Animals of the forest zone of Russia: hedgehogs, foxes, wolves, badgers and tigers. Mixed forest animals: elk, otter, wolf, beaver, raccoon, lynx Animals living in small forests

Wall newspapers of the charitable educational project "Briefly and clearly about the most interesting" (site site) are intended for schoolchildren, parents and teachers of St. Petersburg. They are delivered free of charge to most educational institutions, as well as to a number of hospitals, orphanages and other institutions in the city. The publications of the project do not contain any advertising (only logos of the founders), politically and religiously neutral, written in easy language, well illustrated. They are conceived as an information "slowdown" of students, the awakening of cognitive activity and the desire to read. Authors and publishers, without claiming to be academically complete in the presentation of the material, publish interesting facts, illustrations, interviews with famous figures of science and culture, and thereby hope to increase the interest of schoolchildren in the educational process. Please send comments and suggestions to: [email protected] We would like to thank the education department of the administration of the Kirovsky district of St. Petersburg for their support at the start of the project and everyone who selflessly helps in distributing wall newspapers. Special thanks to the Amfora publishing house for the book "Animals of our country" (2010), the material of which is the basis of this issue.

© N. N. Charushina-Kapustina, illustrations, 2017.

© V. M. Brave, text, 2017.

Dear friends! Our series "Nature native land”continues with an issue that unites the work of two wonderful masters of their craft. “I was born in a surprisingly bright and friendly family, and my childhood was the same - surprisingly bright and joyful ... It smelled of rotten foliage warmed by the sun, frogs began to rumble, goose flocks flew, ducks whistled with wings - everything was filled with life, came to life before our eyes. Real spring has since begun for me with the first song of the thrush. I feel the delight of a child who on New Year's Eve found a gift under the tree, when at the end of March, from somewhere far away, at sunset, a blackbird begins to sing quietly! And there is no happier and richer person than me at this moment! This is how N. N. Charushina-Kapustina, the successor to the dynasty of wonderful artists Charushins, talks about her childhood. Natalya Nikitichna kindly agreed to provide her drawings for our wall newspaper. And the text written by the St. Petersburg ornithologist, candidate of biological sciences, senior researcher at the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences Vladimir Mikhailovich Khrabry makes this issue not only visual and interesting, but also scientifically reliable. In the series "Nature of the Native Land" read on the site the following issues of ours: "Wildlife of the parks of St. Petersburg" (No. 43), "Beasts of our forests" (No. 56), "Rare birds Leningrad region"(No. 59), "Butterflies of the Leningrad Region" (No. 92), "Fish of the Leningrad Region" (No. 94), "Reserved Territories of St. Petersburg" (No. 95), "Reserved Territories of the Leningrad Region" (No. 97) and a number of others.

Thank you for being with us!

white hare

Who doesn't know a hare? The ears are long, the tail is short, stubby. In summer, the hare is slate or reddish-gray, in winter it is white. It lives in floodplain meadows, in sparse deciduous forests. The hare is full of enemies, he is afraid of everyone. During the day he sleeps, hiding under a bush or in the grass. In winter, it burrows in the snow. At night, the hare comes out to feed. He eats grass, branches, gnaws the bark from trees, for which gardeners do not favor him. Hares are fertile. The first litter - nastoviki hares - appears when the snow has not yet melted. The second is in the middle of summer, and the third, deciduous, is in autumn. In the spring, males often fight - they stand on hind legs and “box” with the front. Hares rarely give a voice, only from fright they scream loudly and plaintively.

Squirrel

The squirrel is a forest dweller, but is also found in city parks. A cute animal with a fluffy tail, very trusting, deftly jumps from branch to branch, freely moves up and down the tree trunk, quickly runs along the ground. During the day, the squirrel feeds, picking berries, mushrooms, fruits of trees. It can destroy bird nests by eating eggs and chicks. The squirrel makes stocks for the winter, hiding in hollows and burying acorns, cones, nuts between the roots, hanging mushrooms on the branches, but often forgets about its pantries and uses the stocks of mice and chipmunks. At night, he sleeps on a tree in a gaine - a spherical nest of twigs, bast and moss, lined with wool and feathers from the inside. A frightened squirrel chitters loudly.

Hedgehog

In deciduous forests, in glades and edges, you can meet a hedgehog. His whole body, except for a soft fluffy belly and an elongated furry muzzle with shiny beady eyes and a black always wet nose, is covered with needles. Usually the hedgehog spends all day in a nest, which he builds from leaves and branches somewhere under the roots of a tree. By evening, the hedgehog wakes up and wanders through the forest at night, eating insects, frogs, snails and mice. Contrary to popular belief, the hedgehog does not prick food on needles, but sometimes transfers dry leaves pinned to needles to the nest. Having eaten during the summer, the hedgehog sleeps in its nest all winter. In spring, male hedgehogs sing, their song is a monotonous pant.

Fox

The fox can be seen in the field, in the forest, in the meadow, on the shore of the reservoir. You can't confuse her with anyone. The red fox fur coat and the long fluffy tail with a white tip are painfully noticeable. Winter fur is thicker and longer than summer fur. The fox is a very smart animal. In winter, she digs up mice running under the snow by ear - she mouses. In summer it catches frogs, small birds and animals. Preparing to bring out cubs, foxes dig cunning long holes with several exits. And sometimes they settle in those dug up by a badger or other animal. Foxes are caring parents. The male takes care of the female and cubs. The voice of the fox is sonorous, she yelps.

Gray wolf

This large animal is similar to the dog of which it is an ancestor. Only the muzzle of the wolf is wider, the forehead is convex and the tail (hunters call it "log") is usually omitted. Forest wolves have gray hair, tundra wolves have almost white hair, and steppe wolves have reddish hair. The wolf avoids dense forests. Lairs suit only for breeding offspring, in bushes or crevices. The main prey of the wolf in the forests are elk, roe deer, deer, wild boar. But the gray predator does not disdain small prey: hares, birds, bird eggs. Wolves are very smart, deftly moving away from danger, skillful in hunting, which is carried out in packs. These are silent animals, but in autumn and winter wolves often howl.

Lynx

This large forest cat on high legs, with long tassels on the ears, is a very cautious animal. She lives in dense forests, away from human habitation. The lynx is a magnificent hunter, guarding prey in ambush for a long time. During the day, she usually rests in her lair under the twisted roots of a tree, in a hole or crevice, and at dusk she looks for prey. The lynx feeds on small animals, birds, but can attack large birds and deer. The lynx is silent, but in the spring it purrs and screams loudly and sharply. In the silence of the night, these sounds produce an eerie impression on a person.

Elk

One of the largest animals in our forests is the elk. It is easily recognizable by its long powerful legs, hook-nosed muzzle and high, in the form of a hump, withers. Adult males grow large shovel-like horns. late autumn the elk sheds its antlers and walks without them until spring. In the summer, when the moose are plagued by heat and midges, they rest during the day and go out to graze at night. And in winter, on the contrary, they feed during the day, and sleep in the snow at night. Moose feeds on branches of trees and shrubs. His voice can be heard at the end of summer in the mornings and evenings. At this time, the males groan - muffled and drawling moo.

Boar

I met dug up soil in a forest or in a field - know: a herd of wild boars grazed here. From its descendant - a domestic pig - a wild boar (boar) differs in a body flattened from the sides, thick and long gray-black-brown bristles and a black patch. Old boars grow large fangs that stick out from under the snout. Small piglets of wild boars are striped. Boars live in large families. The day is spent lying down, and with the onset of evening, in search of food, they wander through the forest and fields, dig the ground and eat roots, seeds and fruits of plants, larvae and bugs. They bathe in deep puddles or pits filled with water and mud. wild boars, like domestic pigs, grunt. An angry boar is very dangerous.

Brown bear

In appearance, the bear is clumsy - large, overweight, clumsy. In fact, this is a very mobile and formidable forest animal that runs fast, swims beautifully and climbs trees. One blow of a mighty bear's paw is capable of breaking the bison's back. Although the bear is a predator, for the most part it feeds on herbs, berries, fruits, grains and plant roots. In winter, the clumsy sleeps in a den, under the protection of a windbreak or twisted tree roots. Sometimes, not having time to fatten up for the autumn, he wakes up and wanders in search of food - he becomes a connecting rod. In February, cubs are born in bear dens. The bear is silent, but sometimes it will growl so that the soul goes into the heels.

pine marten

Jumping from branch to branch, a long-tailed brown animal with a large yellow spot on its throat moves through the forest like lightning - a pine marten, or a jaundice. The long fluffy tail helps it to maintain balance when climbing and jumping. The marten feels equally good in trees and on the ground. During the day, she rests in hollows, abandoned nests of squirrels or birds of prey, and at dusk she goes hunting. It feeds mainly on squirrels and forest birds, which it kills with a bite to the back of the head. Some martens look for nests wild bees and eat honey. In late summer and autumn, they store food for the winter. A frightened marten emits an unpleasant, creaking hiss.

Otter

On rivers and lakes rich in fish, the otter is found - a long, short-legged animal with a thick naked and muscular tail. Its streamlined body is perfectly adapted for swimming. Paws have special swimming membranes. Fur does not get wet in water. Seeing an otter is not easy. She is very cautious and hunts at night. Feeds on fish, sometimes eats frogs, rodents, birds. Lives in burrows among coastal thickets. On land it looks clumsy, but in the water it moves quickly, overtaking even the fastest fish. The otter is a very mobile animal, spending a lot of time in games. When playing, the animals emit long, unpleasant to the ear trills.

Beaver

A small stream in the forest, which suddenly turned into a large lake, is the work of beavers. Beavers are natural dam builders. This is how they regulate the water level in their habitats. After all, the beaver is a semi-aquatic animal. Its flat bare tail, covered with horny shields, resembles an oar. Beavers feed on bark and thin branches of trees and shrubs. They live as a large family in coastal burrows or huts, which are built on the dam or on the shore from brushwood coated with clay. In autumn, beavers store a lot of branches under water - so that it is enough for the whole winter. They feed and work mostly at night. In case of danger, they dive, giving an alarm signal - loudly slapping their tail on the water.

Badger

Few people see the badger. And all because he leads a nocturnal lifestyle. The badger digs deep branched burrows on the slopes of sandy hills, forest ravines and gullies. Sometimes these are entire settlements. Here the badger spends most of its daylight hours. And as soon as it gets dark, he goes hunting, wanders around his hole, looking for insects, mice, frogs, fruits and roots of plants - fattening up fat, which has very valuable properties. In the north, the badger hibernates in autumn until spring. In the spring, badgers have cubs. At night in the forest, a loud and sonorous badger cry is sometimes heard, similar to the cry of a goose.

Viper

Having gone to the forest for mushrooms, for berries, you can meet a viper, a poisonous snake, whose bite is painful and very dangerous. Vipers love to bask in the sun, settling on the path, stumps, bumps and stones. Sometimes they crawl even into the garden and meadow. When meeting a person, the viper usually tries to hide. But if he sees a threat in him, he hisses, makes throws. Therefore, it is better not to make sudden movements when meeting with her. At night, vipers prey on mice, frogs and insects. Viper is a viviparous snake: eggs develop and cubs hatch in the womb. Vipers molt two or three times a year, shedding their old skin. In autumn, they hide in burrows and crevices, preparing to hibernate.

Already

Already - a harmless creature. He is easily tamed. It is distinguished from other snakes by two large, clearly visible light spots on the sides of the head (“ears”). He lives near the water - likes to swim and often swims. It feeds mainly on frogs and rodents. In summer, the snake lays several dozen eggs in a pile of rotten leaves, a pillow of moss or a rotten stump, covered not with a shell, but with a soft leathery shell. After two months, small snakes hatch from the eggs. First of all, they must find a place for wintering: the calendar is already the end of summer or the beginning of autumn. They hibernate in large groups deep under the roots of trees or under stone heaps.

brittle spindle

In summer, on the edge of the forest, among the fallen leaves, a nimble creature will sometimes flash. Body like a snake, blunt tail. This is a legless lizard - a spindle. It is easily distinguished from a snake by its moving eyelids. For its yellowish color, it is also called a copperfish. In winter, she sleeps in a deep mink or under the roots of a stump. And at the beginning of summer, cubs appear in this legless lizard. It was called a spindle because it resembles a spindle in the shape of its body, and brittle because of the ability to shed its tail, which is characteristic of many lizards. They grabbed her by the tail, and she just! - broke it off and threw it away. The main thing is to get away from danger, and what - a new tail will grow.

Lizard

These nimble creatures come across to you everywhere, snooping on warm days in the garden, in the garden, in the forest among stones and plants. Many are wary of lizards, some consider them harmful and even poisonous. However, lizards are not just harmless - they are of great benefit, eating a great variety of different garden pests. If lizards have settled in your garden or garden, do not drive them away, do not catch them to admire or play. Agile lizards, the most common in the southern regions, breed by laying eggs in the soil. In the middle lane and to the north, a viviparous lizard is found.

Triton

Newts are close relatives of frogs, but, unlike them, have a tail. Look for newts in shallow waters, damp, shady places in the nooks of a forest or an old garden. In summer, they swim briskly in the water, periodically rising to the surface for air. On land, you will meet a newt very rarely - except perhaps immediately after a warm July rain on a forest path. Female newts lay eggs on the leaves of aquatic plants, from which offspring are hatched after two to three weeks. Newts are useful amphibians. They destroy the larvae of mosquitoes, including malaria. Tritons overwinter under thick moss cover, in rotten stumps, root passages, rodent and mole burrows, cellars and cellars.

pond frog

The pond frog lives in various reservoirs of broad-leaved and mixed forests. It is often called green because of its bright green coloration with a light stripe along the back and some black spots. The pond frog is thermophilic. And her winter hibernation is long, and in the spring she revives only after really warm days. At the end of May, the female pond frog lays two to three thousand eggs, from which tadpoles appear - future frogs. The pond frog feeds on beetles, mosquitoes, ants and other crawling and flying small insects.

common frog

In the forest and in the fields, in the thickets of shrubs and in damp meadows, in swamps, along the banks of rivers and lakes, even in settlements, the common frog is found. It is olive or reddish brown above, with dark spots on the back and sides. In spring, males have blue throats and are lighter than females. After waking up after hibernation, frogs gather in large numbers in puddles, ditches, forest reservoirs, in the oxbows of rivers, where females lay their eggs. Twilight is resounded by frog choirs - loud croaking. The female common frog lays more than a thousand eggs, from which tadpoles hatch. The grass frog feeds on beetles, caterpillars, mollusks, earthworms and spiders.

Toad

The gray toad, large, slow, lives in forests and groves, in parks and gardens, in vegetable gardens. The skin of toads is dry, pimply and may be covered with acrid secretions. Therefore, after touching the toad, it is better to wash your hands so that these caustic substances do not get into your mouth or eyes. But the fact that warts appear from this is complete nonsense. Corrosive mucus is the only defense of these very useful animals that rid gardens and orchards of pests. Adult toads feed on a variety of invertebrates, often exterminating those not eaten by birds.

Bullfinch

In winter, everything around is painted in strict white and black tones. But bright, elegant red-breasted birds flew to a bare bush of lilac or hawthorn. These are bullfinch males - the plumage of the female is not so bright, her breast is greenish-gray. All summer the bullfinches lived in the forests, where they raised their chicks. In autumn, they gathered in small flocks and went in search of mountain ash and other berries, closer to human dwellings. So all winter they wander through parks, squares, gardens and orchards, looking for food.

Remez

In the thickets of bushes, along the banks of rivers, lakes, ponds and other bodies of water, a small, nondescript titmouse scurries about - remez. Looking for food, she nimbly climbs the branches, hanging upside down with her head or back. And very often emits a thin whistle tsii-tsii which is heard far away. From vegetable fluff, wool of animals and feathers of birds, the remez weaves an unusual nest-mitten, studded on the outside with birch bark, kidney scales and flower catkins of willow and poplar. The nest is usually attached to the end of a willow, birch or reed branch hanging over the water. Remez, the only one of our tits, flies to warmer climes for the winter, far from the places where she bred chicks.

Lesser spotted woodpecker

On a frosty winter day, having fluffed up, raising the red feathers on its head with a brush, a small spotted woodpecker crawls through the trees, a pockmarked ball, animatedly tapping cracks and cracks in the bark with its beak: haven’t insects that are tasty for it hidden there? Usually he silently jumps along the trunks, but in the spring he often announces himself loudly. kii-kii-kii. This bird prefers to stay in mixed and deciduous forests, river floodplains, and is found in gardens and parks. The nest is arranged in a hollow, which is hollowed out in dry and rotten trees. In summer, noisy chicks appear in the nest, demanding to be fed quickly.

Starling

In our country, the starling is the herald of spring. As soon as the first thawed patches appear, the birds fly to their native places and immediately announce their arrival with a song: chirping, gurgling, clicking, whistling, sounds overheard from other birds, from animals. The starling is a forest bird, but it willingly settles next to a person, in villages and even large cities, in birdhouses hung on the balconies of high-rise buildings. Everyone recognizes the starling: the plumage is black, the beak is long, yellow. In search of food, birds quickly walk on the ground and pierce the soil everywhere with their beaks, fly straight and fast. After leaving the nest, young starlings gather in large flocks and feed in fields, meadows and river floodplains.

Nightjar

On a spring and summer evening in a rare old forest, a long, monotonous dry trill is heard: tr-worr-werr-werr-werr. This rattle, far audible in the twilight, is the song of a nightjar that perched on a bough of a dry tree. Having finished the song, he takes off, flaps his wings widely and jumps precisely, shuddering in the air. It is not easy to see a silent nightjar. Clinging to the trunk, completely motionless, he sits, merging with the bark due to the speckled color. The bird owes its strange name to an old German belief that attributed to it the ability to milk goats. After all, nightjars always circle around grazing cattle, sitting down at the feet of cows, goats or sheep. Only now they are attracted not by milk, but by insects that gather near animals and their droppings.

great tit

In the cold of January, as soon as the sun appears, the great tit begins to sing, which constantly catches the eye in parks, gardens and along the outskirts of forests, very mobile and noticeable: the abdomen is bright yellow, divided black stripe, white cheeks. Flying from branch to branch, she emits a sonorous ping-ping-charzhzhzhzh, tsirrerrerere, qi-qi-qi. Her loud song consists of repeatedly repeated syllables: pingu pingyu. The great tit arranges its nest in hollows and crevices on the trunk, various artificial nests, under the roof of houses. In parks of great tits, sparrows are often driven out of their nests. In winter, tits flock to feeders that help birds survive the winter lack of food.

Owl

A short-eared owl hovers silently over damp forest glades, swamps and fields. She hunts more during the day than at night. Its flight is light and smooth, with rare, deep wing beats. She circles for hours above the ground, looking for mice. It sees the prey, stops in the air, often flapping its wings, and falls steeply down, grabs the prey. Short-eared owl is a migratory bird. She spends the winter in the south of our country. In the spring, arriving at nesting sites, short-eared owls arrange air games - they fly one after another, often emitting a dull, repeating boo Boo Boo. Unlike other owls that do without nests, the short-eared owl builds a nest on the ground, in the middle of dense bushes or thickets of grass.

Golden eagle

The golden eagle is the largest bird of prey in our country. Its wingspan exceeds two meters. The golden eagle is called the golden eagle for the golden feathers on the back of the head of an adult bird. This is a real bird king. His eyesight is sharp. The golden eagle sees a hare at a distance of up to four kilometers. He is the fastest of the eagles. Pursuing prey, covers more than a hundred kilometers per hour. The golden eagle nests high in a tree or on a rock. Usually it serves for many years a pair of birds, which corrects and builds it up, so that it eventually reaches two or three meters in diameter. Often sparrows make nests between its branches, which the golden eagles do not notice. Berkut is not talkative. Only sometimes you hear him softly kiev-kiev-kiev reminiscent of the barking of a small dog.

Pied flycatcher

On the bright forest edges, in the parks, a mobile bird with a contrasting black and white color sings. This is a male Pied Flycatcher. The female is grey, inconspicuous. The singing male is usually noticeable: he prefers to sit on a separate branch or on the roof of an artificial nest. While singing, it often lowers its wings and spreads its tail, quickly shakes its wings. As if trying to take off, spreads its wings and immediately folds them again. He brings out a loud short trill: qi-kru, qi-kru-qi, qi-kru-qi, qi-kru-qi, or tri-twist-twist-three. And at the nest in front of the female often quietly chirps qu-qu-tsifiruflit or pil-pil-filili-lilililu.

Cuckoo

Who has not heard in the forest over and over again the repeated sonorous coo-coo? This makes itself felt male cuckoo. Cuckoo sounds day and night, especially in the morning and evening dawn. Usually the male cuckoos while sitting on a branch in the upper part of the crown. While singing, he lowers his wings, raises and spreads his tail. The cuckoo does not build nests. The female throws her egg into the nest of some small bird (robin, warbler, warbler). The cuckoo usually hatches first and strives to throw out everything that it finds nearby, getting rid of other chicks. He has an excellent appetite: from dawn to dusk, small birds carry food to a huge foundling in comparison with them. When feeding a grown cuckoo, they have to put their head deep into his open mouth.

Crow

Crow - large bird with a large and strong beak, which helps to defend against enemies and get food. It is easier to hear a crow than to see it - to catch the whistling of the wings of mighty birds, their roll call in flight is deaf cro-cro or sharp crook crook. Vigilant crows fly over the forest and fields, looking for prey. They feed mainly on carrion. A wounded beast will leave the hunters and die in the forest - right there the crows flock to the feast. Relatives rush to the cry of those who have found prey, a whole flock gathers. And suddenly all at once soared into the air, circled and sat on the trees. Someone stronger came to the ready - wolves, or even the owner of the forests himself, the bear. Now sit and wait for the beasts to feed.

Spruce crossbill

In February, when the forests are covered in snow and frosts are crackling, a beautiful bird with red plumage, the crossbill, starts building a nest. His nest - quite large and well insulated - he builds on high and dense coniferous trees, more often on spruces. The beak of the crossbill is thick, with crossed ends - it is easier to get the seeds from the spruce cones, which serve as the main food for the crossbill. The crossbill moves slowly along the branches, sometimes with the help of its beak. It usually sings on the tops of trees. The singing crossbill often arranges “dances”, it can fly around a tree with a song. His voice is resonant. In flight, a long note sounds almost continuously. ticktiktiktiktik or voiced glue-clue-clue.

Goldfinch

The most beautiful bird in light forests and gardens is the goldfinch. Like a bright butterfly, he flutters among the branches. Not only is he handsome, he is also very mobile, even fidgety, a master of hanging himself in various possible and impossible positions on the thinnest twigs or even on burdock cones, often quarreling with his brothers in his own, goldfinch, language: rerererere. Sitting on the top of a tree, the goldfinch is held up by a dandy, fit, proud of his beauty, and he sings a song loud and beautiful: puy-puy, sti-glik, pickel-nick.

Magpie

Magpie does not like the thicket. In the spring, it stays at the edge of the forest, in the bushes. In autumn it moves to villages, closer to humans. Its long stepped bluish-green tail is especially noticeable. The plumage of the lower leg and undertail are black, and the lower part of the chest, abdomen and stripes on the shoulders are white, for which it is nicknamed white-sided. But the fuss and chirping of the magpie attracts more attention than the motley attire. The magpie builds its large spherical nest in the depths of a bush or tree. Usually noisy, quiet around the nest. Omnivorous, this bird attacks small songbirds, pecks eggs and chicks in their nests. A magpie-thief will get into the habit of flying into the yard - it will not only carry eggs from the chicken coop, but maybe lime chickens.

Chiffchaff

In early spring, when the buds on the trees are still swelling, a melodic whistle is heard at the top of the crown: shadow-tin-tin-tin-shadow as if the drops are splashing into the water. This is sung by one of our smallest birds - the chiffchaff, or, as the people call it, the grasshopper. She is small, but her voice is loud, heard from afar. All day long she swarms in the peaks tall trees pecking at small insects. And with the onset of summer, he arranges on the ground, under a bush or in a tussock, a nest-hut with a side entrance.

song thrush

Louder and more intricate than all in the spring forest, the song thrush is poured. Even though the outfit is modest: all the plumage is brownish-olive, only on the abdomen it is whitish with an ocher tint. The thrush is noticeable with its singing. All spring and half of summer it sings for days, especially in the morning and evening, ceasing only in complete darkness. His song is melodic, unhurriedly and clearly deduced whistling phrases with obligatory double repetition: Philippe-Philippe, come-come, tea-drink-tea-drink, Vityu-Vityu.

black grouse

Beautiful black grouse. Few people can compare with him in our forests: the plumage is black with a blue tint, the eyebrows are bright red, the tail is like a lyre - the extreme feathers are strongly bent to the sides (that's why it is called a scythe), the undertail is bright white, white mirrors on the wings. And yet, in the spring, black grouse are searched for by voice. As soon as the day gets warmer and longer, the males gather in a clearing or moss swamp, where the snow melts earlier. Here they sing - talk. They emit something like gurgling or muttering, they walk, even run after each other, turning their tail, puffing out and lowering their neck, spreading their wings to the ground. The mumbling is interrupted by a loud cuckoo and hissing chuffyshshshsh. On the current, black grouse often jump up and flap their wings, and sometimes they fight like domestic roosters.

Robin

In spring, in dense mixed and coniferous forests with migratory birds a robin appears - a small, very trusting bird with a raspberry breast and large, slightly sad beady eyes. You will recognize it not only by the colored breast, but also by the characteristic crackling tick tick tick and a thin whistle siip or tsii. Its melodic, chirping and murmuring trills begin with drawn-out sounds and sometimes last quite a long time, but are more often interrupted by small pauses. In spring, the robin sings all day until dark. She often visits summer cottages. He likes to jump on the beds in the spring and collect small insects and worms, and in the fall he enjoys eating garden berries with pleasure.

Shrike Shrike

On the outskirts of a garden or forest edge, where there are many bushes, have you ever come across a dry bush, the sharp branches of which are studded with beetles, grasshoppers, and even frogs and lizards? It was the little feathered robber, the Shrike Shrike, who was gathering food in reserve. His head is large, his beak is hooked, his tail is long, his flight is wavy, and he is constantly dissatisfied with something and shouts sharply like this: check-check. The shrike likes to sit on the top of the bush, from where it observes the surrounding area. His eyesight is sharp, his hearing is subtle. As soon as someone moves in the grass, the shrike falls off the branch, and after a few moments the prey is in its beak.

barn swallow

Whoever has been in the village knows the village swallow - the killer whale. Her tail is forked, the extreme feathers are much longer than the middle ones. This is especially noticeable when she flies high or rushes low over the ground, opening her tail like a fan. The killer whale song is a merry chirp ending with the crackling trill of the cerrr. A nest - a bowl molded from lumps of clay, which are glued together with swallow saliva - is arranged by a killer whale under the roof of some building. Inside it is lined with feathers and hair. The barn swallow feeds on flying insects, and therefore in cold damp weather, when there are few of them in the air, the swallow flies low, collecting insects from the grass and even from the ground. On warm days, killer whales hunt quite high, where ascending air currents carry their prey.

Thank you, friends, for your attention to our publication. We would be very grateful for your feedback. In our next issues: "Traces of animals and birds", "Curious Petersburg, part 8: Nevsky district" and others. We remind you that our partners in their organizations distribute our wall newspapers for free.

Animals living in mixed forests are generally characteristic of the entire forest zone of Russia. Hares, foxes, hedgehogs and even wild boars can also be found in well-developed forests. Squirrels already feel great not only in wild nature but also in an ordinary city park. On rivers far from settlements, one can still see beaver huts. There are also such animals of mixed forests as bear, marten, wolf and badger. Moose are also quite common on the roads and outskirts of villages.

Inhabitants of mixed broad-leaved forests

Representatives of the fauna of the taiga forests also feel great in the mixed broad-leaved forest: white hare, squirrel. In parallel, the most typical animals of mixed forests live: elk, badger.

Elk

The European elk is called the forest giant for a reason. It is one of the largest animals living in the zone of mixed deciduous forests. Its average weight reaches three hundred kilograms. The head of the male is decorated with huge horns. The coat of this animal is usually gray or black-brown.

These inhabitants of mixed forests feed mainly on the shoots of young trees, preferring aspen, willow or mountain ash. IN winter period moose choose needles, mosses and lichens as their main food. These animals are excellent swimmers. An adult can safely swim for a full two hours at a fairly good speed (up to 10 km / h). The end of spring and the very beginning of summer is the time when the moose cow gives birth. As a rule, these are one or two calves that live with their mother during the entire summer period.

Badger

The common badger is found throughout the territory of mixed forests. In size, this animal can be compared with a small dog. The body length reaches 90 cm, and the average weight of a badger is approximately 25 kg. He hunts exclusively at night for insects, digs up nutritious roots and various worms along the way. He loves frogs very much. The badger is a nocturnal animal, it spends daylight hours in its hole.

The badger hole is a very interesting structure. It usually has several floors and a huge number of entrances and exits. Sometimes their number reaches 50. The central hole can reach a length of up to 10 meters and is located at a depth of up to 5 meters. The badger is a very clean animal: he always buries all the sewage into the ground. They live in colonies. The badger spends the winter in hibernation.

hedgehog

Hedgehogs are animals living in mixed forests. This small animal has very poor eyesight, but hearing and smell are superbly developed. In case of danger, the hedgehog rolls up, taking the shape of a ball. And then none of the predators can cope with it (this animal has about 5000 needles, the length of which is 2 cm).

On the territory of mixed forests of Russia, hedgehogs are most often found, the needles of which have a gray tint and dark transverse stripes are clearly visible.

As food, the hedgehog prefers insects and invertebrates: earthworms, slugs and snails. It hunts frogs, snakes, destroys the nests of birds living on the ground. Sometimes eats wild berries.

The common hedgehog has two holes: summer and winter. The winter hole serves him for sleeping, which lasts from mid-autumn until April, and the summer version of the dwelling is used for the birth of offspring. Hedgehog cubs are born naked, a little later (within a few hours) soft white needles appear, which change their color to the usual color within 36 hours.

Mole

Quite a lot of moles in mixed forests. These completely blind animals spend most of their lives underground. They feed mainly on insects, larvae, earthworms. IN hibernation moles do not fall in, since at this time of the year they do not experience problems with a lack of food.

Mixed Forest Animals

white hare

The habitat of this animal is not limited to the zone of mixed forests. It can be found both in the tundra and in the steppe bushes. In winter, the color of his skin becomes completely White color. Only the tips of the ears are still black. The paws are overgrown with more fluffy fur. In summer, these animals of mixed forests have the usual gray color.

The white hare feeds on grass, shoots and bark of trees: willow, birch, aspen, maple, oak and hazel. A hare does not have a permanent hole as such. At the slightest danger, this animal prefers to flee.

A hare twice during the summer period brings up to 6 rabbits. The young growth becomes adult after the wintering spent together with mother.

bison

The fauna of the mixed forests of Russia quite recently could boast of such a magnificent animal as They were found everywhere in the northwestern regions of Russia. But, unfortunately, the bison population was almost completely exterminated. To date, a lot of work has been done in the country to restore the number of these animals.

river beavers

The fauna of mixed forests is such an interesting and unusual animal as the river beaver. Previously, they were found almost everywhere. But because of their very valuable fur, they were almost completely exterminated.

Beavers prefer to choose quiet forest rivers for their homes, the banks of which are covered with dense thickets. These animals feed on young shoots of trees and their bark.

It's called a hut. As building material beavers use tree branches. The size of the hut has no strict restrictions. Each beaver builds it differently, but it must be repaired every year.

Of particular interest are the dams that these animals skillfully build. Beavers build dams in case the water level drops very sharply in the river. The finished dam can easily support the weight of an adult.

A wild boar

Wild boar - very strong and fast beast. Despite some outward clumsiness, he moves easily and quickly on his strong legs. Wild boars live in small herds, which consist of males and females with piglets. The eyes of the boar are small and besides, this animal is somewhat blind. Therefore, the main sense organs for the boar are hearing and smell. This fully explains the typical behavior of a wild boar in case of possible danger: it raises its nose to the top, sniffing and at the same time pricking up its ears.

Wild boars are forests, as they are active mainly at night. Wild boars spend daylight hours in hard-to-reach places. Boars are absolutely omnivores.

But mixed forests are inhabited not only by herbivores, but also by forest predators: bears, wolves, foxes and martens.

Wolves

The most dangerous animals of mixed forests are, of course, wolves. They have always caused a lot of trouble, but nevertheless, the call for the complete extermination of the population of this animal is completely unjustified. The wolf is a predatory animal, but it destroys mainly sick or severely weakened animals. In this way, he helps to improve the population of animals living in the area. In areas where the number of these predators is relatively small, there is practically no harm from this animal.

pine marten

The marten is another bright representative of predatory animals that live in mixed forests. This animal arranges nests in hollows of trees, choosing rather high places for this. Leading a nocturnal lifestyle, the marten quite often ruins squirrel nests. The squirrel is active during daylight hours, and at night it sleeps soundly in the hollow, so it becomes a very easy prey for the marten. But the marten also eats food plant origin: fruits or berries. He loves to eat wild honey. Because of this weakness, it can live for quite a long time directly next to the bee nest. Sometimes several martens can gather in one place at the same time.

Fox

The fox is a very cautious predator. The body length of this animal reaches a meter and the famous fox tail is almost the same size. The fur of this animal most often has a red color, the breast and abdomen are light gray, but the tip of the tail is always white.

These animals prefer mixed forests, which alternate with clearings, ponds and meadows. The fox can be seen on the outskirts of the villages, and in the groves among the meadows.

The sight of the fox is rather poorly developed, so it navigates the terrain with the help of smell and excellent hearing. The fox uses abandoned badger holes as a dwelling. Sometimes it digs a hole on its own, the depth of which reaches 4 meters. There must be several emergency exits.

Foxes prefer to lead. They are nocturnal predators. The fox feeds on rodents, hares or birds. In very rare cases, it attacks a baby roe deer. no more than 8 years.

Lynx

The lynx is another representative of the predators that live in mixed forests. The lynx hunts from ambush. She can track down prey for quite a long time, hiding among the branches of trees or dense shrubs. This predator has long powerful paws that help the lynx to jump over long enough distances.

The main prey of the lynx is roe deer or deer. But she does not hesitate small mammals. With pleasure he will drive a hare or catch a bird. The lynx equips its hole in advance in order to calmly give birth to offspring. Usually the number of kittens in a litter ranges from 2 to 4 cubs. They live next to their mother for 9 months.

Animals of mixed forests of Russia

Thus, mixed forests have a fairly diverse animal world. Among the inhabitants of this natural area there are both predators and herbivores, both inhabitants of taiga forests and "indigenous" inhabitants of the forest-steppe zone. Many animals fall into deep hibernation, while others, on the contrary, lead an active lifestyle all year round.

The globe is covered with oceans, land and forests. A huge number of animals, insects and other inhabitants live in the forest. The most interesting facts about forest animals cannot leave you indifferent.

1. Wolves with tenderness and affection take care of their children. In a wolf family, 5-10 wolf cubs are usually born. And sometimes it is difficult for one mother to cope with such a brood. Here, the father of the family and the young wolves of the pack come to the rescue in raising the kids. The latter are engaged in entertainment for children.
2. The bear eats almost everything: from nuts, mushrooms and fruits to chicks, ants, fish. It is most interesting for him to hunt ants, which he does as thoughtfully as possible. Having stuck his tongue in an anthill, the bear waits for all the ants to stick around him. Then he willingly swallows.
3. Only male moor frogs are covered with blue. This process is directly related to reproduction, during which an incredible spectacle occurs.
4. Inhabitants of the bush forest, monkeys, are very similar to people. For example, by the expression of a monkey's face, you can determine the mood. So a smile is a sign of an aggressive state.

   4
   

5. A raccoon from the raccoon family is considered a wild animal and lives in the forest for no more than 7 years. But their domesticated brothers live twice as long.
6. The elk lives in the forest and is considered a herbivore.. His milk is very valuable and fatty. In terms of concentration, moose milk resembles cream, because their composition is 14% fat. Also, the moose feed product is rich in glucose. But most importantly, such milk does not sour for more than a week.
7. Each beaver has a number of amazing qualities and abilities.. big family These animals, due to their strength and endurance, are able to build a dwelling from improvised devices with a height of about 30 m.
8. Owls are best known for their ability to deftly hunt mice, which in turn eat a kilogram of cereal in just one season. Each representative of nocturnal birds is capable of exterminating 1000 rodents.
9. The otter is perfectly adapted to living in the aquatic environment.. In the daytime, the otter is in a hole dug on its own, and at nightfall it begins to hunt. The otter feeds on fish, crustaceans and small mammals.

   9
   

10. Wolverine is one of the most mysterious animals in Russia, which resembles in appearance a bear and a badger. The predator leads an exceptionally lonely lifestyle, not letting anyone near him. Due to its ardent aggressiveness and absolute non-tameability, the wolverine cannot be found in the zoo.
11. The Amur cat, which lives in the forest zone, grows up to a meter in length and has a beautiful unusual color.. You can distinguish it by the longitudinal stripes on the forehead of a dark and light shade. Despite the rather cute look of the cat, he is considered extremely dangerous predator, which is not so easy to catch.

    11
    

12. Amur tiger, listed in the Red Book and living on the territory of Primorye, is distinguished by a large weight of 300 kg and body length. The Amur tiger is resistant to low temperatures, so snow and cold are not afraid of him.
13. The peculiarity of the lynx is the gait. The lynx steps with its hind legs on the tracks of the front ones.
14. Sakhalin musk deer are currently on the verge of extinction. Animals live on the territory of Sakhalin, inhabiting the dark coniferous forest zones. Musk deer belong to the deer family, but they do not have horns. Their feature is long fangs.
15. Forest bats are considered truly brave hunters.. These little mysterious evenings can hunt not only insects, but also birds.

We hope you enjoyed the selection of pictures - Interesting Facts about forest animals (15 photos) online good quality. Please leave your opinion in the comments! Every opinion matters to us.

Forests maintain the ecological balance on the planet. Shrubs and trees growing in them emit oxygen and absorb carbon dioxide. Also, the forest is important for many species of animals that find food and shelter in it.

Characteristics of the forest fauna

Forests make up about 30% of the total land area of ​​the Earth. They are of incredible value to life on the planet. Forests serve as a carbon store and play an important role in the fight against. They act as a watershed and are the source of many of the raw materials on which people depend. Probably supports the most . For example, a small patch of rainforest can be home to millions of insects, birds, animals, and plants. There are three main types of forest that make up the forest biome. This rainforests, temperate and boreal forests (also called).

boreal forests

Badger

A predator from the marten family is found in almost the entire territory of Eurasia, with the exception of Scandinavia. The body length of the animal varies between 60-90 cm, and the average weight is 7-13 kg. Badgers live in high, dry areas, near water bodies or marshes. They arrange deep burrows with nests on the slopes of banks or ravines. The source of food is insects, small animals, as well as seeds, fruits and berries. By winter, the badger fattens up and hibernates. Life expectancy in nature is 10-12 years. Natural enemies are bears, wolves and lynxes.

Sable

The home for the animal is the Eurasian taiga. Sable settles in forests where cedars and firs grow. The largest population is currently preserved only in Russia. The animal arranges its shelters on windfalls and in dense mossy forests. An adult individual weighs about one kilogram, the body length can reach more than 50 cm. Sable preys on rodents and. IN winter time animals often feed on carrion. In search of food, they run 3 km a day. Sable's competitors are the Siberian weasel and ermine.

Chipmunk

Chipmunks live in the dense forests of Eurasia and North America, giving preference to the edges of forests, and windbreaks. The body size without a tail is 18-25 cm, weight - 50-150 g. Animals are active, and at night they sleep. Chipmunks live alone, each individual builds a cozy shelter for himself. Near the dwelling there are small pantries with supplies. The source of nutrition is seeds, berries, mushrooms, nuts and herbs. Under natural conditions, chipmunks live no more than three years. The animal has many natural enemies: bear, sable, squirrel and fox. Birds of prey and snakes are also dangerous.

Ussurian tiger

Which lives in the south of the Far East. The Ussuri tiger is the largest subspecies of the tiger. Body length with tail is 270-380 cm, weight can reach 300 kg. Despite their impressive size, tigers, like everyone else, move almost silently. The climate of the Far East is quite severe, so the animal has a thick coat. The main coat color is red, except for the belly and chest. Its entire surface is covered with black stripes. Tigers live alone, marking their territory by urinating on trees. The predator most often preys on wild boars, badgers, wolves and lynxes. Tigers skillfully catch fish, do not neglect small animals - frogs, mice, birds, as well as plants and fruits. For one meal, the animal is able to eat 30 kg of meat. In the wild, tigers live for about 15 years, they have no natural enemies.

hare

Hares live in the forests of Europe, Central Asia and Western Siberia. Rusaks were artificially settled in North America, Australia, New Zealand. The body length of an adult is 57-68 cm, weight - 4-6 kg. In summer, the animal's fur has a reddish-brown hue, brightens in winter. The tips of the ears remain black throughout the year. The hare hole is a depression under the roots of trees. In summer, hares feed on herbs, cereals and legumes. In winter, they eat willow branches, tree bark, and seeds. Catching an animal is not easy, it develops a speed of 60 km / h. The average life expectancy of European hares in nature is 6-7 years. Foxes and wolves are the most dangerous.

Elk

The range of moose is extended to the forests of Eurasia, the Caucasus and North America. They choose swampy taiga, river floodplains, burnt areas and lake shores. The body length of an adult is 2.4-3.2 m, weight - 360-600 kg. The horns of males resemble a shovel, the older the individual, the more processes on the horns. Moose is. In summer, they feed on the foliage of shrubs and herbaceous plants. An important role in the process of digestion is played by branch fodder and tree bark. The elk is well adapted to life in the harsh conditions of the taiga. Life expectancy in the wild is 15-25 years. Wolves and bears are natural enemies.

dispersed in certain habitats. Some prefer the taiga conifers, others live only in deciduous forests, and most of all in mixed stands with dense undergrowth, in which there is always food and shelter. Bear, sable, squirrel are typical inhabitants of coniferous forests, for elk, as well as for white hare, the best foraging grounds are young aspen and birch forests, the beaver definitely needs a reservoir in the forest stand of aspen, alder and willow. The favorite habitat of the wild boar in the south is floodplain thickets along the rivers. The marten prefers heavily littered areas coniferous forest. Wolves make their lair among windblows and windbreaks near the water.

All animals in search of food move not only within the boundaries of any tract, but also migrate over long distances. The squirrel lives in summer in Siberia in larch forests, feeding on larch seeds, berries and mushrooms, and in autumn, when cedar dwarf nuts ripen on loaches high in the mountains, it migrates there.

To a certain category of forests, not only one kind of animal is confined, but a whole group of them, connected by one biological food chain. Thus, the wolf follows the roe deer and wild boar, the marten, sable and ermine follow the squirrel and mouse-like rodents, the weasel and ermine follow the rodents and the hay pika. Sometimes these connections are broken due to natural phenomena or ill-considered actions of a person. Where, for one reason or another, the number of moles decreases (prolonged flooding of floodplain forests, increased trapping of animals with traps), the damage caused by the larvae of the May beetle, which constitute the main food of the mole, sharply increases. In those cases when they surrounded the planting with a hedge valuable trees to protect against hares, these landings were killed by mice, as they were protected by a fence from animals that eat mice: foxes, badgers and hedgehogs. A person must know a lot about the role of animals in the biological chain of forest life in order to reasonably intervene in it.

The number of mammal species that inhabit our forests is very large, but we will only get acquainted with those that are most likely to be encountered.

In forest clearings, clearings, on the edge of the forest and in gardens, you can see small piles of earth thrown out by the mole. This "basement" inhabitant rarely comes to the surface, he digs numerous long passages in which he hunts for worms and insect larvae. The mole is useful in that it destroys the larvae of the May beetle, and at the same time it is harmful, as it destroys beneficial earthworms and spoils the roots of plants. The mole stores a lot of live food, lightly biting the head of the worm. In the underground pantry, the mole keeps 100-300 earthworms in reserve.

The structure of the body of the mole is adapted for earthmoving - its body has a cylindrical shape, the head is pointed in front, the front short paws with wide brushes are turned palms back, the fingers with strong sharp claws are connected by a leathery membrane. With such spade paws, he easily loosens the soil, pushing the earth out of the passages with his head.

There are animals in the forest of the same order of insectivores as the mole, but more often living on the surface. These are earthmovers. They are, as it were, "semi-basement" residents, it is very rare to see them. Shrews feed on insects and their larvae; they build burrows in tussocks, under old stumps.

In dense forest cover, you can often see a hedgehog, although it is nocturnal, hunting only at night. Often you can meet a hedgehog in the daytime in the sun. Forest edges and gardens are his favorite habitats. The hedgehog brings from three to six blind, hairless cubs. After 2 months, they begin to live independently, but in the cold, not knowing how to settle well for the winter, they often die. Hedgehogs do not come out of hibernation until the frost ends. The hedgehog eats everything it can catch, from small insects, snails, centipedes to poisonous snakes. Do not work on the hedgehog and some strong poisons. In captivity, the hedgehog is gloomy and vicious.

forest mice, like their field counterparts, are harmful animals: they destroy tree seeds, gnaw at the bark of young trees, but at the same time they are the main food of valuable fur-bearing animals.

A real tree inhabitant is a squirrel, its whole life passes on trees. True, this animal sometimes descends to the ground for mushrooms and berries. Hats of porcini mushrooms, boletus, oil and especially a lot of mushrooms squirrels are planted on dry branches on the south side of the tree - preparing stocks for the winter. From the Arctic Circle almost to the Black Sea, from the Baltic to the Urals, in the Altai and Sayan mountains, where there are larch, cedar, spruce and pine forests, the squirrel can be found more often than any other forest dweller. Squirrels breed quite quickly, have two broods per summer, consisting of three to five cubs. They arrange nests from moss, dry leaves and dry grass in a fork of branches, sometimes in hollows.

Eating large quantities of coniferous seeds, nuts and acorns, gnawing tree trunks, the squirrel causes significant damage to the forest, in addition, it destroys bird nests, drinks the contents of eggs and destroys chicks. In late autumn, in the forest, you can stumble upon heaps of scraps of fresh spruce and pine branches 10-12 cm long. This is the work of a squirrel. It also destroys flower buds. Having chosen the most dense, spreading spruce, and such trees bear fruit better than others, the squirrel runs along one of its horizontal branches, hooks onto it with its hind legs and, hanging its body, gnaws off a shoot with a flower bud, climbing onto a branch, eats a bud, and the shoot throws down . In 10 minutes, she manages to gnaw off up to 30 shoots. This devastation of the forest by squirrels continues until spring. If local squirrels are joined by numerous flocks of alien squirrels roaming from forests with a poor harvest of coniferous seeds, then almost not a single coniferous seed and flower buds of the future harvest remain in the forest.

Moose and goats live in our forests, and the horns shed by them should have been caught in the forest quite often, since they can be preserved for a long time. However, almost no one can boast of such finds. The horns disappear into the forest; a dog, a fox, a marten cannot completely destroy them; only the stomachs of rodents can assimilate such food. This is done not so much by mice as by squirrels; sometimes small goat horns and parts of bones were found in their nests.

The squirrel is an object of commercial hunting. The sums received from the sale of squirrel skins abroad constitute a significant share of the income in the fur trade.

In Siberia, the chipmunk is widespread in the forests - a reddish animal that looks like a squirrel, only smaller and with five black stripes along the back. Chipmunk's favorite places are thickets of bushes, windfall and deadwood along the banks of rivers and streams. A chipmunk digs a very convenient hole in the ground.

He lines the residential part of it with dry grass and leaves, in which the animal sleeps at night, spends hibernation, and keeps cubs. A chipmunk most often has five cubs. In the chipmunk hole there are one or two pantries for winter food supplies, as well as dead ends - latrines; in winter, chipmunks wake up from time to time and feed on winter supplies, so they need puffins.

In the spring, when the sun begins to warm up, the chipmunks crawl out of their holes, but they do not go far from them, and disappear into them at the slightest cold snap. If winter stocks are preserved in sufficient quantities, chipmunks take them out of their holes and lay them out in the sun to dry. Stocks in a hole sometimes reach up to 6 kg and consist of seeds wild herbs, acorns, nuts, dried berries, apples and even mushrooms. In forests located near settlements, grains of wheat, oats, buckwheat, flax and sunflower appear in the stocks of chipmunks. Each type of product in a chipmunk is in a separate pile on a bed of dry grass.

A chipmunk's cheek pouches can hold no more than 10 g of grain, and in order to store 6 kg, he needs to go to the place of food and back 600 times. A one-way passage is sometimes measured 1-2 km, so the chipmunk has to work hard.

Chipmunk is very curious and trusting, which often causes his death. I had to observe the movement of squirrels and other animal species in a floodplain forest in the Altai Mountains, hiding behind a fallen cedar. A chipmunk ran along the trunk nearby and suddenly stopped, interested in rubber boots, which reflected the glare of the sun. Having descended onto another dead tree, the chipmunk looked at the boot for a long time, gradually moving towards it, then he approached, sniffed the boot and disappeared.

Chipmunks are living barometers: a few hours before the rain, they, sitting on a stump on their hind legs or on a fallen tree, make special sounds. They accurately predict summer-autumn floods in the mountains: they are the first to migrate from the river valleys many hours before they begin, while the rest of the inhabitants of the mountain forests are unaware of the danger and die in the flood. The chipmunk has many enemies among small predatory animals and birds of prey.

In the inner, less accessible parts of the forest, you can often find a white hare. In summer, his coat is dirty red-brown, by autumn the hairline sheds and grows a new, white one.

The white hare prefers dense thickets of deciduous shrubs. It is unpretentious, in winter it eats the bark of aspen and willow branches lying on the ground, almost never leaves the forest. This animal once served as an important object of commercial and sport hunting. Its population is small. The white hare has many enemies. Near settlements, domestic cats often exterminate newly born hares, usually sitting motionless for 2-3 days somewhere under a bush until their mother returns.

Once upon a time, from Karelia to the Caucasus, a valuable animal, the beaver, was widespread in forest rivers. Now this animal can be seen in reserves, zoological gardens and in some reservoirs. Beavers are found in the Berezinsky Reserve in Belarus, in Voronezh and in Kondo-Sosvinsky in the Trans-Urals. The latter used to occupy about 800 thousand hectares in the upper reaches of the rivers Konda and Malaya Sos-va, then, in connection with the upcoming exploitation of forests and the construction of a railway for this purpose, the reserve was liquidated and recently restored again on an area of ​​about 350 thousand hectares.

Among the small forest predators weasel deserves attention, although it is difficult to detect because of its small size (body length 20 cm) and reddish-brown color in summer and white in winter. Weasel lives in hollows of trees, under heaps of stones, in mole holes, and in winter - closer to human habitation: in sheds and barns. Weasel is ubiquitous.

Weasel is very mobile, hunts day and night, is very voracious - the weight of food absorbed by it per day (10-15 mice) is equal to the weight of its body. Having eaten, she continues to catch mice and voles and leaves them untouched. More than 450 half-eaten rodents were found in the omette on the threshing floor. Weasel is an indispensable assistant to a person in the fight against rodents. Appearing indoors or on the estate, weasel exterminates all mice.

Weasel is not content with mice, its prey is made up of moles, young hares and rabbits, chickens, pigeons, larks, lizards, snakes, frogs, insects, chicks and eggs of birds nesting on the ground.

It is difficult to judge how useful or harmful caress in the forest; most zoologists find it useful. At the same time, being dexterous, bold and bloodthirsty, she is sometimes able to cling to the neck of a hazel grouse, partridge or black grouse sitting on a nest and bite through carotid artery. Sometimes she stays on a flying bird until it falls to the ground.

In terms of lifestyle, it differs little from the weasel ermine. It surpasses it in size (body length 32-38 cm). Ermine prefers mountainous conditions. The color of the coat on the back and on half of the tail is reddish-brown in summer, white in winter, the lower part of the body is always white, the tip of the tail is black.

Two closely related species live in the forest: pine marten and sable. The pine marten is found in the forests of the European part of Russia and goes a little beyond the Urals to the Ob, the sable - in the Asian part and rarely goes to the western side of the Urals.

The marten's favorite habitats are old spruce and fir forests with windbreak, deadwood and hollow trees. Its main prey is protein. The nocturnal lifestyle allows the marten to take the sleeping squirrel by surprise. With a lack of large prey, the marten catches mice, birds, in summer it is content with berries, preferring mountain ash. This animal is rarely seen due to its nocturnal lifestyle and small numbers.

Sable currently lives only in Siberia, Kamchatka, Sakhalin, in the Amur and Ussuri taiga, and not entirely, but in significantly separated foci.

To preserve the livestock of this valuable animal, a complete ban on hunting it was introduced, which was lifted in 1941. Sable catching rates are limited. On fur farms, sable breeds in captivity.

In the Barguzinsky sable reserve on the shores of Lake Baikal and in the Kronotsky reserve in Kamchatka, sable lives and breeds in protected conditions. Here the sable is caught and relocated to other places where it once lived, but then was completely exterminated. This event, called reacclimatization, was successfully carried out in the mountains of the Altai Mountains, and the sobrl has already become an object of fishing there.

In the forest, a meeting with a fox is more likely - this obligatory character of fairy tales and fables, in which she acts as a crafty and cunning gossip. In fact, the fox is less cautious than the wolf, often falls into traps and traps, takes poisoned bait. The fox is no less curious, and perhaps even more inquisitive, than a chipmunk. In winter, she will definitely turn off her path if she notices something dark in the snow, and on occasion she will look at the edge if she sees a crow or a jackdaw that has flown onto the snow.

One experienced hunter (the region of Dedinov and Beloomut on the Oka), noticing this feature of the fox's character, came up with a hunting method that worked flawlessly - any mouse fox became his trophy. Seeing a fox looking for mice in the field, he put on a white camouflage robe and crawled under cover of the bushes in such a direction that the wind blew from the fox. Enough close range from her he began to toss up his hat from behind the bushes. After a while, the hunter's actions attracted the attention of the fox, and then, instead of a hat, he threw up a dead crow or jackdaw, so that it fell into an open place and was visible from afar. The fox slowly, in zigzags, and then crawling approached the subject of interest to her and inevitably fell under the shot

The fox is omnivorous: a mouse, a hare, a mole, a hedgehog, a black grouse, a partridge, a hazel grouse, chicks, a grasshopper, a May beetle, fish in shallow places and rifts, a snake, a lizard, a frog - everything suits her food. The fable "The Fox and the Grapes" is very close to the truth. In the Crimea, during the ripening period, grapes are the main food of the fox, it even sneaks into the places of its storage.

The fox either digs a hole herself, or captures part of the hole, or even the whole, from the badger. She is very unclean, the remnants of food always rot in her hole, and a clean badger fills up the passage with earth, fencing off the half of the hole occupied by the fox, and sometimes goes to a new place.

The offspring of the fox is not only numerous (5-10 cubs each), but also voracious. All the time the fox spends in search of prey, and by the end of summer it becomes thin, flat as a board, with tufts of wool on the sides. If the fox notices that its hole has been discovered by a person, it takes the children to another place.

Fox hunting is intensive, but due to the great adaptability of this animal, it is not on the verge of extermination. The unpretentiousness of the fox in food, subtle hearing (she hears the squeak of a mouse from afar), excellent sense of smell, combined with endurance in running (dozens of kilometers travel during the night) contribute to her survival. If necessary, the fox swims across the river and even climbs trees with a low crown.

Caught cubs quickly get used to a person and do not lose their attachment to him, even when they become adults.

The role of the fox in the forest is twofold: it is useful in the extermination of mouse-like rodents, valuable as a fur-bearing animal, but at the same time it is seriously harmful in forests where black grouse, capercaillie, duck, hazel grouse and hare are found. She has only two enemies - a man and a wolf,

The wolf looks like a big dog, only the ears always stick up or are pressed back, they never bend down, the tail is always lowered. The wolf settles everywhere, except for dense large forests: in the tundra and in sandy desert, in the steppe and in the forest, in the lowlands and high in the mountains. The wolf's hearing is better than all the senses: you can't catch a sleeping wolf by surprise, he hears the slightest rustle unusual for the forest from afar. This predator is very mobile, it travels up to 70 km per night in search of prey. With such an energy expenditure, he is almost always hungry. The wolf attacks young deer and elk, catches hares, foxes, badgers, arctic foxes, marmots, does not disdain mice and chicks of birds nesting on the ground. In the forests to the south, the wolf eats berries, wild apples and pears. In winter, when it is difficult to get food, wolves drag dogs from settlements at night.

Wolves do not go in large packs: usually a wolf family consists of wolf cubs born this year - arrived and young wolves of last year - pereyarki.

Adult strong moose and wild boars are not afraid of wolves, and they do not dare to attack them. Only sick or weakened animals become their prey. A herd of domestic pigs, if there are still a few boars in it, repulses the attack of a predator. Wolves do not attack a herd of cows either - cows, having gathered in a circle, putting their horns forward, create a circular defense, and a herd of horses becomes their heads inward, successfully repulsing the attack of wolves with hooves. Therefore, single cows and horses become prey for wolves. In a flock of sheep, those really stupid animals, the wolf can wreak havoc: in the heat of an attack, he vomits right and left, and in a few minutes can kill several sheep. Such attacks now occur only where sheep graze most of the year. Shepherds and dogs are always on guard near the flocks.

In the second half of winter, wolves break into pairs, and each pair usually settles no closer than 10 km from the other. Wolf cubs will be born in five or six. Their father feeds them and the wolf until the cubs grow up. The she-wolf is a selfless mother and protects children even from humans. In captivity, wolf cubs are quickly tamed and strongly attached to people. Adult wolves in captivity, and sometimes in the wild, mate with dogs and give birth.

Wolves are exterminated by all available means, and not so much for the harm they bring, but according to a tradition that has been established for centuries. The wolf himself never attacks a person, and the harm from him is exaggerated by stories and tales of the distant past, when wolf packs roamed the snowy fields and copses. In pre-revolutionary Russia, wolves, indeed, in some areas were a scourge for livestock, especially sheep. The low, straw-covered peasant stables were covered in winter with snow up to the very roof, and through the thatched roof it was not difficult to get into the stable. In our time, in covered strong collective farms, livestock is no longer available to the wolf.

Wolves were completely exterminated in England and Scotland as early as the 18th century; there are no wolves in Germany, Denmark and Holland. In our country, the wolf is becoming a rare animal in the European part and is almost exterminated in the central regions. A wolf is needed in the forest - it contributes to the natural selection of animals, such as elk, destroying sick and weakened individuals. In my opinion, every forestry should be inhabited by a family of wolves, but its numbers should be regulated by employees of hunting supervision.

By including the wolf in the general natural complex forest landscape, we can restore the disturbed balance in the forest world. Here is what the American scientist Frank Darling writes in the article "Lands die with the death of trees": "The generally accepted opinion that wolves bring great harm is a psychological delusion, which nevertheless affects the fate of natural biotopes."

From the regions of the Far East in 1934 they were brought to European part countries raccoon dog. Here she found better feeding conditions than in her homeland, she multiplied strongly and turned out to be the most harmful animal in our forests. A raccoon dog destroys all living things that it can. Thanks to her exceptional instinct, she finds game where a wolf and a fox pass by prey, is not at all afraid of water, and destroys the nests of waterfowl and marsh birds. Very prolific: annually brings six to eight puppies, and even up to fifteen. The favorite hunting grounds of the raccoon dog are damp deciduous forests, floodplains with dense shrubs and tall grass, where many birds find shelter and nesting places.

Of the typically omnivorous wild animals in our forests, there are badger, wild boar and bear, but the likelihood of meeting them in an ordinary forest is extremely small, it is possible only in nature reserves and hunting farms. These animals are very rare, as in the past they were hunted immoderately.

The badger lives throughout the European part and in the southern strip of Siberia. Leads a nocturnal lifestyle. You can see him in the evening or early in the morning. It is easy to recognize a badger: on a white head, black stripes pass through the eyes and ears on both sides of the muzzle, getting lost at the back of the head. In the forest, on the slopes of ravines or hills, on their sunny side, the badger digs wonderful holes in the bushes. The main living chamber has several exits (sometimes up to eight) and vents for ventilation, and is very neat. The badger feeds mainly on roots, insects, snails, and earthworms. Previously, badger hunting was carried out for their meat, fat and skin, now it is taken under the protection of the law.

The boar, or wild pig, is the ancestor of the domestic pig. This strong beast shoulder height 90-95 cm, body length 1.5 m and weight 150-200 kg. The boar easily carries its heavy, well-knitted body on short, strong legs.

The lower and upper fangs of a male boar reach 14 cm in length, grow upwards, are strongly curved, very sharp, due to friction against each other, their ends, gradually sharpening, become thinner.

The wild boar knows how to stand up for himself, and the old male billhook is not afraid of any animal, except for the tiger. Boar attacks are lightning fast, injuries are severe and even fatal. The boar itself never takes the initiative to attack unless circumstances force it to. He is omnivorous, can live everywhere, except for places where there are deep snows. The wild boar lives in the south of Russia, in the Transcaucasus and in the Central Asian republics. It was also brought to the central regions of the European part of the country, in particular to the Moscow region, but it cannot exist here without top dressing.

Bear was widespread throughout the country. He has no enemies, except for a man who constantly pursues him. And the bear is essentially a harmless animal, he always diligently avoids his enemy and rarely attacks animals. The bear's teeth are adapted to feeding on plant food, with which he is mainly satisfied.

All berries- currants, raspberries, lingonberries, cloudberries, bird cherry, cranberries, mountain ash, - pine nuts, acorns, vegetables, ripening cereals, especially oats, and many other plant foods are included in his diet. Ants and their larvae, as well as bee honey, are a bearish dessert. The very name of the beast (honey to know) speaks of his passion for this delicacy. It is not easy for him: the whole swarm of bees fall on the unprotected parts of his body and climb even into the wool to the skin.

In the Far East, during the period of fish spawning, the bear switches exclusively to feeding on fish.

The Caucasian bear is very good-natured, about which there are many anecdotal stories. No less safe was the bear in its time in the Gorno-Altai Reserve, accustomed to seeing a friend in a person. During the ripening of cherry plum, wild pears and apples, the Caucasian bear is always relentlessly followed by wild boars - in the distance and a little lower down the slope. As soon as the bear climbs the tree and shakes off the fruits, the boars pick them up, leaving nothing for the bear.

Once, because of a bear, all traffic on the mountain road stopped for several hours. Passing along the rock above the road, the bear accidentally knocked over a stone. Obviously, the bear liked the sound of a falling stone and, leaning over to the edge of the cliff, he began to drop stones, and he threw the next one only after the previous one fell on the road. Either he was bored with this occupation, or the supply of stones ran out, but the rockfall stopped after a while.

In the north, the bear hibernates only after snow falls and leaves the den in March. The thick layer of fat accumulated in autumn keeps him vital during this period.

The bear's hungriest time is spring: the snow has not completely melted, there is no fresh grass, and the stored fat has already been used up. It is especially difficult for a bear. In the second half of winter, she will give birth to two or three cubs, very small - "with a mitten", and they still need to be fed for 2-3 months. During the summer and autumn, the mother tries to work up a large supply of fat, accumulating it up to 100-120 kg.

Bears are mostly hunted in winter: the winter skin is more valuable and the meat can be stored for a long time. In early spring, a hungry bear goes to the bait with carrion. In autumn, they lie in wait for him in the oat fields. Oats for him are no less a delicacy than honey. Caught off guard or injured, the bear can be dangerous.

In our forests, one can often meet an elk - the largest forest animal of our ungulates. It was almost completely exterminated before the revolution and is now under the protection of the law. An elk is a powerful animal: it reaches a height of 2.5 m, a length of 3 m, and an average weight of 400 kg. Appearance he is clumsy: high legs, fat and short neck, the head is massive, with large nostrils, an overhanging upper lip and spade-like widening horns, a very short tail. Thanks to wide hooves with a leathery membrane between the fingers, the elk can run through the swamp where any other animal of its weight would surely get stuck. Especially swampy places the elk crawls on the belly; throwing out its front legs far, it easily crosses large rivers.

This beast has an amazing sense of smell: it can smell a hunter at a distance of 500 m. He has even better hearing: he hears a person walking carefully on soft snow from a kilometer away. Usually the elk avoids the person, and it was not possible to see him very often. But for recent decades in connection with the ban on hunting for it, new generations of elk have become more trusting, and meeting with elk in aspen and willow forests is very likely.

Aspen branches are the most favorite food for moose. He cuts the annual or two-year-old shoots of aspen at an equal height, as if with garden shears. From large aspens, the elk strips off the bark in whole strips and even gnaws at aspen firewood left in the forest, scattering woodpile. Elk eat branches of willow and other trees. He does not touch cultivated plants at all, never eats hay and avoids food prepared by man.

It is not uncommon to hear that moose spoil young pine trees in forest plantations. I can say with confidence that if there are a lot of young aspen and willow forests on the farm, the elk does not touch the young pines.

With the proper organization of the economy, keeping the livestock of elks in the forest is a more profitable measure for the supply of meat than breeding cattle on farms, as there is no need for fodder and animal care.

In autumn, the roar of bulls is heard far away, calling rivals to fight. At the end of April or at the beginning of May, the elk brings two calves, they suckle their mother until autumn.

Young or sick moose are destroyed by the wolf and wolverine. An adult moose is not afraid of wolves. Standing with his back to the tree, he successfully repels the attack of the wolves. There were cases when an elk killed a bear that attacked him. Wounded, he is dangerous and will not part with his life without resistance to the enemy.

Moose easily become tame in captivity. In the Pechoro-Ilychsky Reserve, work has long been carried out, and quite successfully, on the domestication of the elk.

Among the inhabitants of the forest there is also an insectivorous flying warm-blooded animal belonging to the class of mammals, no less useful than birds - a bat. In spring and summer, after sunset, some black small shadows begin to rush between the trees in the forest and in the gardens. By fast fluttering, uneven flight, you can immediately determine that this is not a bird or an insect, but a bat. There are several types of them in our country. The bat is small, the size of a house mouse, covered with reddish-gray hair, a dark gray bare membrane is stretched between the fore and hind limbs. With the help of this device, the bat glides through the air, only forward, fluttering and not making uniform flapping of its wings.

In our country, the red evening is the most common. The length of her body is 11 cm, of which 4 cm fall on the tail. She is one of the most useful mammals - she energetically cracks down on various insects, even beetles that have hard elytra, like May beetles. Red Vespers is a typical forest animal. In the old forest, on the tops of the largest trees and above them, on the edges and clearings, she is looking for prey. For foresters, the bat is one of the most desirable animals in the forest: it hunts at night, when insectivorous birds sleep, and there are many nocturnal pests in the forest. Vechernitsa flies at such a height where a chiffchaff and a blue tit sometimes fly during the day. May beetles, oak leafworms, silkworms and other insects she destroys in huge numbers, and the weight of her stomach in the morning is not less than one third of her body weight.

For the winter, bats hibernate, gathering in some secluded place, sometimes in large numbers. There is no harm from these animals to humans, but the benefits are very great. With this in mind, one should do everything possible to combat the prejudice that makes one look at these animals as dangerous and carrying illness and misfortune.

Not everyone knows that bats are living sonar. In the dark, they show amazing dexterity, avoiding the slightest obstacles, and catching the smallest insects. It was assumed that the bat is guided by this vision. Then it turned out that in life bats sight does not play any role: blinded mice hunted insects just as well as sighted ones. It has also been suggested that the tactile organs of bats perceive all vibrations of air waves caused by flight and reflected by solid objects in the way. And only in Lately It turned out that a bat in flight continuously emits very short and high-pitched sounds - it emits ultrasonic location pulses directed strictly along the line of its flight in a narrow beam. The closer the obstacle or prey is, the more often the bat sends location pulses, the shorter they are, and the frequency of their repetition increases. Ultrasonic waves are known to be well reflected from the smallest objects, and the animal quickly orients itself, determining the distance to the object in its path. A tiny mosquito only one and a half millimeters long is caught by a bat in the dark just as successfully as a cockchafer.

How are the organs of location in bat, neither scientists nor engineers have yet been able to discover. With this animal weighing several grams, the locating organs weigh milligrams, creating a variable rhythm and variable pulse duration, which is many times greater than the locators created by man. The study of the principles of the arrangement of the living mechanisms of nature and the possibility of their use by man is engaged in a new science - bionics.