stop before game sometimes twice their own size - for example, dine with a hare for wild cats- The usual thing.

Red Panda (Red Panda)

In China, where the red-haired beauty is found, this representative of the little panda family is called the “fire fox” - the similarity is obvious: a pointed nose, wool the color of a red Sicilian orange! For a long time the red panda dangled in space without classification: some scientists attributed it to raccoons, others to bears, but in the end it turned out that these animals themselves are a separate, independent family of small pandas. The red panda lives not only in China - sometimes the animal can be found in Nepal.

A cute animal lives exclusively in Australia and mainly in eucalyptus forests - if for any other animal eucalyptus leaves are a deadly poison, then koalas are not at all afraid of such a nuisance. The thing is that marsupials are incredibly picky - they know how to choose only those flowers of a plant that are unable to harm health.

Another stereotype that haunts gray animals is the lack of thirst, supposedly even the very name of the animal contains a decoding of the popular opinion, from the language of the natives, the word “koala” is translated as “non-drinker”. In reality, koalas, although infrequently, still drink water.

Meerkat (Suricat)

Meerkats can seem like real alarmists. Still would! As soon as these animals hear the slightest sound, they immediately rise on their hind legs, stretch out into line and control the space. Meerkats are indeed extremely vigilant, for their caution they even received the joking title of "sentinels of the desert."

A small people lives in South Africa, mainly in the desert, since their small stature, coupled with nervousness, does not allow them to enter dense thickets. Among other things, these representatives of the mongoose family have phenomenal vision, which allows them to notice and assess the threat from afar.

By the way, meerkats can live in the desert without any problems not only with their eyesight and permanent alertness, but also with the device of the eyes - the fact is that the little beauties have a well-developed third eyelid that protects the organs of vision from sand, and around the eye itself there is a dark border that works like sunglasses.

Maned wolf is the largest representative canine families in South America. He looks like a large fox with reddish fur that has been crossed with a deer. This mammal lives in open and semi-open areas, especially meadows with growing bushes and trees. The maned wolf is the tallest among wild canids. Its long legs are most likely an adaptation to the high grasslands of its native habitat.

Fossa is the largest predatory mammal islands of Madagascar. The type of fossa is very peculiar. Outwardly, it somewhat resembles a jaguarundi or a small cougar and for a long time was classified as a member of the cat family. It has semi-retractable claws and flexible ankles that allow it to climb trees and descend head first, as well as aid in jumping from tree to tree.

Babirussa, or "pig-deer", is found only on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi and some nearby islands. The appearance of the babirussa is atypical for the family of pigs - it has a small head relative to the body, very short ears, a characteristic arch of the back, rather long legs and a very rare, almost absent coat. The animal has unusual, gray eyes, the upper part of the muzzle sharply advanced forward and four huge curved fangs. Oddly enough, the fangs of the upper jaw do not grow down, but up. They pierce the skin of the muzzle and bend back. In older males, they sometimes form a ring.

The zebra duiker is a small bovid found in the Ivory Coast and other parts of West Africa. It has golden or red-brown fur, with characteristic zebra-like stripes (hence the name). Duikers live in low-lying rainforests and mainly feed on leaves and fruits.

Frilled armadillo or pink magic armadillo. These secretive creatures, whose body size does not exceed twelve centimeters, are the smallest armadillos in the world. They are pale pink in color. Frilled armadillos are found in central Argentina, where they inhabit dry grasslands and flat sandy areas overgrown with cacti and thorny bushes. This is a nocturnal animal. It spends most of its life underground, where, thanks to its huge claws on its front paws, it mixes the sand with such ease that it seems as if it is swimming through it. Armadillos rarely come to the surface, and being frightened, they can hide in the sand in a matter of seconds. They create their burrows in dry soil near ant colonies and feed mainly on ants and ant larvae.

The Amazonian king flycatcher lives in forests and forest areas throughout much of the Amazon basin. Its size is about 16 centimeters. She loves to hunt flying insects, stalking them from the dense canopy of trees or bushes. Flycatchers build very large nests (sometimes up to 180 centimeters long) on ​​branches near water. The nest hangs above the water, which makes it difficult for predators to reach it.

Gerenuk, or giraffe gazelle. This is an African antelope, distributed from Ethiopia and Somalia to northern Tanzania, which lives in arid or relatively humid steppes with thickets of shrubs, on plains and hills, and also climbs mountains up to 1800 m. Thanks to a particularly long and thin neck and long legs, the gerenuk cannot be confused with anyone. Gerenuks have a small head relative to their body, but their eyes and ears are proportionately large. Gerenuks graze in thorny bushes and trees, such as the acacia. They can reach higher branches and branches than other gazelles and antelopes by standing upright on their hind legs and stretching their necks.

The Patagonian mara, also known as the Patagonian hare or Patagonian pig, is a relatively large rodent found in parts of Argentina. This herbivore, somewhat similar to a rabbit, has distinctive short ears and long forelimbs. Its hind limbs are more muscular and out of proportion to the front.

The raccoon dog, also called tanuki, or the Ussuri raccoon fox, or the Ussuri raccoon, lives in the forest and mountain forest regions of Northeastern Indochina, China, Japan, and the Korean Peninsula. The raccoon dog is active mainly at dusk and at night. According to the method of collecting food, this is a typical gatherer, examining all kinds of secluded places in search of food.

The raccoon dog is named after its resemblance to the raccoon, because in terms of the color of the muzzle, this predator really looks like a striped raccoon.

The Rhinopithecus, or snub-nosed monkey, lives in various parts of Asia and gets its name from the short nose on its round face. Snub-nosed monkeys inhabit mountain forests and spend most of their lives in trees, in very large groups of up to 600 members. They have a large vocal repertoire, performed both solo and in choir.

The Indian muntjac is a species of deer mammal that lives in the tropical mountains of India and Sri Lanka, as well as in South-East Asia to the islands of Sumatra, Java and Borneo. Omnivorous, feeds on grass, fruits, shoots, seeds, bird eggs, and small animals, sometimes even carrion. Makes sounds similar to barking, as a rule, when a predator is detected. Males are extremely territorial and, despite their diminutive size, can be quite aggressive. They will fight each other for territory using horns and fangs. With the help of their upper fangs, they are able to protect themselves from certain predators such as dogs.

Muntjac skull.

Markhor, or markhor, is a large species of mountain goat found in northeastern Afghanistan and Pakistan. This species is classified International Union Conservation and Natural Resources Conservancy (IUCN) as critically endangered because its population does not exceed 2,500 adults. Markhor is the national animal of Pakistan. While chewing gum, a foamy substance is released from his mouth, which falls to the ground and dries up. This foamy substance is in demand with local residents who believe that it is useful in extracting snake venom from a wound after a snakebite.

The red wolf, or mountain wolf, is a species of canine native to South and Southeast Asia. It is a very social animal, living in large packs that sometimes split into small groups to hunt. It hunts primarily on medium-sized ungulates, which it drives in a long chase. The red wolf is afraid of people, but his pack is brave enough to attack large and dangerous animals such as wild boars, buffaloes and even tigers.

The Irrawaddy dolphin is a species of oceanic dolphin found near sea coasts and estuaries, in parts of the Bay of Bengal and Southeast Asia. Genetically, the killer whale is closely related to the Irrawaddy dolphin.

The southern right whale dolphin inhabits the waters of the Southern Hemisphere from temperate latitudes to the Antarctic. They are fast, active swimmers and have no visible teeth and dorsal fin. They are very graceful and often move by jumping out of the water.

The humpback cyphonia clavata (Cyphonia Clavata) is a species of tree fly, but disguises itself as an ant. Interestingly, the ant-like part is an appendage that the fly can part with when attacked by a predator.

The Malay winged lemur, also known as the flying lemur, is not actually a lemur and does not fly. Instead, it soars, glides, among the trees. Lives strictly on trees, active at night, feeds on soft parts of plants, such as young leaves, shoots, flowers and fruits. The Malayan winged wing can be found throughout Southeast Asia in Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore.

The crested deer is one of the smaller species of deer, characterized by dark hair on the forehead and pronounced fangs in males. This is a close relative of the muntjac, living a little further north, in a vast area of ​​central China. This timid animal, mostly solitary, rarely seen in pairs, prefers well-covered areas with trees and bushes where it can hide. When communicating with other deer, the crested deer uses barking sounds; in case of danger, it runs away with its white tail up - as a kind of warning sign for others. It feeds on vegetation, from leaves and grass to fruits.

Yeti crab (lat. Kiwa Hirsuta) was first discovered in 2005 in the area of ​​hydrothermal vents in the South Pacific Ocean at a depth of over 2000 meters. The chest and five pairs of its limbs are covered below with numerous feathery bristles, giving the impression that the crab is covered with fluffy fur, like a mythical yeti.

Starfish is a species of mammals of the mole family that lives in North America. It is easily identified by the 11 pairs of pink fleshy appendages around the muzzle, resembling a star, which are used as a sensory organ with over 25,000 tiny sensory receptors.

Lampreys are a type of jawless fish that live mainly in coastal and fresh waters. Adults are characterized by a toothy, funnel-shaped mouth. They attach themselves to fish and suck its blood. Lampreys have existed for almost 300 million years, and their structure and appearance have remained virtually unchanged.

The naked mole rat is a small burrowing rodent of the mole rat family that lives in the dry savannas and semi-deserts of Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia. The species is distinguished by unique features for mammals: complex social organization colonies, cold-bloodedness, immunity to cancer, insensitivity to some forms of pain (thermal burns and chemical burns with acids), endurance to high concentrations of CO2. It is the longest-lived of the rodents (up to 28 years).

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

MANED WOLF. Lives in South America. The long legs of the wolf are the result of evolution in matters of adaptation to the habitat, they help the animal overcome obstacles in the form of tall grass growing on the plains.

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

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

PROEKHIDNA. This miracle of nature usually weighs up to 10 kg, although larger specimens have also been noted. By the way, the length of the body of the prochidna 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 paws of the echidna are higher, the claws are more powerful. Another feature of the appearance of the prochidna is the spurs on the hind legs of males and the five-fingered hind limbs and the 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 of Hydrochoerus isthmius, sometimes considered as a separate species (capybara).

SEA CUCUMBER. Holothuria. sea ​​pods, sea ​​cucumbers(Holothuroidea), a class of invertebrates of the echinoderm type. Species eaten are collectively called "trepang".

PANGOLIN. This post just couldn't do without it.

HELL VAMPIRE. Mollusk. Despite its obvious similarity with the octopus and squid, scientists have identified this mollusk in a separate order Vampyromorphida (Latin), because as soon as it has retractable sensitive bee-shaped filaments.

AARDVARK. In Africa, these mammals are called aardvark, which means "earth pig" in Russian. In fact, the aardvark in appearance very much resembles a pig, only with an elongated muzzle. The ears of this amazing animal are very similar in structure to those of a hare. There is also a muscular tail, which is very similar to the tail of such an animal as a kangaroo.

JAPANESE GIANT SALAMANDRA. To date, this is the largest amphibian that can reach 160 cm in length, weigh up to 180 kg and can live up to 150 years, although officially registered maximum age giant salamander is 55 years old.

BEARDED PIG. In different sources, the bearded pig species is divided into two or three subspecies. These are the curly-haired 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, judging by the name, live on the island of Borneo and Palawan, as well as on Java, Kalimantan and the small islands of the Indonesian archipelago in Southeast Asia.

SUMATRAN RHINO. They belong to the equine-hoofed animals of the rhinoceros family. This species of rhinoceros is the smallest of the entire family. The body length of an adult Sumatran rhinoceros can reach 200 - 280 cm, and the height at the withers can vary from 100 to 150 cm. Such rhinos can weigh up to 1000 kg.

SULAWESI BEAR CUSCOUS. Arboreal marsupial living in upper tier lowland tropical forests. The coat of the bear couscous consists of a soft undercoat and coarse guard hairs. Color ranges from gray to brown, with a lighter belly and limbs, and varies by geographic subspecies and age of the animal. The prehensile, hairless tail is about half the length of the animal and acts as a fifth limb, which makes it easier to move through the dense rainforest. Bear couscous is the most primitive of all couscous, retaining primitive tooth growth and skull features.

GALAGO. Its large fluffy tail is clearly comparable to that of a squirrel. And the charming muzzle and graceful movements, flexibility and insinuation, clearly reflect his feline trait. The amazing jumping ability, mobility, strength and incredible agility of this animal clearly show its nature as a funny cat and elusive squirrel. Of course, it would be where to use their talents, because a cramped cage is very poorly suited for this. But, if you give this little 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 centners. Light gray juveniles lighten with age. The body of the Amazonian dolphin is full, with a thin tail and a narrow muzzle. A round forehead, a slightly curved beak and small eyes are the features of this species of dolphins. There is an Amazonian dolphin in the rivers and lakes of Latin America.

FISH-MOON or MOLA-MOLA. This fish can be over three meters long and weigh about one and a half tons. The largest specimen of the moonfish was caught in New Hampshire, USA. Its length was five and a half meters, data on weight are not available. In shape, the body of the fish resembles a disk, it was this feature that gave rise to the Latin name. The moonfish has thicker skin. It is elastic, and its surface is covered with small bony protrusions. Fish larvae of this species and juveniles swim in the usual way. Adult large fish swim on their side, 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 in 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 animal is black in color with white spots on the chest and sacrum, with a huge mouth and sharp teeth, has a dense physique and a severe disposition, for which, in fact, it was called the devil. Emitting ominous cries at night, the massive and clumsy Tasmanian devil outwardly resembles a small bear: the front legs are slightly longer than the hind legs, the head is large, and the muzzle is blunted.

LORI. A characteristic feature of loris - big size eyes, which may be bordered by dark circles, between the eyes there is a white dividing strip. The muzzle of a lory can be compared to a clown mask. This most likely explains the name of the animal: Loeris means "clown" in translation.

GAVIAL. Of course, one of the representatives of the detachment of crocodiles. With age, the muzzle of the gharial becomes even narrower and longer. Due to the fact that the gharial feeds on fish, its teeth are long and sharp, located with a slight inclination for the convenience of eating.

OKAPI. FOREST GIRAFFE. Traveling in Central Africa, journalist and African explorer Henry Morton Stanley (1841-1904) encountered local natives more than once. Having once met an expedition equipped with horses, the natives of the Congo told the famous traveler that they found in the jungle 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 purchase parts of the skin of a 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 identified to the horse family. But what was their surprise when, a year later, they managed to get a whole skin and two skulls of an unknown animal, and discover that It looked more like pygmy giraffe times ice age. Only in 1909 was it possible to catch a live specimen of Okapi.

VALABY. WOOD KANGAROO. To the genus Tree kangaroos - wallabies (Dendrolagus) include 6 species. Of these, D. Inustus or bear wallaby, D. Matschiei or Matchish wallaby, which has a subspecies D. Goodfellowi (Goodfellow wallaby), D. Dorianus - Doria wallaby, live in New Guinea. In Australian Queensland, there are D. Lumholtzi - Lumholtz's wallaby (bungari), D. Bennettianus - Bennett's wallaby, or tharibina. Their original habitat was New Guinea, but now wallabies are also found in Australia. Tree kangaroos live in the tropical forests of mountainous regions, at an altitude of 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 males and from 6.7 to 8.9 kg. females.

WOLVERINE. Moves quickly and dexterously. The animal has an elongated muzzle, a large head, with rounded ears. The jaws are powerful, the teeth are sharp. Wolverine is a “big-legged” beast, the feet are disproportionate to the body, but their size allows them to move freely through the deep snow cover. Each paw has huge and curved claws. Wolverine climbs trees perfectly, has sharp eyesight. The voice is like a fox.

FOSS. On the island of Madagascar, such animals have been preserved that are not found not only in Africa itself, but throughout the rest of the world. One of the rarest animals is Fossa - the only representative of the genus Cryptoprocta and the largest predatory mammal that lives on the island of Madagascar. The appearance of the fossa is a bit unusual: it is a cross between a civet and a small cougar. 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 legs of the fossa are long, but thick enough, with the hind legs higher than the front ones. The tail is often equal to the length of the body and reaches 65 cm.

MANULapproves of this post and is only here because it should be. Everyone knows him.

FENEC. STEPPE FOX. He agrees with the manula and is present here in so far as. After all, everyone saw him.

THE NAKED DIGGERputs the manula and the fennec fox in karma and invites them to organize a club of the most feared animals in Runet.

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

The name of this fish in Latin sounds too boring, because it is easier to call itFISH WITH TRANSPARENT HEAD. She has a transparent head through which she can see with her tubular eyes. The head through which the fish watches prey helps protect the eyes. First opened in 1939. It lives at a much greater depth, so it has not been fully studied. In particular, the principle of fish vision was not entirely clear. It was believed that she must experience very great difficulties in view of the fact that she can only look up. Only in 2009 was the structure of the eye of this fish fully studied. Apparently, when trying to study it earlier, the fish simply could not stand the change in pressure.

ECHIDNA. well, that's all.

RED PANDA. Today, the red panda in its natural habitat can only be found in the mountain bamboo forests of the Chinese provinces of Yunnan and Sichuan, in northern Burma, in Bhutan, Nepal and in northeast India.

SIFACA. Monkey of the indriev family. A relatively new genus of primates, discovered only in 2004. Silky sifakas live in the eastern part of the island of Madagascar. The range is approximately 2.2 thousand square meters. km. The distribution area is limited in the north of the skeleton by the Marojejy Massif region, and in the south it reaches Anjanahari. Adult individuals have a body length with a head from 45 to 55 cm, a tail 45-51 cm long. Weight 5-6.5 kg.

SLOTH. Very interesting view mammals, possessing a number distinguishing features which make it unlike any other existing species. It lives mainly in Central and South America.

PLATYPUS. Basically, known to everyone. But this photo deserves attention...

ANT-EATER. It won't surprise anyone either. But the frame is great...

TARSIER. A small mammal from the order of primates, whose very specific appearance created a somewhat ominous halo around this small animal weighing up to one hundred and sixty grams. So, the indigenous population of Indonesia and the Philippine Islands associated the ridiculous appearance of the tarsier with the tricks of evil spirits. However, many of our contemporaries, who first see the tarsier in its native habitat, remain amazed at its non-standard appearance.

MARGAY. From the "relatives" of these wild cats are distinguished by the size and proportions of the body, as well as the way of life. So, for example, margay is very similar to his own close relative- an ocelot, which, moreover, is quite often found in the same place where the margay lives. It is not difficult to distinguish between these cats - the ocelot is noticeably larger, because it prefers to hunt on the ground, and the margay has longer legs and tail, due to life mainly in trees.

SLUD JUMPER. Found in intertidal areas and in areas such as tropical swamps, formed in places of growth mangrove. Especially mudskippers like to settle in places where fresh water meets sea water. And although with scientific point of view, these are fish, many perceive them as amphibians. Well, in a sense, it is.

HERBIVORE DRACULA. Bats ("Sphaeronycteris toxophyllum" lat.) This species lives in the north of South America (Amazon basin and mountains). These bats, oddly enough, are herbivores.

BELTTAIL. The habitat of belttails extends to the rocky regions of Africa, which have an arid climate, mainly with south side from the Sahara desert. In addition, belttails live in a certain amount on the island of Madagascar. There are more than forty species of belttails in the world. The sizes of the belttails are quite different and range from 12 to 70 centimeters in length. The entire body of the girdletail is covered with rectangular plates - scales that cover the bone base of the reptile.

I think it's modest.

PURPLE FROG. Some animals have managed to adapt to these, at first glance, very difficult conditions and have even learned to benefit from the change of seasons. Here is the indigenous inhabitant of India, the purple frog (Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis), which as a species was discovered quite recently - in 2003, uses the monsoon time to good use - to continue its kind.

ISOPOD. Giant woodlice isopods about 30 cm long live on sea ​​depths about 1.6 km.

SUNNY BEAR. The Malayan biruang bear, or, as it is also called due to its characteristic color, the sun or honey bear, lives in India, Myanmar, as well as on the islands of Borneo, Java and Sumatra. It is of great interest to both zoologists and amateurs. wildlife, since this species belongs to the smallest, most aggressive and smallest representatives of the entire bear family. By the way, it was precisely the threatening small number of this genus that caused the Biruangs to be included in the Red Book.
An adult sun bear has a very difficult character. However, quite a lot of interest in his person is caused not at all by his place of residence, and not by his character, but by his stunning appearance, which immediately catches the eye from any photograph.

TIBETAN FOX. Found in Tibet in northwestern India and northern Nepal at high altitudes.

JELLYFISH. Just a giant jellyfish.

GOLDEN TIGER. That is what tigers with a similar color are called. The reason for the unusual color is that one of the genes “did not work”. Count like an albino...

AY-AY. ARMY. The Madagascar arm or ah-ah, a mammal of the semi-monkey suborder; the only representative of the family of rukonoki. Body length 40 cm, tail 60 cm. The head is large, the muzzle is short; ears are large, leathery. The tail is fluffy. Fur color is dark brown to black.

GUIDAK. A large gastropod mollusk weighing up to one and a half kilograms. Found off the west coast of the United States. From under the thin fragile shell of the guidac (about 20 cm long) a “leg” protrudes, which is three times larger than the shell. The English name for this mollusk (geoduck, gweduck) appeared at the end of the 19th century, is derived from the name of these mollusks in the language of the Niscual Indians (which is why it is pronounced “guidak”) and means “digging deep” - these mollusks are really quite deeply buried in the sand.

MASSAGED WOLF. It is an extinct marsupial mammal and the only representative of the thylacine family. This animal is also known under the name "marsupial tiger" and "Tasmanian wolf". At the beginning of the Holocene and the end of the Pleistocene, the marsupial wolf was found on the Australian mainland and the island of New Guinea. About 3,000 years ago, aboriginal settlers brought the wild dog dingo to the island, as a result of which the marsupial wolf disappeared from the area. In the XVIII-XIX centuries. Tasmania was considered the main habitat of the marsupial wolf, but in the thirties of the XIX century, the mass extermination of the animal began, which was mistakenly considered the exterminator of domestic sheep. In addition, the thylacine was credited with hunting poultry and exterminating game caught in traps. Most of these legends turned out to be false.

STAR CARRIER. An insectivorous mammal of the mole family. Outwardly, the star-nosed star-nosed differs from other members of the family and from other small animals only in its characteristic structure of the stigma in the form of a rosette or a star of 22 soft, fleshy, mobile bare rays. In size, spatulate forelimbs, thick velvety fur (black or dark brown) similar to the European mole

These days, stories of encounters with the mysterious "lizard people" most often come from North and South America. In North America, the most famous is the so-called Bishopville Lizard Man or Swamp Lizard Man (Lizard Man of Scape Ore Swamp), which has been regularly seen around the city of Bishopville (South Carolina) since the 80s of the twentieth century.

They were first encountered by 16-year-old Christopher (Chris) Davis while driving on an abandoned highway through marshland near Bishopville in 1988. The boy stopped to change a tire. Taking a jack out of the trunk, he heard someone, sloshing through the water, walking along the road. Davis turned around and saw a strange creature, somewhat reminiscent of a Bigfoot, i.e. Bigfoot, but covered not with wool, but with green scales.

In fear, Chris hid in the car, and, as it turned out, for good reason. The approaching monster tried to bite the car, leaving incomparable traces on the body. And then he climbed onto the roof of the Toyota and trampled there for several minutes, after which he went into the swamp thickets.

“I saw his neck and below - three thumbs, long black nails and rough green skin. The monster seemed to have impressive physical strength. I looked in the mirror and saw a running green spot. I saw his toes. And then he jumped on the roof of my car. I heard a growl. Then I saw fingers through the windshield grasping the edge of the roof.”

A few days later, the same marks of claws and teeth were found on another car left overnight near Scape Ora in the same swampy area. And a week later, dozens of reports about the “hooligan antics” of a mysterious creature lay on the table of the local sheriff.

From the words of eyewitnesses, it was possible to compile his description. It is more than two meters tall, covered with green scales, has a small comb on its head, legs and hands with four fingers look like monkeys.

A group of scientists, together with the police, examined the surrounding swamps. They did not see the lizard, but they found traces of his stay - 80-centimeter prints of four-toed legs (or paws) and trunks of young trees broken off at a height of two and a half meters.

Scientists have refrained from any hypothesis regarding the appearance of the mysterious giant. However, it was clear that, since no one had previously met him, he could not be a relic creature like a bigfoot that has survived to this day.

In 2015, a Bishopville hunter allegedly the video shows a strange creature in the swamps. But on the video it is difficult to make out what flashed there in the thickets.

Writer John Keel collected about 20 sightings of humanoids with reptilian skin throughout the United States.

The case with Charles Wetzel in California is a bit like the case with Chris Davis, only it happened 30 years earlier. On November 8, 1958, Charles Wetzel (Wetzel) was driving a car past the Santa Ana River near Riverside, California. Suddenly, a two-meter humanoid creature with glowing eyes and a beak-like mouth appeared in front of the car.

The creature was covered with scales that looked like leaves. Wetzel braked, and immediately it attacked the car with a yell. Wetzel started off and knocked the creature onto its back. There were marks left by his claws on the windshield.

On August 19, 1972, Robin Fluellin and Gordon Pike from British Columbia (Canada) were pursued by a strange 1.5-meter tall humanoid that emerged from Lake Tethys. The creature was covered in scaly skin and had 6 spikes on its head.

Lizards of South America

A similar creature has also been seen in South America, where no hominids have ever been seen before. And then a real monster suddenly appeared in the very center of Brazil, on the Mato Grosso plateau. In its northern part there is a dry wooded area where the Maksubi Indians live.

They are peaceful people, they are not engaged in hunting, but they cultivate cassava and papaya and breed livestock, mostly cows. Since wild animals do not live there, cattle are on pastures without any protection.

Recently, someone began to kill cows here. Moreover, their carcasses were torn apart, which required enormous strength. The head remained intact, but the tongue was definitely torn out. Apparently, for someone who hunted cattle, he was a delicacy.

After more than a dozen animals were torn to pieces, the Indians turned to the police for help. Two law enforcement officers were sent to the Maksubi, who patrolled a rather large territory in a jeep for a week. But no one who could attack the cattle was noticed. Then the Indians decided to defend it themselves. They formed something like special forces from young people and received permission from the authorities to arm them.

Newly minted pathfinders were more fortunate. Several times they saw some huge humanoid creatures, in their words, "terrifying appearance", very similar to giant bigfoot. But, unlike the hairy Bigfoot, the body of the Brazilian hominins was covered with large scales. Therefore, Maksubi called them tatus - armadillos.

There was no disagreement in the description of their appearance: the arms and legs were thick, like the trunks of young trees; the forehead is small and sloping, and there is a protruding crest on the head. Thanks to his incredible strength, Tatus was able to move very quickly through the forest, instantly hiding in the thicket. Therefore, it was impossible to catch him or just shoot him.