What are aquatic creatures called? Animal world of forests

A river is another type of body of water in which fish live. Many children ask who lives in the river. It is important to give them as much information as possible.

Unlike the ocean, fresh water flows in the river, which cannot but affect the species of fish that are found in it.

The most common fish that can be found in the river are carp, ruff, crucian carp, catfish, pike perch, rudd, perch, pike, catfish. As well as sea ​​fish and fish that live in the oceans, river fish breathe underwater thanks to gills - special organs that are able to release oxygen from the water.

The largest river fish is catfish. It can be seen in the river on a warm night. It lives in the quietest places of rivers, in thickets and at depth.

The largest catfish caught in history was 5 meters long and weighed 450 kg! In ordinary rivers, catfish weighing about 10-15 kg are most often found.

Carp are not picky. They can live both on the sandy bottom and in the silt. The place of residence affects the color of their scales - it can be either richly golden in color or silvery.

Carp are very fond of bread. Therefore, being near a reservoir, you can treat these fish with pieces of crumb.

Ruffs love the sandy bottom and try to stay closer to the banks of the rivers.
The dorsal fin of the ruff has long spines that help it defend itself against predators.

Despite the fact that the ruff loves fresh water, it can also be found in salty water reservoirs.

Carp are very funny. They have two antennae near the mouth, which makes it easy to distinguish it from other fish. The only exception is the catfish, however, the catfish has a flatter head.

Carps like to eat a variety of crustaceans and molluscs, although in general they are not whimsical in food, for which some anglers compare them with a pig. Carp can live for more than 50 years, while reaching 35 kg of weight.

Pike is another fun fish. It has an elongated not only body, but also a head, so it is somewhat reminiscent of a torpedo.
However, it is better not to joke with her, since pikes are predatory fish and are distinguished by their voracity. They live in coastal thickets, where it is easiest to track down prey.

When the pike sees food, it slowly turns to it, and then makes a lightning dash for a fairly large distance.
The length of an adult individual can reach 2 meters and weigh up to 70 kg. At the same time, pikes live up to 30 years.

By the red fins it is very easy to recognize the rudd, a river fish with orange eyes with a red dot at the top.
The rudd is not famous for its size - its body length reaches only 36 cm, and its weight is 2 kg.

However, you should work hard to catch such a large specimen. After all, the fish is quite cunning. It is also very easy to confuse it with roach.

Roach

Roach is another freshwater fish. Only her blood-red eyes differ from the rudd. However, it is even smaller in comparison with the rudd. She loves clay and silt shores.
Large fish live in clear and deep water, while its smaller representatives can often be found in coastal bushes, in water lily thickets, but even a trifle tries to stay in deep water.

Speaking of river vegetation, one cannot fail to mention such plants as reeds, water lilies, duckweed. Surely, everyone has seen reeds in their lives - long and narrow tall leaves and a brown thick cob are familiar to everyone. However, in fact, this plant is called cattail, although many know it exclusively as reeds.

Small pale yellow flowers on a thick stem and wide leaves are a water lily or a capsule. More large flowers white, red or pink are also referred to as water lilies, but most often they are called lotus or water lilies.

Bright light green small leaves on the water - duckweed. These are tiny perennial plants that float on the surface of the water and serve as excellent food not only for river inhabitants, but also for livestock - pigs, geese, ducks, chickens. They say that duckweed blooms. However, this is a rather rare occurrence. They say that if you see duckweed blooming, it's good luck.

Due to the special vision of fish

Thanks to fish and their special vision, the fisheye lens was invented. This is a special effect that a frame taken with this lens acquires, which is expressed in a certain bulge of the center of the photograph and thus the image on it is highlighted. Fish do not see a specific straight section, but the entire 180-degree turn. For the first time this effect was discovered and applied by the American experimental physicist Robert Wood. Now you know who lives in the river.

Deep water is the lower level of the ocean, located at a distance of more than 1800 meters from the surface. Due to the fact that only a small fraction of light reaches this level, and sometimes light does not reach at all, historically it was believed that there was no life in this layer. But in fact, it turned out that this level is just teeming different forms life. It turned out that with each new dive to this depth, scientists miraculously find interesting, strange and outlandish creatures. Below are ten of the most unusual of them:

10. Polychaete Worm
This worm was caught this year at the bottom of the ocean at a depth of 1200 meters off the northern coast of New Zealand. Yes, it can be pink, and yes, it can reflect light in the form of a rainbow - but despite this, the polychaete worm can be ferocious predator. The "tentacles" on its head are sensory organs designed to detect prey. This worm can twist its throat in order to grab a smaller creature - like an Alien. Fortunately, this type of worm rarely grows more than 10 cm. They also rarely come across our path, but are often found near hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor.

9 Squat Lobster


These unique lobsters, which look rather intimidating and look like headcrabs from the Half-Life game, were discovered on the same dive that polychaete worm, but at a greater depth, about 1400 meters from the surface. Despite the fact that squat lobsters were already known to science, this species they had never met before. Squat lobsters live at depths of up to 5,000 meters, and are distinguished by their large front claws and compressed bodies. They can be detritivores, carnivores, or herbivores that feed on algae. Not much is known about individuals of this species, in addition, representatives of this species were found only near deep-sea corals.

8. Carnivorous Coral or Carnivorous Coral


Most corals get their nutrients from photosynthetic algae that live in their tissues. This also means that they must live within 60 meters of the surface. But not this species, also known as Sponge-Harp. It was discovered 2000 meters off the coast of California, but only this year scientists have confirmed that it is carnivorous. Similar in shape to a chandelier, it stretches along the bottom to increase in size. It catches small crustaceans with tiny Velcro-like hooks and then stretches a membrane over them, slowly digesting them with chemicals. In addition to all his oddities, he also reproduces in a special way - "sperm bags" - see these balls at the end of each process? Yes, these are packets of spermatophores, and from time to time they swim away to find another sponge and multiply.

7. Fish of the Cynogloss family or Tonguefish (Tonguefish)


This beauty is one of the species of tonguefish that are commonly found in shallow estuaries or tropical oceans. This specimen lives in deep waters, and was fished from the bottom earlier this year in the western part Pacific Ocean. Interestingly, some tonguefish have been seen near hydrothermal vents spewing sulfur, but scientists have not yet figured out the mechanism that allows this species to survive in such conditions. Like all bottom tongue fish, both of its eyes are located on the same side of the head. But unlike other members of this family, his eyes look like sticker eyes or scarecrow eyes.

6. Goblin Shark or Goblin Shark


Goblin shark is true strange creature. In 1985, it was discovered in the waters off the east coast of Australia. In 2003, more than a hundred individuals were caught in northeastern Taiwan (reportedly after an earthquake). However, apart from sporadic sightings of this nature, little is known about this unique shark. This is a deep-sea, slow-moving species that can grow up to 3.8 meters in length (or even more - 3.8 is the largest of those that caught the eye of man). Like other sharks, the goblin shark can sense animals with its electro-sensing organs, and has several rows of teeth. But unlike other sharks, the goblin shark has both teeth adapted for catching prey and teeth adapted for cracking crustacean shells.

If you are interested to see how she catches prey with this mouth of hers, here is a video. Imagine that almost 4-meter shark rushes at you with such jaws. Thank God they (usually) live so deep!

5. Soft-bodied Whalefish (Flabby Whalefish)


This brightly colored individual (why do you need bright colors when colors are useless if you live where light cannot penetrate) is a member of the ill-named "soft-bodied whale-like fish" species. This specimen was caught off the east coast of New Zealand, at a depth of more than 2 kilometers. In the lower part of the ocean, in the bottom waters, they did not expect to find many fish - and in fact it turned out that the soft-bodied whale-like fish did not have many neighbors. This family of fish lives at a depth of 3,500 meters, they have small eyes that are actually completely useless given their habitat, but they have a phenomenally developed lateral line that helps them feel the vibration of the water.

This species also does not have ribs, which is probably why the fish of this species look “soft-bodied”.

4. Grimpoteuthys (Dumbo Octopus)

The first mention of Grimpoteuthys appeared in 1999, and then, in 2009, it was filmed. These cute animals (for octopuses, anyway) can live up to 7,000 meters below the surface, making them the deepest-dwelling species of octopus. known to science. This genus of animals, so named because of the flaps on either side of the bell-shaped head of its representatives and never seeing sunlight, may number as many as 37 species. Grimpoteuthis can float above the bottom with the help of jet propulsion based on a siphon-type device. At the bottom, grimpoteuthys feeds on snails, mollusks, crustaceans and crustaceans that live there.

3. Hellish vampire (Vampire Squid)


Hellish vampire (Vampyroteuthis infernalis name literally translated as: vampire squid from hell) is more beautiful than terrible. Although this species of squid does not live at the same depth as the squid that ranks first on this list, it still lives quite deep, or rather, at a depth of 600-900 meters, which is much deeper than the habitat of ordinary squids. Some sunlight is present in the upper layers of its habitat, so it has developed the most big eyes(in proportion to the body, of course) than all other animals in the world in order to capture as much light as possible. But what is most amazing about this animal is its defense mechanisms. In the dark depths where he lives, he releases a bioluminescent "ink" that blinds and confuses other animals as he swims away. It works amazingly well just when the waters are not lit. He can usually emit a bluish light which, when viewed from below, helps him disguise himself, but if he is seen, he turns inside out and wraps himself in his black-colored robe... and disappears.

2. Black East Pacific chimera (Eastern Pacific Black Ghost Shark)


Found deep off the coast of California in 2009, this enigmatic shark belongs to a group of animals known as chimeras, which may be the oldest group of fish to have survived. today. Some believe that these animals, separated from the genus of sharks about 400 million years ago, survived only because they live at such great depths. This particular species of shark uses its fins to “fly” through the water column, and the males have a pointed, bat-like, retractable sex organ that protrudes from its forehead. Most likely it is used to stimulate the female or draw her closer, but very little is known about this species, so its exact purpose is unknown.

1. Colossal squid (Colossal Squid)


The colossal squid really deserves its name, having a length of 12-14 meters, which is comparable to the length of a bus. It was first "discovered" in 1925 - but only its tentacles were found in the belly of the sperm whale. The first intact specimen was found near the surface in 2003. In 2007, the largest specimen known, measuring 10 meters in length, was caught in the Antarctic waters of the Ross Sea and is currently on display at National Museum New Zealand. The squid is believed to be a slow ambush predator that feeds on big fish and other squid attracted by its bioluminescence. The scariest fact known about this species is that sperm whales have been found to have scars left by the curved hooks of the colossal squid's tentacles.

+ Bonus
Cascade Creature

Strange the new kind deep sea jellyfish? Or maybe a floating whale placenta or a piece of garbage? Until the beginning of this year, no one knew the answer to this question. Heated discussions about this creature began after this video was posted on YouTube - but, marine biologists have identified this creature as a species of jellyfish known as Deepstaria enigmatica.

It will not be about the marten as such, but about all representatives of the marten family, which includes: marten, sable, ermine, weasel, mink, otter, ferret. Because of their skins, these taiga animals are the most sought after for hunting. Their meat is not eaten, it is given only to dogs, and only their fur has a price. At martens complex behavior and paw motor skills developed at the level of a three-year-old child. They love to do gymnastics. Marten cubs spend almost all the time in games. During games, they make coos. Martens live up to 20 years. They feed on rodents, small birds and bird eggs. During the hunt, the marten breaks the vertebrae of the neck of the victim, rolls the tongue into a tube and drinks blood from the still living victim.

Sable is active at dusk, at night, but often hunts during the day. An individual sable hunting area is from 150-200 ha to 1500-2000 ha, sometimes more. The boundaries of the individual site are marked with the secretion of the anal glands. Willingly feeds on plant foods. Favorite food - pine nuts, mountain ash, blueberries. Willingly eats the berries of lingonberries, blueberries, bird cherry, wild rose, currants. Nesting shelters - in the hollows of fallen and standing trees, in stone placers, under the roots.

Hunting for mustelids is the main activity of professional hunters-traders. They hunt with the help of various traps, mainly sacks, dies, and traps. Often they use a bait - in the form of a dead bird, for example.

Hare

Most often in northern forests white hare populations predominate, and the European hare, the hare, is very rare. The hare differs from its northern counterpart in that it does not change the color of its fur in winter.

Normally, white hare lead a solitary territorial way of life, occupying individual plots of 3–30 ha. In most of the range it is a settled animal, and its movements are limited seasonal change fodder lands. Seasonal migrations to forests are characteristic in autumn and winter; in spring - to open places where the first grass appears.

Predominantly crepuscular and nocturnal forest animal. Most active in the early morning and evening hours. Usually feeding (greasing) begins at sunset and ends at dawn, but in summer there is not enough night time, and hares feed in the morning. Herbivorous forest animal. In summer, in the tundra, hares, escaping from midges, switch to day food. In thaw, snowfall and rainy weather, the hare often does not go out to feed at all. On such days, the loss of energy is partially replenished by coprophagia (eating excrement). In winter, in severe frosts, the hare digs holes in the snow 0.5-1.5 m long, in which it can spend the whole day and leave only in case of danger. When digging a hole, the white hare compacts the snow, and does not throw it out.

From the place of laying to the place of feeding, hares run along the same route, especially in winter. At the same time, they tread paths that are usually used by several animals. In winter, even a person without skis can walk along a well-trodden path. Going to the bed, the hare usually moves in long jumps and confuses the tracks, making the so-called. “doubles” (returns on your own trail) and “sweeps” (large jumps away from the trail).

Wolverine

A very cunning and arrogant beast. Leads a solitary life. Quite bold in his behavior and, at the same time, very cautious. It is not easy to meet him in the forest. The wolverine makes its lair under twisted roots, in rock crevices and other secluded places, and goes out to feed at dusk. Unlike most mustelids, leading sedentary life, the wolverine constantly roams in search of prey in its individual area, which occupies up to 1500-2000 sq. km. Thanks to powerful paws, long claws and a tail that plays the role of a balancer, the wolverine easily climbs trees. It has sharp eyesight, hearing and smell. It makes sounds similar to fox yapping, but more rough.

Wolverine with partridge caught		wolverine cubs

The wolverine is omnivorous, does not disdain to eat carrion, and also likes to eat leftovers after a meal of larger taiga animals, for example, a bear. It mainly hunts hare, black grouse, hazel grouse, partridge, rodents. Sometimes it preys on larger animals, such as elk calves, wounded or sick animals. Often ruins the winter quarters of hunters and steals prey from traps. In summer it eats bird eggs, wasp larvae, berries and honey. It catches fish - near polynyas or during spawning, willingly picks up dead fish. It hunts birds, grabbing them on the ground when they sleep or sit on nests. He is an orderly, destroying weak and sick animals. May attack humans if cornered.

Wolverines, like lynxes, are well tamed animals; in captivity they live up to 17 years, in wild nature- about 12.

Beaver

Another animal of the forest, lives everywhere. Habitat - river floodplains. The beaver is a large rodent adapted to a semi-aquatic lifestyle. The beaver has beautiful fur, which consists of coarse guard hairs and a very thick silky underfur. Fur color - from light chestnut to dark brown, sometimes black. The tail and limbs are black. Is an object commercial hunting, primarily because of the fur, borba meat is also eaten. In the anal region there are paired glands, wen and the beaver stream itself, which secretes a strongly smelling secret.

The smell of a beaver stream serves as a guide to other beavers about the border of the territory of a beaver settlement; it is unique, like fingerprints. The secret of wen, used in conjunction with the jet, allows you to keep the beaver mark in a “working” state longer due to the oily structure, which evaporates much longer than a secret beaver stream. As a result of intensive hunting, by the beginning of the 20th century, the beaver was practically exterminated in most of its range.

Beavers live alone or in families. A complete family consists of 5-8 individuals: married couple and young beavers - the offspring of the past and current years. A family plot is sometimes occupied by a family for many generations. A small reservoir is occupied by one family or a single beaver. In larger water bodies, the length of the family plot along the coast ranges from 0.3 to 2.9 km. Beavers rarely move more than 200 m from water. Beavers communicate with each other using odorous marks, postures, tail strikes on the water and whistle-like calls. In danger, a swimming beaver slaps its tail loudly on the water and dives. The clap serves as an alarm to all beavers within earshot. Beavers are active at night and at dusk.

Beavers live in burrows or huts. The entrance to the beaver's dwelling is always under water for safety. Beavers burrow in steep and steep banks; they are a complex labyrinth with 4-5 entrances. The walls and ceiling of the burrow are carefully leveled and compacted. The living chamber inside the burrow is arranged at a depth of no more than 1 m. The width of the living chamber is a little more than a meter, and the height is 40-50 centimeters. Huts are built in places where burrowing is impossible - on gentle and low marshy shores and on shallows.

Beavers are strictly herbivorous. They feed on bark and shoots of trees, preferring aspen, willow, poplar and birch, as well as various herbaceous plants.

Muskrat

Here is someone who, and the muskrat is indeed the rarest animal in the taiga. It is on the verge of extinction, listed in the Red Book of Russia. It is almost impossible to meet her on the banks of taiga reservoirs. It is found mainly in the southern taiga and mixed forests Europe. Relatively large animal: body 18 - 22 cm long, tail - the same, weight up to 520 g. Desmans are practically blind, but have a developed sense of smell and touch. Most often they prefer to settle in closed floodplain reservoirs. For most of the year, the animals live in burrows with one exit. The exit is underwater. The main part of the course is located above the water level.

In summer, desmans live alone, in pairs or in families, and in winter up to 12-13 animals of different sex and age can live in one hole. Each animal has temporarily visited burrows located at a distance of 25-30 m from one another. Such a distance the muskrat swims along the connecting trench for the normal period of its stay under water - for 1 minute. By earth's surface the muskrat cannot move quickly and becomes a victim of predators.

The desman in Russia was brought to the brink of extinction by such factors as cutting down floodplain forests, pollution of water bodies where animals live, drainage of floodplain lands, which worsens conditions for fodder and protection, the construction of dams and dams, as well as building on the banks of reservoirs, the creation of reservoirs, grazing near water bodies.

At present, the desman can be preserved thanks to special methods and non-traditional organizational forms, namely, the creation of specialized hunting farms, the main principle of which is the rational use and protection of these animals. Natural factors negatively affecting its population include long winter floods and high floods.

Squirrel

One of the cutest animals in the northern forests. It looks completely toy, the squirrel attracts the attention of children. The squirrel is not dangerous to humans, except that it can scratch if it feels a danger to offspring. One of the widely known distinctive features of many squirrels is their ability to store nuts for the winter. Some species bury nuts in the ground, while others hide them in hollow trees. Scientists believe that the poor memory of some species of squirrels, in particular gray squirrels, helps preserve forests, as they bury nuts in the ground and forget about them, and new trees appear from germinated seeds. The squirrel is a source of valuable fur. It is an object of commercial hunting. The skin of a squirrel costs between 50 and 100 rubles.

Unlike hares or deer, squirrels are not able to absorb fiber and therefore mainly feed on vegetation rich in proteins, carbohydrates and fats. The hardest time for squirrels is early spring when the buried seeds begin to germinate and can no longer serve as food, and the new ones have not yet ripened. Despite popular belief, squirrels are omnivorous: in addition to nuts, seeds, fruits, mushrooms, and green vegetation, they also eat insects, eggs, and even small birds, mammals, and frogs. Very often this food replaces nuts for squirrels in tropical countries.

Squirrels often sharpen their teeth on tree branches, but are unable to distinguish branches from electrical wires. In the US, squirrels have driven the stock index down twice in history. high technology NASDAQ and caused a cascading blackout at the University of Alabama.

Squirrel meat can be eaten if you get protein in loops while surviving in the taiga. In the old days, the natives of the Northern Urals, the Mansi people, shot squirrels directly in the eye with a small-caliber rifle - in order not to spoil the skin.

Chipmunk

Another rodent resembling a squirrel, and not in vain reminiscent, because chipmunks and squirrels are from the same family. Depending on the species, the weight of chipmunks can be from 30 to 120 g, and the size is from 5 to 15 cm with a tail length of 7 to 12 cm. hallmark all species are five dark stripes along the back, separated by white or gray stripes. A chipmunk, like a squirrel, is a tree dweller. On the open places and in a pure high-stemmed forest without an undergrowth of young growth and shrubs, he never lives. Chipmunk especially loves places littered with windbreak and deadwood, where it is convenient to hide.

Gnawing a nut		Chipmunk

For the winter, chipmunks do not fall asleep as soundly as, for example, ground squirrels or marmots. They wake up in the middle of winter, refresh themselves a bit, and then go back to sleep. Chipmunks are very fond of warm and clear weather, and in early spring, when it is still quite cool, they are not at all what we are used to seeing them on good days. summer days. Usually cheerful, frisky and mobile, the animals in the first days of spring spend only two or three hours a day in the air and do not stray far from their minks, but, climbing tree branches, eat buds somewhere nearby. Sluggish and inactive, at this time they like to climb to the tops of still bare trees and quietly sit there for hours, basking in the rays of the spring sun.

When a person approaches, a chipmunk emits a jerky "poking" or whistle. While the person is still far away, this whistle is heard relatively rarely and alternates with a long silence, and the animal sits on its hind legs and carefully examines the approaching one. Only after letting a person or his dog approach him by 20-30 steps, the chipmunk rushes to run. On the run, he already often repeats the alarm signal so that from a distance you can tell by the whistle whether the chipmunk is sitting still or running. The chipmunk has many enemies, mainly among small predatory animals and birds of prey. But sometimes it is pursued by such large predators as a bear.

Hedgehog

Also a very funny representative of the animal world of the forest. The common hedgehog inhabits a wide variety of places, avoiding vast swamps and solid coniferous tracts. Prefers edges, copses, small glades, floodplains. He may well live next to a person. The common hedgehog is an animal active at night. He does not like to leave his house for a long time. Hedgehogs spend the day in the nest or other shelters. Nests are built in bushes, pits, caves, abandoned rodent burrows, or in tree roots. With the help of long middle toes, hedgehogs tend to their spines. Animals lick their breasts with their tongues. In nature, these animals live 3 - 5 years, in captivity they can live up to 8 - 10 years.

Common hedgehogs are fairly fast animals for their size. They are able to run at speeds up to 3 m / s, they are good at swimming and jumping.

Hedgehogs are omnivorous, the basis of their diet is adult insects, caterpillars, slugs, sometimes earthworms. AT vivo rarely attacks vertebrates, most often numb reptiles and amphibians become victims of the hedgehog. Plants can eat berries and fruits.

A hedgehog can be a carrier of diseases such as ringworm, yellow fever, salmonellosis, leptospirosis, and rabies. They are infested with ticks and fleas. In forest lands, hedgehogs collect ticks, including encephalitic ones, more than any other animals, since their prickly cover, like a brush, combs hungry ticks from the grass. From ticks that have climbed between the needles, the hedgehog is not able to get rid of.

Hedgehogs are unusually weakly affected by many strong poisons: arsenic, sublimate, opium and even hydrocyanic acid. They are fairly resistant to viper venom. The widespread belief that hedgehogs prick food on their needles is erroneous.

Harvest mouse

More often, mice dig deep holes in which they build nests from grass. Depending on the species, mice can be active during the day or at night. They feed on roots, seeds, berries, nuts, and insects. They can be carriers of tick-borne encephalitis, tularemia, rickettsiosis, Q fever and other diseases. The meat is edible.

Whoever has not been at least once on the Black Sea coast, has not dived into a gentle transparent wave, has not basked on pebble beaches under the rays of the summer or autumn sun, he must have lost a lot! And in warm as water, of course, we have repeatedly met the inhabitants of the Black Sea: dangerous and not very dangerous. About who lives in one of the most unique seas of the planet, read our article.

The uniqueness of the environment

Both in composition and in the nature of the settlement by living beings and vegetation, it is unique and very peculiar. It is divided in depth into two different zones. Up to a depth of 150, sometimes 200 meters, there is an oxygen zone where the inhabitants of the Black Sea live. Everything below 200 meters is a hydrogen sulfide zone, devoid of life and occupying more than 85% of the water mass by volume. So living is possible only where there is oxygen (less than 15% of the territory).

Who lives here?

The inhabitants of the Black Sea are algae and animals. The first - several hundred species, the second - more than two and a half thousand. Of these, 500 are unicellular, 1900 are invertebrates, 185 are fish, and 4 species are mammals.

Phytoplankton

Its inhabitants are all kinds of algae: ceracium, peridinium, exuviella and some others. At the very beginning of spring, the peak of algae reproduction is observed. Sometimes even the water seems to change its color, going from turquoise to blue to brown. This is due to the increased division of plankton (water bloom). Rhizosolenia, chaetoceroses, and scletonema intensively multiply. Whereas the mass reproduction of phytoplankton is timed to the beginning - the middle of summer. Among the bottom algae, phyllophora can be noted, which makes up more than 90% of the total mass. Phyllophora is common in the northwest. Cystoseira, another alga, is more common along the southern coast of the Crimean part. Many fry live there, feeding and living among algae (more than 30 species of fish).

benthic animals

Among the animals living on the ground or in the ground of the seabed (benthos) are various invertebrates: crustaceans and crayfish, worms, rhizomes, sea anemones and mollusks. The benthos also includes gastropods, for example, the well-known rapana, and other inhabitants of the Black Sea. The list goes on: mussel, molluscs - lamellar gills. Fish: flounder, stingray, sea dragon, ruff and others. They form a single ecosystem. And a single food chain.

Jellyfish

The permanent inhabitants of the Black Sea are jellyfish, large and small. Cornerot - a large jellyfish, very common. The size of its dome sometimes reaches half a meter. Cornerot is poisonous, it can cause injuries similar to nettle burns. They cause slight redness, burning, sometimes blisters. So that this large jellyfish with a slightly purple dome does not sting, you need to take it away with your hand, holding the top and not touching the tentacles.

Aurelia is the smallest jellyfish in the Black Sea. She is not as poisonous as her brother, but still meeting with her must also be avoided.

shellfish

Marine inhabitants of the Black Sea - mussels, oysters, scallops, rapana. All these shellfish are edible and are raw materials for gourmet dishes. For example, oysters and mussels are specially bred. Oysters are very tenacious and can go without water for about two weeks. They can live up to 30 years. Their meat is considered a delicacy.

Mussels are less refined. Sometimes a pearl is found in a large shell, usually pinkish in color. Mussels are marine water filters. At the same time, they accumulate everything that was filtered out. Therefore, they can only be enjoyed with careful processing, and it is better to avoid eating mussels that have grown in the port or in other places with heavily polluted water.

Marine inhabitants of the Black Sea - scallops. This peculiar mollusk can move in water using jet force. It quickly slams the shell flaps and is carried by a jet of water over a distance of more than a meter. Scallops also have a hundred useless eyes. But with all this, this mollusk is blind! These are the mysterious inhabitants of the sea.

Rapana is also found in the Black Sea. This mollusk is a predator, and its prey is the same mussels and oysters. But it has very tasty meat, reminiscent of sturgeon, from which an excellent soup is obtained.

Crabs

In total there are eighteen species in the water area. All of them do not reach large sizes. The largest is red. But it is not more than 20 centimeters in diameter.

Fish

About 180 species of all kinds of fish live in the Black Sea, including: sturgeon, beluga, anchovy, herring, sprat, horse mackerel, tuna, flounder, goby. Rarely swim swordfish. There is a seahorse, needle fish, gurnard, monkfish.

Of the commercial fish - mullet, of which there are as many as three species, pelengas, imported from Sea of ​​Japan and become an object of fishing. Due to severe water pollution, the number of mullet in recent times decreased.

Among the original specimens is the stargazer fish or She burrows deep into the silt, so that one antennae is exposed on the surface, which resembles appearance worm. With its antennae, the fish lures small fish and feeds on them.

The sea needle and seahorse spawn not into the water, but into the skin folds on the backs of the males, where it remains until the hatching of the fry. Interestingly, the eyes of these fish can look in different directions and rotate autonomously relative to each other.

Horse mackerel is distributed throughout the coastal waters of the sea. Its length is 10-15 centimeters. Weight - up to 75 grams. Lives sometimes up to three years. It feeds on small fish and zooplankton.

Bonito is a relative of mackerel. Reaches a length of up to 75 centimeters, lives up to 10 years. This is a predatory fish that feeds and spawns in the Black Sea and leaves for the winter through the Bosphorus.

Gobies are represented by 10 species. The largest is the martovik, or toad. The most numerous is round timber.

Greenfinches in the sea - 8 species. They feed on worms and molluscs. During the spawning period, nests are built between stones.

Flounder-Kalkan is also found everywhere in the Black Sea. She eats fish and crabs. Reaches a weight of 12 kilograms. Other types of flounders are also represented.

The stingray is a relative of the shark. He eats crabs, shellfish, shrimp. It has a barbed needle on its tail, equipped with a poisonous gland. Her injection for a person is very painful, sometimes even fatal.

Speaker, or often caught in spring and summer when visiting these waters for spawning. It feeds on zooplankton. The weight of a perch barely reaches 100 grams. It is considered one of the main types of prey for an amateur fisherman.

Sargan is a fish more than half a meter long, arrow-shaped, with an elongated beak. Spawns in May - August. Migrates and winters in the Sea of ​​Marmara.

Lufar refers to predatory and gregarious fish. It weighs up to 10 kilograms, reaches a meter in length. The body of the fish is oblong laterally. Mouth big size, with large jaws. It feeds only on fish. Previously considered commercial.

sharks

Katran (or sea dog) rarely grows up to two meters. A (scillium) - more than a meter. These two species of sharks found in the Black Sea do not pose any danger to humans. But for many species of fish, they are fierce predators. (as well as their liver and fins) are used to prepare various dishes of the Black Sea cuisine. From the liver of the katran, a medicine is made that blocks the reproduction of cancer cells.

The katran has a streamlined body, a crescent-shaped mouth and sharp teeth arranged in several rows. Its body is strewn with small but sharp spines (hence the nickname - the prickly shark). Katran is a viviparous fish. The female produces up to 15 small fry at a time. Keeps and feeds katran flocks. In spring and autumn - close to the coast, in winter - at depths.

Inhabitants of the Black Sea - dolphins (toothed whales)

In total, there are three types of them in these waters. The largest are bottlenose dolphins. A little less - white-flanked. The smallest - porpoises, or Azov.

The bottlenose dolphin is the most common inhabitant of dolphinariums. For science, this species is of great importance. It is the bottlenose dolphin that scientists around the world study for the presence of intelligence. They are born circus performers. Bottlenose dolphins perform various tricks with pleasure. It seems that they really have a mind. This is not even training, but some kind of cooperation and mutual understanding between a dolphin and a person. Bottlenose dolphins understand only affection and encouragement. Punishment is not perceived at all, then any trainer ceases to exist for them.

The bottlenose dolphin lives up to 30 years. Its weight sometimes reaches 300 kilograms. Body length - up to two and a half meters. These dolphins are well adapted to aquatic environment. The front fins act as a rudder and brakes at the same time. The tail fin is powerful, allowing it to develop a decent speed (over 60 km / h).

Bottlenose dolphins have keen eyesight and hearing. They feed on fish and shellfish (eat up to 25 kilograms per day). They can hold their breath for over 10 minutes. They dive to a depth of 200 meters. Body temperature - 36.6 degrees, like a person. Dolphins breathe, periodically rising outside, with air. They suffer from the same diseases that humans do. Bottlenose dolphins sleep half a meter from the surface, under water, periodically opening their eyes.

The way of life of dolphins is gregarious and family (up to ten generations together). The head of the family is a female. Males are kept by a separate clan, showing interest in females mainly only during mating.

Bottlenose dolphins have great strength. But, as a rule, it is not applied to a person. With people, dolphins maintain the most friendly relations, as if with brothers in mind. In the entire long history of the relationship between man and dolphin, not a single attempt to offend the “big brother” has been noticed. But people often infringe on the rights of dolphins, experimenting on them, imprisoning them in dolphinariums.

Much has been written about the language of dolphins. We will not argue, as some scientists do, that it is richer than human speech. However, it contains a huge set of sounds and gestures, which still allows us to talk about some kind of mind of dolphins. And the amount of information that they can transmit, and a large (larger than that of a person) brain is a strong proof of this.

It remains to add that seals are found among mammals in the Black Sea, but they have been observed very little recently due to harmful human activities.

On the land

Not only marine inhabitants and the human tribe feed on seafood. Some land-dwelling birds forage in the water. those who forage for food in the sea are gulls and cormorants. They feed on fish. Cormorant, for example, can swim and dive perfectly, eating a large number of fish, even when full. The peculiarities of its pharynx allow it to swallow rather large prey. Thus, birds are the main inhabitants of the land, obtaining food in the sea. Black Sea coast Caucasus and Crimea.

Black Sea: dangerous inhabitants

Not all vacationers and tourists who come to the Black Sea coast know that those who swim in the water can also be in danger. They are associated not only with storm warnings and pitfalls, but also with some representatives of the marine fauna.

The scorpionfish, or sea urchin, is one of those unpleasant surprises. Her whole head is dotted with thorns, and on her back is a prickly dangerous fin. It is not recommended to pick up a scorpionfish, as its thorns are poisonous and bring rather unpleasant, albeit short-term painful sensations.

Stingray ( catfish) also poses a danger, sometimes even fatal to humans. On the tail of the animal is a bone spike smeared with poisonous mucus. This barbed thorn sometimes inflicts lacerations that take a long time to heal. Also, from a stingray injection, vomiting, muscle paralysis can begin, and the heartbeat becomes more frequent. Sometimes death comes, so be careful.

Another seemingly inconspicuous fish - sea ​​dragon- most dangerous to humans. At first glance, it can be mistaken for an ordinary bull. But on the back of this fish is a spiny fin, very poisonous. A prick is the same as a bite poisonous snake. In some cases, death is possible.

Jellyfish Cornerot and Aurelia inhabiting the Black Sea are dangerous inhabitants for humans. Their tentacles are equipped with stinging cells. A burn is possible (as from nettles and stronger), leaving traces for several hours. So it's better not to touch the jellyfish - even the dead, thrown out by the waves on the pebbles.

Neither sharks nor other species of animals and fish pose a danger to people in the waters of the Black Sea. So swim boldly, coming to the famous Black Sea resorts of the Crimea and the Caucasus, observing, of course, reasonable caution!

Many birds, mammals, reptiles, insects, etc. live on the surface of the earth. However, there are also animals that live underground. This article will talk about creatures that live almost their entire lives underground. Underground animals - who lives underground photo TOP-10 - look!

Underground animals - who lives underground photo TOP-10

Naked digger

Underground animals - who lives underground photo - naked mole rat

This small rodent belongs to the digger family. His distinctive features- cold-bloodedness, lack of sensitivity to pain and various acids. Of all the rodents, it is the naked mole rat that lives the longest - 28 years. Perhaps outwardly this baby can scare someone, but in fact this animal is not aggressive and kind.

giant mole rat

Underground animals - who lives underground photo - giant mole rat

Of all the representatives of the mole rats, the giant mole rat is the largest. In length, this giant reaches 35 centimeters, and weighs about one kilogram. The upper body is painted in a light gray or ocher-brown shade. This underground creature lives only underground, never getting out of its structures. Mole rats like to build multi-tiered entry and exit systems. Most often, they dig their feeding passages at a depth of 30-50 centimeters, usually in layers of sand. The entire length of these feed reaches 500 meters, but there are passages and less. Pantry and nesting chambers of mole rats are located at a depth of up to 3 meters. These creatures have huge teeth that can easily bite through the bayonet of a shovel, so it's best not to pick them up.

Underground animals - who lives underground photo - mole

Even small children know that the mole is an underground animal. Moles belong to mammals, to the order of insectivores. The place of residence of moles is Eurasia and North America. Moles come in both very small sizes and large ones. For example, some of them barely reach 5 centimeters, while others grow up to 20 centimeters. The weight of moles ranges from 9 grams to 170 grams. Moles are perfectly adapted to life underground. The body of these creatures is elongated, round, on which there is even and velvet fur. The main feature of the mole, which helps him move in any direction under the ground, is his fur coat, the villi of which grow upwards.

tuco tuco

Underground animals - who lives underground photo - tuko-tuko

Tiny rodents whose weight does not exceed 700 grams. In length, babies reach 20-25 centimeters, and the length of their tail can reach 8 centimeters. Morphological features of these animals fully indicate that they are adapted to life underground. Tuko-tuko leads an exclusively underground lifestyle, they build many intricate passages in which their pantries, latrines and nesting chambers are stored. Animals use sandy or loose soils to build their home.

Underground animals - who lives underground photo - gopher

The next creature reaches 10-35 centimeters in length, and its tail is 5-15 centimeters. The weight of the gophers barely reaches one kilogram. Animals spend most of their lives in their intricate passages, which they lay on various soil horizons. The tunnels can be up to 100 meters long.

spotted snake

Underground animals - who lives underground photo - spotted snake

This species belongs to the genus Cylindrical. The snake is quite small in size, but very dense. The color of the snake is black with brown spots arranged in two rows. Lives only underground, and feeds on earthworms.

Underground animals - who lives underground photo - simple crucian

This fish almost always lives in a bottom mule, but when the pond dries up, it burrows underground. Carp can dig from 1 to 10 meters, and they can live underground for several years.

Medvedka

Underground animals - who lives underground photo - bear

This insect is one of the largest. In length, the bear can grow up to 5 centimeters. The belly of this creature is three times larger than the cephalothorax, soft to the touch, the diameter reaches 1 centimeter. At the end of the belly there are filiform paired appendages, the length of which is 1 centimeter. Like other creatures on this list, the mole cricket leads an underground lifestyle, however, there are times when an insect gets out to the surface, usually at night.

Chafer

Underground animals - who lives underground photo - cockchafer

Adult individuals of the eastern type reach 28 millimeters in length, and 32 millimeters in the western type. Their body is painted black, and their wings are dark brown. May beetles live underground, but in May they get to the surface and live there for about two months. Two weeks later, the mating process takes place, as a result of which the female lays eggs underground at a depth of 20 centimeters. The process of laying eggs can be carried out in several stages at once, as a result of which the female lays about 70 eggs. As soon as the clutch comes to an end, the female immediately dies.

Earthworm

Underground animals - who lives underground photo - earthworm

In length, the worms grow up to 2 meters, and their body consists of a huge number of annular segments. Moving, the worms rely on special bristles that are located on each ring, with the exception of the front one. Approximate number of setae on each segment ranges from 8 to several tens. Earthworms can be found everywhere except Antarctica, since they do not live there. Despite the fact that they lead an underground lifestyle, worms crawl out to the surface of the earth after rain, which is why they got their name.