Intestinal - Animals and plants. General characteristics of coelenterates, lifestyle, structure, role in nature Interesting facts about protozoa and coelenterates

The only intestinal animals in their group have stinging capsules, thanks to which, if necessary, as a rule, during irritation, they throw the thread out of the body, it contains poison. He must paralyze any attacked animal, but this applies mainly to small individuals.

Coelenterates have tentacles that are considered important parts of their body. The tentacles serve as arms with which the animal grabs the prey and pushes it into its mouth, where the prey is partially digested, digested into small fragments, then the food passes to the ecdothermal cells, which are already sucked in. useful material. Undigested particles are excreted again through the oral cavity.

The hollow threads of the coelenterates, with which animals defend themselves and neutralize other animals, look like tentacles. At their tips are stinging cells, outwardly they look like harpoons that dig into the body of the victim and release poison.

In some coelenterates, the venom of the stinging cells is able to act even on humans. It is believed that the poison of intestinal animals is not harmful to humans, but this is a big mistake. Some species of these animals cause serious burns in humans. There are cases when the nervous or respiratory system failed and people died a painful death.

In intestinal animals, there are two categories that lead a mobile lifestyle and not mobile. In general, people should avoid any encounters with these animals so as not to put their health at risk. For example, anemones are more like flowers, these animals have many tentacles that are looking for prey.

Wow! .. Here, yes! .. Be healthy! ..

The work presents interesting facts from life diverse groups animals. I hope that the use of this information will make the lesson more interesting when studying the course "Zoology". This information may interest students, become an incentive in the study of biology: find interesting information about animals and provide them in the form creative work in the form of messages or presentations.

The selection of material was made on the basis of information from the Internet, as well as from popular science literature. 1. Teremov A., Rokhlov V. Entertaining zoology. AstPress, 2002. 2. Records of nature. comp. Makarova N.E. Minsk. Modern writer. 2001

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MOST - THE MOST… INTERESTING ANIMALS

SIMPLE (SINGLE-CELLULAR)

The best of the best…

The biggest from ever-existing single-celled organisms - sea rhizomes of foraminifera. The calcareous shells of these protozoa, which lived more than 70 million years ago, reached a diameter of 22 cm.

The fastest of the protozoa, a representative of the flagellated monas stigmatica is considered. This unicellular organism can cover a distance 40 times the length of its body in 1 second (if a person moved at such a speed, then in a second he would overcome an average of about 66 meters with a height of 165 cm).

It is interesting…

1. In one tablespoon of sea sand, there are 100 - 200 thousand shells of dead marine unicellular rhizomes - foraminifers.
2. The empty shells of dead sea rhizomes, accumulating over millions of years, formed thick layers of calcareous (sedimentary) rocks. Ordinary school chalk is a cluster of small shells of marine unicellular animals.
3. In one cubic centimeter of the contents of the stomach of a cow, there are up to a million special unicellular ciliates that ensure the digestion of the hard cell membranes of plants. The total mass of ciliates inhabiting the stomach of one cow reaches 3 kg.
4. At rest (cysts), protozoa remain viable for more than 16 years.
5. The offspring of one ciliate - shoes for the year could be (subject to the survival of all descendants) 75 10 individuals! A hollow ball touching the Sun with one side and the Earth with the other (the distance from the Sun to the Earth is 170 million km) could contain so many ciliates.
6. In the digestive system of termite insects that feed on wood, protozoa live, which help termites digest the hard shells of plant cells.

COELENTERATES

The best of the best…

The largest intestinal is arctic jellyfish cyanide capillata, living in the northwestern part Atlantic Ocean. One of the representatives of this species, washed ashore during a storm, had a bell diameter of 2.28 m, and its tentacles were 36.5 m long.

most dangerous coralzoantaria Palythoa, stinging cells contain polytoxin - the most potent poison of all studied; 0.01 mg of this poison is capable of killing an adult mouse.

The longest tentaclesin furrowed anemone, with a diameter of 1.5 m.

The most poisonous jellyfishAustralian sea ​​wasp and the jellyfish Chiropsalmus. The poison secreted by chiropsalmus acts almost instantly; if a person is not provided with medical assistance, death occurs in 5-8 minutes.

The most dangerous coelenterates is the Australian box jellyfish sea wasp. It is considered the most poisonous animal in the world. Its poison paralyzes and stops the work of the human heart for 1 to 3 minutes.

largest coral reef(a colony of tiny coelenterates that form a protective calcareous skeleton around themselves) is the Big barrier reef on the northeast coast of Australia. Its length is 2027 km, width - 72 km, and the total area - 207 square km.

It is interesting…

1. The venom of the physalia jellyfish resembles the venom of a cobra in its action.
2. From 1/200 of a damaged hydra, a new organism can be grown.
3. The maximum swimming speed of jellyfish is 55 km / h.
4. Many jellyfish have an exorbitant appetite. So, one Black Sea aurelia with a bell diameter of 50 cm absorbs about 10 fry per hour (1 fry in 6 minutes).
5. The body of most jellyfish is formed by a gelatinous mass (mesogley), consisting of 98% water and a small amount of collagen protein, which in humans is part of the skin.
6. In ancient and medieval times, red coral, mined in the Mediterranean, was valued much higher than such gems like an emerald or a ruby.

WORMS

The best of the best…

The longest of all worms is considered a representative of marine polychaete worms nemertean living in the seas of the North-West Atlantic. The worm, thrown out as a result of a storm in 1864 off the coast of Scotland, was about 55 meters long.with a diameter of only 1 cm.

The biggest a species among earthworms, or earthworms, is an Australian earthworm, reaching at a diameter of 2.5 cm in length almost 3 m.

It is interesting…

SHELLS

The best of the best…

The least commonare considered molluscs from the group of brachiopods, or armopods. Only 280 species are known to science, and all of them are extremely rare.

The largest marine gastropodthe trumpeter, found off the coast of Australia in 1979, had a shell 77.2 cm long and 1.01 m in circumference. Its live weight reached almost 18 kg.

The most poisonous gastropodfrom the family of cones, cone-geographer. Mollusk venom can kill a person.

The largest bivalve mollusktriactic. In 1956, a specimen measuring 1.15 m and weighing 333 kg was found off the coast of Japan. In live form, he probably had a mass of just over 340 kg.

The largest eyehas a giant Atlantic octopus. The record specimen was discovered off the coast of Canada in 1878. The diameter of his eye was 50 cm.

CRUSTACEANS

The best of the best…

the largest of all crustaceans, the giant Japanese crab macroheira, which is also called the crab on stilts, is considered. Adult representatives of this species have claws with a span of 3.5 m. Such specimens weigh about 18 kg.

The lowest pressurein lobster, which reaches 8 mm Hg.

The largest crustaceantaka-ashi-gani, or giant spider crab, claw sizes reach up to 3.7 m, and weigh up to 19 kg.

The heaviest marine crustaceanNorth American lobster weighing up to 20 kg and more than 1 m long was caught in 1977 off the coast of Canada.

the heaviest the crustacean is the American, or North Atlantic, lobster. In 1977, a lobster was caught in Canada weighing 20.15 kg and measuring over 1 m in length.

The smallest crustacean - water flea. Its body length is less than 0.25 mm. It lives in the waters of the UK.

The longest-livedamong crustaceans are American lobsters, especially large specimens live up to 50 years.

It is interesting…

1. The blood (hemolymph) of crustaceans is colorless in many cases. But in some, for example, in decapods, which include crayfish, blood of blue color. This is due to the presence in it of the pigment hemocyanin containing copper. In other crustaceans, the blood, just like in humans and other mammals, is colored red by the pigment hemoglobin, which contains iron.
2. Male barnacles have spermatozoa up to 6 mm long. This exceeds the length of the animal itself by 10 times and is an absolute record in the animal kingdom.
3. The chitinous shell of crustaceans is impregnated with calcium carbonate (lime). Such a hard outer skeleton prevents the growth of the animal, so periodically the cancer sheds the old cover (molts). During molting, while the new chitinous cover has not yet hardened, the animal is actively growing. A freshly molted crayfish usually eats the discarded old tight cover in order to make up for the lack of lime and make the new cover more durable.

arachnids

The best of the best…

The biggest representative of arachnids - tropical spider - tarantula living in the north-east of South America. Caught in 1965, the male of this species had a limb span of 28 cm. The female, caught in 1985 in Suriname, weighed 122.2 g.

The fastest spiderslong-legged solar spiders, developing speeds of over 16 km / h.

The noisiest spiderthe European buzzing spider makes a buzzing sound audible to the human ear, and the purring spider makes sounds reminiscent of a cat's purr.

The largest among scorpionsis considered to be an imperial scorpion that lives in Equatorial Guinea. Adult specimens of this species, which are black in color, weigh up to 60 kg.

underground scorpionAlacran tartarus has been found in caves over 800m deep.

The smallest representative of spidersis a spider native to Western Samoa. Its body size is only 0.43mm, which is the size of a typographic dot.

The fastest among arachnids - long-legged salpugs living in Africa. Some salpugs at short distances can reach speeds of up to 16 km / h.

The largest trapping netweaver spiders build from the web: the circumference of their network is about 6 m.

The simplest webthe American spider has a bolas that uses a single thread

The strongest threadin Achaearenea tepidariorum, capable of catching a small mouse, which at the same time hovering above the ground.

The most poisonousConsidered to be Brazilian "stray" spiders, they secrete a strong nerve-paralytic venom. These large aggressive spiders often enter homes and hide in clothes and shoes. When disturbed, they bite several times in a row. The Central Asian karakurt spider, called the black death, also gained a very bad reputation, it is also very poisonous.

It is interesting…

1. The arachnoid glands of spiders open on the abdomen with arachnoid warts and secrete several varieties of cobwebs - dry, wet, sticky, corrugated, etc. Different varieties of cobwebs serve different purposes - manufacturing trapping net, house, egg cocoon.
2. The thread produced by spiders is very strong: the breaking load for the web is from 40 to 261 kg per 1 square millimeter of section. Steel wire of the same diameter is less durable than cobwebs.
3. Accurate studies of American scorpion venom have shown that 0.0003 mg of this venom per 1 g of mouse weight is a lethal dose. When stinging, the scorpion injects much more poison into the victim - more than 3 mg. This amount of poison can kill mice with a total weight of 10 kg.
4. A dog tick sucking blood weighs 223 times more than a hungry one. A bull tick in 3 weeks, while it develops from a larva into an adult arachnid, sucks out so much blood that it increases its weight by 10,000 times.
5. One scientist, observing the activity of a weaver spider, recorded the speed of the production of a cobweb thread - 180 cm per minute - and extracted about 140 m of cobwebs.
6. The proboscis of blood-sucking mites has a special apparatus of hooks pointing backwards. These hooks act as a holding anchor, allowing the mite to attach firmly to the host's skin. Simultaneously with the introduction into the skin of the proboscis, the tick injects saliva containing ixodine, a substance that prevents blood clotting, into the wound. In the same way, various infections are transmitted into the circulatory system of the host organism.
7. Scientists have found that the web thread produced by spiders carries a small negative electrical discharge. Spiders need webs for more than just hunting. So, young spiders settle in nature, planning on cobweb threads and flying huge distances. At the same time, air travelers in flight never collide with each other, their webs do not touch when landing. This is due to the electrostatic repulsive forces of the same (negatively) charged webs.

INSECTS

The best of the best…

The most prolificOf the multicellular animals on the planet, insects are considered. Thus, it is estimated that under favorable conditions, the mass of the offspring of only one female of the cabbage white butterfly per year can be 822 million tons, which is 3 times the weight of the entire population of our planet.

The largest termitesMacrotermes goliaph reaches a length of 2.2 cm with a wingspan of 8.8 cm.

The largest grasshopper of the CIS countriessteppe dybka 7.5 cm long.

The most gluttonousOn the planet, insects are also considered animals. So the caterpillar of one of the butterflies of North America in the first 48 hours of life absorbs an amount of food that is 86 thousand times its own weight.

The most greedy insectthe caterpillar of the polyphemus butterfly, in the first 56 days of life, absorbs food, the volume of which exceeds the weight of the caterpillar by 86 thousand times.

the strongest among the animals are insects: tests have shown that the rhinoceros beetle can hold on its back a weight 850 times its own. The forest dung beetle is capable of moving a load 400 times its own weight.

The largest clustersin one place form insects. According to one American scientist who observed a swarm of locusts, the area occupied by it was 514,374 square kilometers. Presumably, it contained up to 12.5 trillion locusts, and its total weight was at least 25 million tons.

The most dangerous Animals on our planet are considered to be malarial mosquitoes that carry the causative agents of malaria - single-celled protozoan malarial plasmodia. From malaria, in the entire history of mankind since the Stone Age, half of the entire population of the Earth has died. Even today, more than 200 million people a year suffer from malaria.

The largest and heaviestamong insects, goliath beetles are considered to live in Equatorial Africa. The weight of adult males of the royal goliath reaches 100 g, and the length is 11 cm.

The longest insects in the world are giant stick insects from Indonesia. Females of this species reach a length of 33 cm. The longest beetle (excluding the length of the antennae) is the Hercules beetle, which lives in Central and South Africa. Its body length is 19 cm.

the biggest in the world, the diurnal butterfly is the Alexandra birdwing, found in New Guinea. The females of this species have a wingspan of more than 28 cm. nocturnal butterfly consider the rare scoop agrippina from Brazil, whose wingspan reaches more than 30 cm.

The smallest The butterfly in the world is considered to be a moth that lives on canary islands: its wingspan is about 2mm.

The highest speedflight among insects develop dragonflies. So, the Australian dragonfly can reach speeds of up to 60 km / h for a short time. Tropical cockroaches run faster than all other insects. A cockroach about 3 cm long moves at a speed of 120-130 cm / s (that is, in a second it covers a distance more than 40 times the length of its body).

The most acute sense of smellhave male imperial moth butterflies, which can smell the female at a distance of 11 km against the wind. It was found that the smell is emitted by a special substance secreted by the female in a negligible amount - 0.0001 mg.

It is interesting…

1. Dragonfly wings have special thickenings at the ends. These thickenings eliminate the harmful vibration of the wings that occurs during flight - flutter. The elimination of flutter in modern high-speed aircraft was achieved in a similar way - by thickening the leading edge of the wing.
2. Extinct ancient dragonflies that lived more than 200 million years ago were huge size: their wingspan reached 90 cm.
3. The songs of crickets, locusts and grasshoppers are a chirring that occurs due to the friction of one part of the body against another. Some species of these insects have a row of tubercles on the inner side of the thighs of the hind legs. The sound is produced when the raised leg rubs its tubercles against the forewings.
4. The compound eyes of insects consist of many separate simple eyes - ommatidia, or facets. The number of simple eyes depends on the activity of the insect and its lifestyle: for example, in a dragonfly, which is a predator, each eye contains 20-30 thousand facets, in a fly - 4000, in a butterfly - 1700, in an ant - 1200. Any moving object consistently enters the field vision of each simple eye, so the insect can accurately determine the speed of a moving object. Based on these features of ommatidia, a device was designed that could instantly measure the speed of aircraft. Traffic police officers (GAI) have the same devices - radars that measure the speed of a car.
5. These blood-sucking flies appear only with the onset of autumn. They bite painfully. Some believe that these are ordinary house flies, which become so evil by autumn. In fact, these are completely different flies and they are called zhigalki.
6. At the slightest danger, the bombardier beetle releases a caustic hot substance from the holes located on its abdomen, the temperature of which reaches + 100 degrees. At the same time, a loud bang is heard. The abdomen of the beetle is very mobile and it can "shoot bursts".

FISH

The best of the best…

the largest sea ​​fish considered to be a plankton-eating whale shark that lives in warm waters Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans. The exact dimensions of one of the whale sharks caught were: 12.65 m in length and 7 m in girth of the thickest part of the body. The weight of this fish reached 15 tons.

The densest skinCalifornian and Mediterranean moray eels possess, which cannot be cut with a knife or pierced with a hammer, a bullet does not pierce.

the largest marine predatory fish is White shark carcharadon, often called a shark - a cannibal or white death. Adult fish of this species reach an average length of 4.5 m with a weight of 520 - 770 kg. However, there were cases when even larger specimens came across. So, off the coast of Cuba, a female white shark was caught, almost 6.5 m long and weighing 3310 kg. The liver of this shark alone weighed 456 kg.

The largest bony fishis considered an ordinary oar king, common in almost all seas and oceans. In 1963, American scientists from the Sandy Hook Marine Laboratory saw a fish that was more than 15 m long. Presumably, it could weigh about 500 kg.

The most cruel fishsharp-toothed piranhas that attack any creature that is wounded or struggling in the water.

Most Powerful Bitebelongs to the dark shark, which has developed a force of 60 kg, which is equivalent to a pressure on the tips of the teeth of 3 tons / cm2.

The heaviest among bony fishthe moon is widespread in all oceans - a fish, often swimming on its side. Near the coast of Australia, a fish 4.3 m long and weighing 2235 kg was caught.

the most prolificamong the fish, the moon is also considered a fish. For one spawning, females spawn up to 300 million eggs. However, during the next year, less than 1% of juveniles survive from this number of eggs. The rest die, eaten by a variety of aquatic predators.

The most acute sense of smellin sharks, capable of detecting the presence of one part of mammalian blood in 100 million parts of water.

The largest freshwaterEuropean catfish is considered a fish. So, in the 19th century, catfish were caught in the rivers of Russia, the length of which was 4.6 m, and the weight reached 340 kg.

The fastest among the fish, the Pacific sailboat is considered. At short distances, this fish with a xiphoid outgrowth on its head and a high dorsal fin can reach speeds of up to 109 km / h. Slightly inferior to the sailboat is bluefin tuna, capable of reaching speeds of up to 104 km / h.

longest livedThe fish is the Japanese koi fish, a type of mirror carp. It is known that the age of a fish can be determined by the number of age rings on the scales (just like the age of a tree - by the number of growth rings). So, in a koi that lived in one of the ponds in Japan, the number of age rings on the scales corresponded to 228 years.

most poisonous fish in the worldIt is considered a wart that lives in the tropical waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. She has the largest poisonous glands among fishes, opening with ducts on the needles of her fins. The poison contains the substance tetrodotoxin, which has a nerve-paralytic effect. Touching the fins of this fish is fatal to humans. Death occurs within a few minutes from respiratory and cardiac arrest. Interestingly, a fish closely related to the wart - fugu - is eaten in Japan. True, every cook who wants to cook dishes from this fish is required to receive a diploma. special school and pass an exam in which he must eat the fish he has cooked.

It is interesting…

1. It is known that buoyancy, that is, the ability to stay in the water column without effort, is the most important feature most fish. But it is achieved in different ways: bony fish have a swim bladder, cartilaginous (sharks and rays) accumulate fat reserves in the liver and other organs and tissues of the body, which lowers the density of the body of the fish in relation to the density of water.
2. The Nile pike is capable of creating electrical discharges with a frequency of up to 300 pulses / s.
3. There are more than 40 species of flying fish. Among them, longfins and flyers are most often found - small fish with a body length of 20 to 50 cm.
4. The muscular system of electric fish - torpedo rays, electric eels, Nile pike, etc. - generates biological electricity. Each such "electric battery" consists of 400,000 - 1,000,000 "elements". Fish have electric charge enough power and strength. So the average representative of the electric eel can give an electric charge of 400 volt-amperes. There were cases when especially large specimens of eels produced a current of 650 volt-amperes.
5. In 1961, the English ship Leopold was rammed by a swordfish. The ship's steel plating was pierced and leaked heavily. The sailors had to call a rescue aircraft with an emergency team. In the past, ships in England were even insured against attack by living swords.
6. The expression "dumb as a fish" is far from the truth. Fish squeak, wheeze, clatter, chirp - a whole cacophony of sounds can be heard with the help of special devices. The most "talkative" fish is the trigla, or gurnard. With the help of the swim bladder, she makes sharp sounds similar to grunting or snoring.
7. The extinct ancestors of the white shark, or man-eating shark, who lived in the ancient seas more than 70 million years ago, reached a length of 30 m. The teeth of these fossil sharks were up to 13 cm long, and a car could easily fit in the open jaws.
8. It is estimated that one tiger shark can grow, use and shed up to 24,000 teeth in 10 years.
9. The shark can smell blood, even if 1 g of blood is dissolved in 1000 liters of water.

Amphibians, or amphibians

The best of the best…

The largest amphibian- gigantic salamander. This is a very rare animal that lives in the mountain rivers and streams of South China. It reaches a length of 1.6 m and can weigh over 30 kg. For example, a salamander caught in Huan province was 1.8 m long and weighed 65 kg.

longest frog jumpbelongs to the African moor frog. In the frog competition in 1977, she made a 10.3 m jump.

The largest toad- yeah, living in the Central and South America. It reaches a length of 25 cm and a width of 12 cm and can weigh more than 1 kg.

The smallest toadon Earth, the Brazilian two-toed toad is considered - its length is only 1 cm.

The largest of the green frogslake frog, reaching more than 15 cm, living in Germany and France. This is the same frog that the French eat.

The largest of all frog species – African goliath, which can be up to 40 cm long and can weigh up to 3 kg.

The smallest frog in the world- a dwarf frog that lives in Cuba, it barely reaches 12 mm in length.

The strongest poisonsecreted by the skin glands - batrachotoxin - the frog has a terrible leaf climber (cocoi), its length is only 2-3 cm, and it weighs no more than 1 g. It lives in the western part of Colombia. With the poison of this frog, local Indians lubricate arrowheads. An animal wounded by such an arrow becomes paralyzed and dies. Allocations skin glands frog cocoa 20 times stronger than poison others poison frogs and can freely penetrate through the pores of human skin. It is the most powerful non-protein poison known today. On average, one frog contains so much poison that it is enough to kill 1,500 people, and 30 mg of the poison of this frog is enough to kill 30,000 mice. Dried poison remainsdeadly for 15 years, it is 10 times stronger than the poison of puffer fish.

The most poisonous amphibians in our countryconsidered different kinds toads: gray, green, reed. The skin of toads contains many poisonous glands, among which two large parotid glands stand out. The poison of these glands, when squeezed, can be thrown out to a distance of up to 1 m. When it comes into contact with human skin, it causes burning and redness of the skin, but not the appearance of warts.

REPTILES, or REPTILES

The best of the best…

The largest reptilecounts combed crocodile Living in Indonesia and Australia. Adult crocodiles of this species have an average length of 4.5 m and weigh about 500 kg. Once a crocodile 8.6 m long and weighing more than 1 ton was killed.

The most ferocious dinosaurVelociraptor, sharp teeth and claws tore through any prey with ease.

The largest flying dinosaurswere quetzalcoatlia, the wingspan was 12 m.

The dumbest dinosaurstegosaurus, the brain was with Walnut and weighed 70 g, with a length of 9 m.

largest dinosaur clawswere in Therizinosaurus, the length of the outer bend of the Therizinosaurus claw reached 91 cm.

most large lizard is a kabaragoya monitor lizard living in New Guinea: its length is 4.8 m along with the tail. It competes with the Komodo monitor lizard from the Indonesian islands of Komodo. The largest specimen of this monitor lizard reached a length of 3 m and weighed 166 kg.

The longest lizardSalvadoran or Papuan monitor lizard, reaching a length of 4.75, the length of the tail is 70% of its total length.

The most dangerous lizardsgila-tooth, gila monster and escorpion living in Mexico.

The largest sea turtleconsidered a leatherback turtle that lives in the waters of the Pacific Ocean. The length of adult turtles from the head to the tip of the tail is about 2 m, the weight reaches more than 450 kg. Record weight - 865 kg, length - 2.5 m.

the largest land turtle is a gigantic, or elephant, turtle with Seychelles– its weight reaches 300 kg.

The smallest turtlethe land motley turtle has a shell only 6-9 cm long, and the sea turtle has an Atlantic ridley, 50-70 cm long.

The deepest turtle divemade in 1987 by a leatherback turtle equipped with sensors, diving to a depth of 1200 m in the waters off the Virgin Islands.

The largest of all types of snakes- anaconda, or water boa: the average length of an adult anaconda is 5.5-6 m. The record is a length of 8.5 m, weight - 230 kg, in girth the body of this snake had 110 cm.

The biggest poisonous snake – King Cobra, reaching a length of 5-6 m. Its poison can kill an elephant. Baby cobras can kill as soon as they hatch from their eggs.

The fastest snakemamba. The speed of its movement reaches more than 11 km / h

The longest snake fangshas a poisonous Gaboon viper from tropical Africa reaches a length of 5 cm.

The most venomous land snakeis a smooth-headed snake native to Australia. 110 mg of this snake's venom is enough to kill 125,000 mice.

The most dangerous species of crocodiles for humans- a large Indo-Pacific, or saltwater crocodile. Every year, crocodiles of this species kill up to a thousand people.

The longest living reptile, apparently, is a land giant Seychellois tortoise. There are cases when turtles of this species lived in captivity for more than 150 years.

It is interesting…

1. A small amount of cobra venom has an analgesic effect and can be used as a substitute for morphine for people suffering from cancer. At the same time, unlike morphine, snake venom acts for a longer time, does not cause side effects and addiction of the body. Viper venom is successfully used as a hemostatic agent and is used in the treatment of hemophilia (hereditary blood incoagulability).
2. Gecko lizards can walk freely on nearly vertical walls and ceilings, which is why they are sometimes referred to as anti-gravity lizards. It turns out that on the soles of the feet of geckos there are 18-25 rows of tiny sticks-suction cups. When the lizard puts its foot on the support, air is squeezed out of the suction cups under the weight of the animal and a vacuum is formed. There are more than 1,000 of these sticks on each gecko foot.
3. There is an interesting pattern: the hungrier a poisonous snake is, the faster its victim dies when bitten, since a hungry snake releases more poison. For poison is altered saliva, and the poisonous glands are nothing but the parotid salivary glands.
4. Recently, scientists have found out the cause of the famous "crocodile tears", which serve to remove excess salts that have entered the body along with food and water.
5. Animals have different sensitivities to snake venom. The hedgehog is the least susceptible to it - it will withstand a dose of poison 40 times greater than cavy. The same dose of poison rattlesnake can kill 10 snakes, 24 dogs, 25 bulls, 60 horses, 6,000 rabbits, 8,000 rats, 20,000 mice and 300,000 pigeons.
6. In the collared cobra, sometimes called the spitting cobra, the venom is so strong that if it enters the eyes of mammals and humans, it causes blindness for several days.
7. Snake venom is a truly strong cocktail of various proteins and enzymes. It has a destructive effect on living tissue, but does not play any role in digestion. The formula of the poison is different for different snakes, but the most common poisons, as a rule, contain: a component for paralyzing the nervous system, a component for stopping the heart, which disrupts the movement of blood, as well as other components, some of which destroy the proteins of the victim's tissues, others cause the formation of blood clots (blood clots) , clogging blood vessels and stopping the movement of blood, others cause extensive internal hemorrhages.
8. Since snakes cannot bite off pieces and chew food, they swallow it whole. In snakes, the jaws are connected by movable elastic ligaments, thanks to such a movable connection, the snake can move its jaws and open its mouth so wide that it swallows prey several times larger than itself. The teeth of the snakes are directed inward and this ensures that the prey slides in the right direction. In addition, snakes form great amount saliva to wet prey and facilitate its sliding down the esophagus.
9. When studying the development of alligators, scientists found that at a temperature of +32 degrees, mostly females hatched from eggs, and at temperatures above +33.5 degrees, more males appeared. The same pattern is observed in the development of some turtles.
10. Some species of snakes, including rattlesnakes and pit vipers, detect prey by infrared radiation from its body. Under the eyes they have sensitive cells that detect the slightest changes in temperature, up to fractions of a degree, and thus orient the snakes to the location of the victim. This highly sensitive device allows the snake to locate its prey in total darkness.
11. For snakes, the senses of taste and smell are very important. The quivering forked tongue, which some people think of as a "snake's sting," actually collects traces that quickly disappear into the air. various substances and transfers them to sensitive recesses on the inner surface of the mouth, where there is a special device associated with the olfactory nerves.

BIRDS

The best of the best…

The biggest flightless bird - common ostrich, which is found in Central Ethiopia and Niger. Some males of this species reach 2.74 cm in height and weigh 156.5 kg.

largest flying bird- African bustard. Hunters shot birds that weighed about 20 kg. The mute swan can also reach a significant weight - up to 22.5 kg.

Largest wingspanhas a wandering albatross found in the southern hemisphere. The wingspan of these birds reaches 3.6 m. Another bird with an average wingspan of 3.3 m is the African marabou. Yes, in Central Africa a male of this species with a wingspan of 4 m was shot.

The smallest bird in the worldis a bee hummingbird that lives in Cuba: adult males reach a length of 5.7 cm, with half of this length falling on the beak and tail. These little ones weigh about 1.5 g.

Highest flying speedthe peregrine falcon develops: its speed in diving for prey can be 350 km / h. In horizontal flight, ducks and geese have the highest speed: it approaches 100 km / h.

Longest and deepest divedemonstrate emperor penguins. According to scientists, they can dive to a depth of 265 m and stay under water for about 20 minutes.

The sharpest visionin birds of prey. The golden eagle sees a hare in good light at a distance of 4.2 km. A peregrine falcon spots a dove at a distance of 8 km. However, the vision of birds of prey is black and white, they do not perceive color.

The largest nestsbuild bald eagles living in the United States. One day, a nest almost 3 m wide and 6 m high was discovered. The weight of the nest, obviously, exceeded 2 tons. It is possible that several generations of birds took part in the construction of such a nest over several years. The incubation mounds erected by weed hens in Australia are up to 4.6 m high and 10.5 m wide. The weight of such a nest is more than 300 tons.

It is interesting…

1. Weed chickens living in Australia, unlike other birds, do not warm their eggs with the heat of their bodies, but hatch their chicks in "incubators" - they bury their eggs in mounds of sun-warmed soil and rotting plants. These mounds, and sometimes they can reach very impressive sizes, are raked by chickens on their own with their paws. Birds manage to maintain a temperature of + 33 degrees inside such structures, despite the vagaries of the weather. The hatched chicks dig their way to the surface.
2. Egg white albumin is used for salt poisoning heavy metals especially mercury and copper. It forms insoluble compounds with these metals, which delays their absorption into the body and, in combination with emetics, allows you to quickly rid the body of the poison.
3. The flight of birds, in comparison with other methods of movement of animals, is more economical than walking or running. Large birds for the same flight distance expend even less energy than a jet liner.

MAMMALS, or Beasts

The best of the best…

The largest and heaviest mammal in the worldis a blue whale, the recorded length of the largest blue whale is 33.6 m. Another whale, caught in Antarctica, was 27.6 m long and weighed 190 tons. The weight of the animal's tongue was 4.3 tons, and the heart was about 700 kg .

The fastest marine mammal - killer whale, capable of speeds up to 55 km / h.

The slowest of mammalsis a three-toed sloth native to South America. On the ground, it moves at a speed of 1.5 - 2.5 m / min. On trees, it is somewhat faster - in a minute it overcomes a distance of about 5 m.

Deepest Divehas been reported in sperm whales. The depth to which this species of whale can dive is over 2500 m. Once, a sperm whale was killed off the coast of Australia, which surfaced after diving for about two hours. Two small sharks living at the bottom were found in his stomach. And the depth of the ocean in this place reached 3200 m.

longest sleepmarked with ground squirrel living in Alaska. She sleeps 9 months a year. For the remaining 3 months, this rodent eats, brings offspring and stores food in its hollow.

Longest gestation periodin the Asian elephant - from 610 to 760 days (more than 2 years).

The fattest milkamong mammals, female sperm whales have: it contains up to 54% fat. For one feeding, the kitten receives 15-20 buckets of thick, like sour cream, milk. Feeding lasts 13 months from the moment of his birth.

by the most major representative detachment of predatorycounts polar bear. The average weight of males of this species is 380-410 kg with a body length of 2.5 m. Once a bear was killed in Alaska, weighing more than a ton (1000 kg), its length from the tip of the fashion to the tail was 3.4 m.

The smallest representative of the order of predators- kindness. With a body length of 13-25 cm, this animal weighs 40-70 g.

The largest member of the rodent orderthe capybara, or capybara, is considered to live in the marshy forests of South America. Animals reach a length of 1.4 m and weigh up to 110 kg. Most large rodent of our fauna - the beaver - reaches a length of 1 m and weighs over 30 kg.

The biggest hornsof the currently existing animals, the Asiatic buffalo, which lives in India, possesses. The length of the horns, measured from the tip of one horn across the forehead to the tip of the other, in one of the male buffalo was 4.3 m.

It is interesting…

1. The shape of the pupil in animals can be different. So, in a goat the pupil is square, in some antelopes it looks like a stylized image of the heart, and in domestic cats it is slit-like or fusiform.
2. The mystery of the glow of the eyes of animals in the dark is not so difficult. The fact is that the inner surface of the eyes of cats, dogs and wolves has a reflective mirror layer - the tapetum. It is not solid, but consists of small silvery crystals that collect the weak rays of stars, the moon and other distant light sources. Reflected light varies in strength and color. It all depends on the shape, size and angle of rotation of the crystals.
3. Rodent teeth are remarkably strong. Rats and mice gnaw through lead insulation and concrete, and one porcupine gnawed a hole in a glass bottle.
4. The hard-skeletal shrew lives in Africa. The axial part of her skeleton is an interlacing of bone "reinforcement", reminiscent of openwork metal structures. These animals are not in danger of being crushed, even if an elephant steps on their hole. The shrew itself, no larger than 10-12 cm in size, can withstand a load equal to the average weight of an adult.
5. Bats are ordinary vampires, or desmodes, found in South America, feed on the blood of warm-blooded animals. The vampire sits on a sleeping cow, horse, or human in such a way that the victim does not even feel it. With razor-sharp teeth, the vampire cuts off small pieces of skin until blood flows (a substance contained in the vampire's saliva prevents blood from clotting), folds the tongue into a groove and laps it at high speed. For a year, one desmod can drink up to 12 liters of blood.

The only intestinal animals in their group have stinging capsules, thanks to which, if necessary, as a rule, during irritation, they throw the thread out of the body, it contains poison. He must paralyze any attacked animal, but this applies mainly to small individuals.

Coelenterates have tentacles that are considered important parts of their body. The tentacles serve as hands, with the help of which the animal grabs the prey and pushes it into its mouth, where the prey is partially digested, digested into small fragments, then the food passes to the ecdothermal cells, which already absorb useful substances. Undigested particles are excreted again through the oral cavity.

The hollow threads of the coelenterates, with which animals defend themselves and neutralize other animals, look like tentacles. At their tips are stinging cells, outwardly they look like harpoons that dig into the body of the victim and release poison.

In some coelenterates, the venom of the stinging cells is able to act even on humans. It is believed that the poison of intestinal animals is not harmful to humans, but this is a big mistake. Some species of these animals cause serious burns in humans. There are cases when the nervous or respiratory system failed and people died a painful death.

In intestinal animals, there are two categories that lead a mobile lifestyle and not mobile. In general, people should avoid any encounters with these animals so as not to put their health at risk. For example, anemones are more like flowers, these animals have many tentacles that are looking for prey.

Wow! .. Here, yes! .. Be healthy! ..

Coelenterates are the only animals in their group that have stinging capsules, thanks to which they can, if necessary, usually during irritation, throw out a thread that contains poison from the body. The poison should paralyze any attacked animal, but usually only small individuals.

Coelenterates have tentacles, which are important parts of their body. With the help of tentacles, the animal grabs its prey and pushes it into its mouth, where partial digestion takes place, the prey is digested into small fragments, then they pass to the ectodermal cells, they already absorb useful substances. If some particles are not digested, then they go back through the oral cavity;

The hollow filaments that coelenterates use to defend themselves and neutralize other animals look like tentacles. The stinging cells are located at the tips of the tentacles appearance they are similar to harpoons that dig into the body of the victim and inject poison;

The poison of stinging cells of some intestinal animals even affects people. It is believed that the poison from various intestinal cavities is not harmful to humans, but in fact this is an erroneous opinion. Some of the animal species can cause severe burns in humans, and cases have been recorded when the respiratory and nervous systems failed, which led to painful death;

Intestinal animals are divided into two categories, one of them leads a mobile lifestyle, and the other is motionless. In general, people should be wary of all varieties of these animals so as not to put their health at risk. For example, sea anemones are more like flowers, in fact, they are animals with many tentacles that are only looking for prey;

Jet engines were created by observing jellyfish that move like them.

Type Intestinal - these are multicellular individuals, inhabitants of water expanses, mainly seas. Some species have adapted to sedentary image life (attached to the bottom or substrate), others actively move, overcoming long distances.

There are over 10,000 species of coelenterates. The variety of coelenterates is very large: there are small individuals up to a couple of millimeters, and huge representatives are jellyfish cyanoea, about two meters wide, and the tentacles reach 15 meters in length.

Why are intestinal animals given this name? Coelenterates have a two-layer body, so that a cavity is formed between the cells of the layers, which is equipped with one mouth opening. The cavity is called intestinal, and the name intestinal cavity was formed.

For coelenterates, radial symmetry is characteristic, if you draw a line from the lower edge to the upper, then the opposite parts of the body relative to the drawn axis will be identical. The wall of the polyp consists of three layers.

Epidermis

The first layer is the outer ball of epithelial cells (epidermis).

The ectoderm also includes:

• contractile cells(provide movement);
• stinging who perform protective function. In the capsule of stinging cells there is a paralyzing poison; when danger approaches, poisonous substances enter a special channel, which is located in the stinging thread and goes to the body of the victim. After splashing out the poison, the cell dies, a new one begins to form from the intermediate cells;
• intermediate cells capable of constant division and transformation into specialized ones, this is how the regeneration of the body is carried out;
• sex cells- eggs and spermatozoa are formed in ectodermal tubercles.

Endoderm

The second layer is the inner (endodermis). The cell ball lines the intestinal cavity, consists of two types of cells:

• Digestive- have flagella and pseudopods, with the help of which they capture food particles and carry out intracellular digestion;
• glandular- secrete enzymes for the breakdown of food in the gastric cavity.

Mesoglea

Mesoglea, which is located between the layers and is a jelly-like mass, with collagen fibers, does not contain cells.

Coelenterates lack mesoderm - the middle germ layer.

Coelenterates

All representatives are deprived of specialized respiratory, circulatory, excretory organs. Nervous system coelenterates represented nerve cells that are connected to the nerve plexus. Jellyfish have nerve rings near the mouth and dome.

Digestion carried out in the intestinal cavity due to glandular cells, epithelial-muscular cells are responsible for intracellular digestion. Digested residues are excreted through the mouth opening (the digestive system is closed).

reproduction coelenterates goes by budding, this is an asexual mechanism, when the body is divided in longitudinal or transverse directions. During sexual division, sperm and eggs enter the external environment where they merge. First, a zygote is formed, and then a larva emerges - a planula. After the transformation of the planula, either a polyp or a jellyfish can form from it.

Life cycle of coelenterates

Depending on the life cycle coelenterates are divided into two groups: asexual generation (polyps) and sexual generation (jellyfish).

polyps- These are single organisms or colonial ones, which unite from tens to thousands of individual individuals. Equipped with a mouth opening with tentacles, which passes into the gastric cavity. The lower part of the polyp is the sole with which it is attached to underwater objects or the bottom.

The internal cavity is divided by septa, the number of which corresponds to the number of tentacles. Cilia depart from the septa, which are in constant motion and provide a regular change of water inside the polyp.

The continuous movement of water provides increased pressure in the intestinal cavity, so the polyps straighten out and for a long time are in such a position. When he gets tired, he changes his position by bending over or moving a short distance.

The shape of the body is similar to a bell, the contractile cells of which ensure the active movement of individuals in the water. The mesoglea is 98% water, the rest is connective tissue. Jellyfish, due to their high water content, are easy to keep in the aquatic environment.

On the bottom of the bell is a mouth opening with mouth lobes. With the help of the mouth, food is captured, which enters the intestinal cavity. It consists of many tubules that have departed from the central cavity. In the mouth area there are stinging cells that serve to obtain food and protect against enemies.

Jellyfish have sensory organs, on the surface of the body there are eyes that perceive light rays. If the jellyfish is washed ashore, it will die due to the complete evaporation of water.

What stage of the life cycle of coelenterates promotes their settlement?

The dispersal of animals across the sea is at the larval and medusoid stages. During these periods of life, they are able to move or are carried by the current. A polyp, on the other hand, can only move a couple of meters over the entire period of existence, and most are completely motionless.

Types of coelenterates

The following types of coelenterates are distinguished: hydroid, scyphoid and coral polyps.

hydroid- have a relatively simple structure in comparison with other representatives of the type. They feed on plankton and small animals. In the spring-summer period, it reproduces asexually, buds develop on the body, which, when ripe, leave the mother. Autumn is coming sexual reproduction, with the formation of an egg, which in the spring will give life to new organisms.

Scyphoid- a class of free-swimming jellyfish, the polyp stage is either absent or poorly developed. Reproduction is sexual, a scyphostomy is formed, from which jellyfish bud (the young form is ether).

coral- organisms with an internal keratinized skeleton. Lead sedentary image life, reproduce by budding, while not separated from the mother's organism, or sexually.

Flatworms have a more complex structure and developed differentiation of tissues and organs. But representatives of the intestinal cavities have evolved significantly in comparison with the simplest organisms, which is manifested in the structure, way of life, procreation.

Compare the life features of coelenterates and protozoa using the table below.

The role of coelenterates in nature

Participate in the regulation of the number of small fish, crustaceans, as they are food for intestinal organisms.

They are an integral part of the marine biocenosis.

Forming coral reefs mass gathering madrepore corals. They are located near the islands, gradually growing upwards, forming islands (atolls).

They serve as raw material for the extraction of lime.

Coelenterates can live in symbiosis with other animals. Anemones, which lead a sedentary lifestyle, often attach themselves to crayfish and thus move faster. Cohabitation is also beneficial for cancer, as anemone protects it from enemies.

The anemone's tentacles provide hiding places for small shrimp.

The value of intestinal organisms in human life

Widely used in Food Industry(edible jellyfish - cornerot). The Japanese catch several thousand tons of Ropilem jellyfish every year, from which various dishes are prepared.

Jewelry is made from the skeleton of a red coral polyp.

Coral reef islands become an obstacle to transport ships.

A poison dangerous to human health, which is secreted by stinging cells of the coelenterates, causes severe burns, as well as respiratory failure and cardiac arrhythmia.