Animal dressing. Ferret dressing: description and lifestyle of a predatory mammal

Ferret Ligation is very similar in appearance to the common ferret, but is found in wild nature not so often.

Characteristics of the ferret breed

The Ferret of the Bandage breed is considered a predator, but this does not prevent him from maintaining a good relationship with people. That is why this particular type of animal quickly gained its popularity as pet.

Habitat

In nature, the polecat lives in the lowland part of the mountains at a level of 3-4 km from the ground.

You can find these animals near the holes or directly in their home. These small animals live on the territory of the Baltic Peninsula and partly on the lands of China. Russia is another place that these predatory animals have chosen.

Ferret Dressing leads an active nocturnal lifestyle, sleeps during the daytime.

Bandage Habitat

This animal lives in parks, vineyards, vegetable gardens. He treats people positively, because he gets used to the fact that they are always nearby. The predator is very smart, builds several houses in different places on the territory of about 500 m. He does this for his own convenience and safety. A large number of houses allows the animal to hunt freely and successfully hide from predators.

Description and nutrition

Outwardly, as already mentioned, the Ferret Ligation is very similar to its relative, the common ferret. On average, the length of the body of the animal is 28-35 cm. The tail reaches 13-17 cm in length. The body of a ferret has an average weight of 300-700 g. The ears of a rodent are large, rounded and have white stripes at the tips.

The muzzle of the animal is slightly flattened. On the head, as well as on the ears, there is white stripe. The ferret has a thick smooth coat. In color, the predator of the breed Dressing differs from the usual type of ferrets. The coat shimmers in brown, yellow, black, white. It doesn't look as bright in the photo as it does in real life.

Feeding ferrets of the breed

In the diet of the ferret, the Dressing prefers small prey, those animals that live in holes or on tree trunks. Prey can be a mouse, gopher, jerboa, hamster, gerbil. On the hunt chief assistant rodents - this is the scent. The animal can climb the hole up to 600 m without a single exit to the outside. Also, this type of rodent likes to dilute its daily diet with fruits, for example, melon, watermelon, pumpkin or different types wild berries.

Lifestyle

Bandaging leads active image life while hunting at night. If there is no prey, the animal behaves calmly. The ferret has long claws, with the help of which he digs holes. If the strength of the claws is not enough, the animal connects the teeth to work. Traces of dressing can be recognized by the following criteria:

• If you come across a Bandage footprint in the sand, it should look like a common ferret's footprint.
• On hard ground, ferret dressing does not leave claw marks.
• The rodent of this breed is so nimble and agile that you can often find a track on which there will be prints of all four paws at once.

Bandaging leads an active lifestyle

Thanks to its developed hunting skills, the animal can get at least 4 carcasses within an hour. On rare occasions, the Bandage goes hunting with a fox. The redhead frightens small rodents, they hide in burrows from fright, and the ferret has a great opportunity to catch its prey.

When a ferret, Bandaging, smells a foreign smell, hearing, smell and vision are strained to the maximum. To avoid meeting with a predator, the animal stands on two legs, arches its back as much as possible and stretches its neck. He does this in order to cover as much territory as possible. The look becomes vicious, the tail is pressed.

reproduction

Rodents reach puberty at the age of 7-12 months. Males are able to successfully fertilize a female for an average of 5-7 years. The female can bear and give a healthy offspring for 3-4 years of life.

1. Peace. This period lasts from the first pregnancy (or when estrus is interrupted) until the second estrus appears. During this period of time, no changes occur in the body of the female.
2. Before the start of sexual hunting. This period falls on winter time, around February, and lasts about 10-15 days. During this cycle, both the female and the male enter puberty.
3. Sexual hunting. This period of sexual activity falls on the spring period, when the day begins to prevail over the night. This time falls mainly in mid-March. Females that have reached puberty for the first time go hunting a little later than the rest, around the end of April. By and large, the output of the female hunting depends on many factors. If the female is ill, exhausted, or the living conditions before the hunt were unfavorable, she will go hunting much later than the rest of the females.
4. After the hunt. During this period, the female bears the fetus. After giving birth, the body of the female returns to its previous state. If mating did not occur or there was an abortion, at this stage the girls, after a short period of time, are in heat again.

In places where dressings are bred, there are about 5 females per male. It is recommended to mate animals in the daytime, preferably in the morning. Sexual intercourse lasts a minimum of 15 minutes and a maximum of 2 hours. After the morning mating for the evening, the male can again be brought together with the female.

When mating, the ferret of this breed behaves calmly. No need to worry about the fact that during mating, the female may rush to the male or vice versa. Males that are distinguished by their activity in mating receive additional food.

Conclusion

A rodent burrow can reach more than 100 m and have several exits to the outside.

Ferret-ligation belongs to the predators of the mustelid family, is listed in the Red Book, is the only species of its genus. For the beauty and originality of the coloring of the wool, they are called "marble ferrets" or peregrines.

Ferret dressing: description, characteristics

Outwardly, the bandage or bandage resembles a miniature ferret, the literal translation of the Latin name ( vormela peregusna) means "little worm". His muzzle is slightly rounded, his ears are large with a white trim. The body shape is characteristic of the mustelid family: an elongated narrow body and short legs. Its main difference is the beautiful original variegated color of coarse fur, consisting of alternating white, black and yellow spots on a brown background.

As you can see from the photo and description, the bandage ferret looks like a very cute animal. Its body is 27-38 cm long, its tail is up to 17-20 cm, the weight of an adult animal is 350-750 g. The muzzle is black, a snow-white strip similar to a bandage passes over the eyes, for which it was given such a name. Around the mouth there is a large white-beige spot, and the neck is decorated with 3 light stripes. The back is covered with a complex pattern of multi-colored spots and stripes, the fluffy tail is also beautifully colored: red-brown at the base, turning into light gray, and black-brown at the end. The breast and paws are black.

Ligation ferrets live in nature for 6-7 years, sometimes up to 9 in the zoo.

The nature of the dressing is combat, when attacked by enemies, he first escapes on a tree, and in case of an immediate threat, he arches his back, rears his hair, shows his teeth, throwing his head back. The intimidating appearance is confirmed by growls, squeals and chemical attack: the animal rushes and releases a fetid liquid from special anal glands from under the tail.

Distribution area

The polecat lives in the southeastern part of Europe, Asia, and in some regions of China. In Russia, animals are found in the south of the European part ( Krasnodar region etc.), in Altai and Ciscaucasia. They also live in Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Transcaucasia and the steppes of Central Asia.

The main zone of residence is open steppe spaces, treeless, sometimes covered with shrubs, the outskirts of forest massifs, river valleys, forest-steppe and semi-desert plains. Occasionally there are hori-dressings in the mountains up to a height of 3 km, they are found in city parks and squares, often settle near melons.

They choose their places of residence in ready-made burrows of other animals, sometimes they dig them on their own, using paws with long claws and teeth to remove stones. In the daytime, they sit in a shelter, and change it daily.

On the territory of the CIS, there are 2 types of dressings (typical and trans-Caspian), slightly different in wool coloring.

Nutrition and lifestyle

The lifestyle of the ligation ferret is characterized by evening activity, so in nature it is hardly noticeable. The predator hunts more often underground, occasionally on trees. Its main food is made up of small rodents: field mice, hamsters, jerboas, ground squirrels, gerbils. Sometimes he eats bird eggs, berries, and likes to feast on plant foods: melons, fruits of shrubs (rose hips, black teren, grapes, hawthorn).

Preyed on by reloaders own territory with an area of ​​10-30 hectares, in search of prey per day, the animal can pass through underground passages up to 600 m, focusing on your sense of smell. There are known cases of joint hunting of dressing for gerbils with foxes. Moreover, during ground hunting, animals can jump up to 60 cm in length.

When meeting with each other, bandages show aggression, but more often they live each in their own territory, spending the night in their next hole.

Reproduction of dressings

Scientists have little information about ferret reproduction. Active mating in pairs occurs in summer time. It is known that pregnancy in a female lasts up to 11 months, which is associated with intrauterine development of the egg, which begins to develop only a few months after fertilization.

In a litter, 3-8 blind cubs weighing 3-4 g are born, which occurs between February and March. Their first coat has a light beige color, not similar to the adult color, however, the future pattern of wool is visible on dark skin. Babies feed on mother's milk for 40-50 days and develop rapidly, and then their hunting training begins.

Puberty in young dressings occurs: in females - at 3 months, in males - in a year.

There are some cases of keeping ferrets-dressings in European and Russian zoos. The animals are successfully bred in the Leningrad and Rostov zoos.

This animal has a wild disposition, but it is well tamed. Some hobbyists keep them at home. Due to the high activity of the animals, they need a spacious cage or aviary. To get rid of the unpleasant odor, they painlessly remove the anal glands. Captive cubs can be fed with a mixture of milk and raw eggs.

Dressing in the Red Book

The number of this species of martens in recent decades is sharply reduced, the habitat area is decreasing, mainly due to the development of steppe lands with the expansion of agricultural areas. The fur does not represent its value; only poachers get it. In nature, the animal benefits by destroying small rodents that harm agriculture and spread infectious diseases.

The decrease in the number of ferret-ligation is also associated with the widespread disappearance of the main prey of this predator - ground squirrels and mole rats. Often they die, poisoned by insecticides used to poison pests, or in traps set for steppe rodents.

In the Russian and Ukrainian Red Book, the ferret-ligation is listed in order to preserve this species of animals as a rare animal with a declining range. It is also listed on the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

In Ukraine, it lives on the territory of Luhansk and Ukrainian state reserves. In 2017, a coin dedicated to this rare predator and endangered species was released.

Features and habitat of ligation

The bandage is a small predator that looks like a ferret. Translated from Latin as "little worm". This is a rather rare animal, and not as common as its closest relatives: ferrets and weasels.

At the dressing, bandage or ferret-bandage, a small elongated and narrow body, reaches a length of 38 cm. The animal weighs about 700 g. The female and male do not differ externally from each other.

This animal is distinguished by its unusual coloring. Its main color is dark chestnut, and along the entire back it fancifully alternates, forming complex patterns of white, black and yellow spots. His fur is low and coarse, so the animal is always slightly disheveled.

On a small black and white blunt muzzle are incredibly big ears covered with long light hairs. Paws at dressings short compared to the body animal and therefore it seems that the animal is pressed to the ground.

The fluffy tail ends with a small tassel and is also multi-colored. The bandage is not very talkative. Her vocalizations include high-pitched signal calls, grunts, purrs, and long squeals. When frightened, she growls angrily and displeasedly.

dressing can be called desert animals, since it occurs in this natural area, overgrown with saxaul. Occasionally climbs into the mountains to a height of up to 3 km. The habitat of this animal starts from the Balkan Peninsula to the north-west of Mongolia and China. They are not afraid of people and can choose a park, vineyard or gardens as a place to live.

The nature and lifestyle of dressing

Bandages lead an active lifestyle at night or with the onset of the first twilight. During the day, they prefer to sleep in shelters that they have made themselves or use ready-made ones.

They do not stay in it permanently, but choose something new every day. Each animal has its own territory, approximately 500 m2, through which it constantly moves in search of food.

Hori dressings they love solitude, except for the mating season, and when meeting with their brethren, they can behave quite aggressively, protecting the occupied territory.

At the moment of danger, the bandaging tries to run away to a tree or hide in a hole. If this is not possible, then the animal assumes a threatening posture. At the same time, he rises on his paws, throws his tail over his back and, baring his teeth, lets out a loud roar. If the offender does not react to this, then the dressing rushes into the fray, and splashes a fetid secret from the anal gland.

The animal hunts more often for rodents in their own holes, although it easily does it on trees. They see poorly, so the main tool for obtaining food is the sense of smell. In search of a prey, they can travel up to 600 m, moving along underground passages.

An interesting fact on the hunt dressings is that it is sometimes combined with another animals- a fox, to attack a colony of gerbils. The fox guards the rodents at the exits from the holes, and the dressing destroys them in the underground passages themselves.

You can find this animal by the traces left by it. They are paired and slightly obliquely set. Exploring the area in zigzags, the animal makes a stop and slightly raises its muzzle.

If something is not pleasant, then it rises on its hind legs, like a meerkat, in a column. This greatly increases the visibility of the dressing. If there is no danger, then the movement continues.

When there is enough food, the animal can live all its life in its small territory, if there is a shortage, it begins to migrate. Sometimes dressing kept at home as a pet, you can often see a photo playing with people animal. Caring for him is no different from a ferret. The owners of such an exotic animal note this curious and good-natured disposition.

Feeding dressing

Bandages are omnivores, but prefer meat. They hunt rodents: gerbils, voles, ground squirrels, hamsters. Often then they settle in their burrows. Less commonly, a bird or small vertebrates can become prey: a snake, a lizard.

They will not refuse to eat eggs, berries or fruits of trees. Living in gardens, they eat the pulp of melons and watermelons. At home, they are given milk, cheese, cottage cheese, bread and raw chicken meat.

Reproduction and lifespan

Life expectancy in nature is 6-7 years, in captivity they live to almost 9. The mating season (rut) lasts from June to August. The male, at the sight of the female, calls her with a pigeon coo. The process itself does not take much time, and after the female leaves.

To date, no descriptions, how dressing chooses a partner from all animals of its kind. Most likely, it depends on the proximity of one or the other applicant.

Pregnancy lasts up to 11 months, this is because the development of the fetus does not begin immediately, but after the "rest" of the egg. Little ligation puppies are born up to 8 pieces. They are blind with pressed ears facing forward.

But after a couple of hours they are already starting to stick out perpendicularly. The babies are almost naked, only covered with sparse whitish hairs. On the dark skin of a puppy dressings visible picture, which looks how adult color animal.

Well-formed claws are already visible on the paws. The eyes are cut in the puppies of the dressing on the 40th day, and breast-feeding stops after 1.5 months. After another two weeks, they go on an independent life. In captivity, the males take part in raising the young.

Young animals grow very quickly, and already at 3 months the female reaches the age of puberty. Males lag behind and can become fathers only after a year. In the 20th century, the number of this animal fell sharply.

This is not due to the value of his fur, but to the plowing of the fields where the bandaging habitat was. The use of chemicals to exterminate rodents deprived them of food, and population growth directly depends on the food supply.

Hunting for ligation is prohibited and its life is being studied to breed a shrinking species in special receivers. Now this is quite problematic, because in captivity, bandages breed with great reluctance.

Dressing for an interesting color, many people call the "marble ferret". Outwardly, the animal looks like a ferret, but it has a large number of differences. The length of the body is only 26-30 cm, while the tail is slightly shorter, up to 22 cm. The coloration is very unusual. The main color is black. On the back is a motley coloring in yellow and white tones. Mouth, chin, a closed strip passing above the eyes and joining at the neck, and the tips of the ears have white color. The tail is brown with a black tip. Ears are large, fluffy and round shape. The fur of the dressing is short, but soft. Paws and chest are always black. Can stand on its hind legs and straighten up. The weight of males is up to 600 g, and the weight of females is up to 700 g.

The voice of the dressing

Ligation Habitat

The usual habitat for dressing is deserts, steppes, light forests. In addition, the animal climbs mountains up to 3 thousand meters above sea level. Ligation is common for the most part in Eastern Europe and throughout Asia.

If we describe the habitat of ferrets, it turns out that they live from the Balkan Peninsula, touching the south of Russia, to the northwestern regions of Mongolia and China. The animal rarely immigrates, only if the food in the territory is over.

The dressing lives either in other people's holes, or digs itself. The animal does not try to avoid people and settlements, so you can easily meet it in gardens, vineyards and parks. Dressings are often kept at home, because their content is not much different from hamsters or ferrets.

What does the dressing eat

There are several areas where dressings hunt. Standing on their hind legs and looking for prey, they catch small rodents and birds on the ground. In addition, they are excellent at climbing tall trees and hunts for bird eggs, and sometimes even eating insects.

It is also known that dressings eat not only meat, although they love it the most, but also berries, the pulp of watermelons or melons, some plants are also used. But still, the most common method of obtaining food from them is hunting in underground passages and burrows for ground squirrels and gerbils.

An interesting fact is that often bandages hunt together with other animals, such as a fox, taking their prey by surprise. The fox guards the exit from the hole, and the bandage attacks in the underground passages. It turns out, to whom the prey runs out, he will get it. During the hunt, the disappearing subspecies uses voice warnings, and in case of danger it is able to emit a fetid odor and rush at an opponent.

Bandaging Enemies

Man is the main enemy of dressing. The animal is uninteresting to the industry, in terms of fur. The main reason for the extinction of the subspecies is agricultural activity. After the fields are plowed up, the fields are sprayed, the total destruction of rodents, which are the main food of dressing, is carried out.

Bandaging strength

Accurate data on the number of animals does not exist. There are records that in the 80s in Dagestan the population ranged from 60 to 80 units of individuals. And now in the Republic of Tyva there are about 120 individuals in areas that correspond to the places where the bandages live.

Ligation reproduction

The mating season for dressings lasts all summer. Pregnancy lasts a long time, as much as 11 months. This duration is due to the fact that the egg first rests, and then the development of the fetus begins. Up to 8 small puppies are born with flattened ears, eyes closed and with minimal fur. The male participates in the upbringing of the young only in captivity. Puppies' eyes open after 40 days. After 1.5 months, puppies wean from mother's milk and begin to hunt on their own.

Females reach sexual maturity as early as 3 months, while males only after a year. In freedom, the animal lives for about 6 years, but in captivity they live up to 9.

Dressing security

The bandage is listed in the International Red Book as an animal whose range is rapidly declining. On the this moment hunting the animal is strictly prohibited. A study of the life of the ligation is underway to assess protected reserves and nature reserves for the suitability of the animal for life.

In Dagestan, there is the only reserve in which bandages live. In addition, there is a possibility that the subspecies may be in the reserves of the Saratov region.

Lifestyle. As places for living, dressings mainly use the burrows of their prey, followed by deepening, but sometimes they themselves tear out a house for themselves. At the same time, neither stones nor plant roots are an obstacle for agile animals. They are active at night, and spend the daytime in their shelters, which change every day. outside mating season they prefer loneliness, and they try not to enter into conflicts with their brothers.

When danger arises, these animals easily climb a tree in a matter of minutes, and if there is nowhere to go, they can scare the enemy themselves. In this case, their hair stands on end, their back arches, the animals begin to bare their teeth, tilt their heads back and throw their tousled tail over their backs, taking on a frightening appearance, accompanied by a growl. If such a position does not frighten the enemy, then the dressings with a loud screech rush at the offender and release a nasty pungent odor from the glands under the tail.

Bandaging is an animal that hunts equally well, both on the surface of the earth and in trees. However, the main method of obtaining food is to hunt small rodents in their own burrows. Using the nose as the main guide, in one day the animal can walk about 600m, moving through underground passages in search of mice, voles, gerbils, ground squirrels and hamsters. On the ground, the predator overtakes the prey with jumps up to 60 cm long. If there is enough food in the surrounding area, then the bandages adhere to a sedentary lifestyle.

There is evidence that a colony of ligature gerbils is attacked along with foxes. Those gerbils that jump out of the hole in horror fall into the mouth of the fox, and those that manage to hide in the depths of the hole fall into the paws of the dressings.

Food. Gophers and gerbils are considered the favorite food of these predators. Less commonly, animals eat hamsters, jerboas, voles, birds, snakes, frogs and lizards as food. If possible, they do not refuse to eat eggs, berries, fruits of trees and, especially, the pulp of melons and watermelons. At home, in addition to natural food, dressings are fed with milk, cheese, cottage cheese, bread and meat.

Reproduction. Pregnancy in females lasts 11 months, but the expectant mother wears the fetus much less than this time. This feature in dressings is caused by an egg, the development of which begins much later from the moment of its fertilization.

There are usually 4 to 5 cubs in a litter. After birth, they continue to remain blind and helpless for some time. Babies develop rapidly, and after 4 weeks they already refuse mother's milk and begin to learn the art of hunting. Puberty for females comes after 3 months from the moment of birth, and for males only at the age of a year.

The ligature marten is considered a species with a sharply declining population and narrowing habitat. The reason for this was the development of the steppes for the needs Agriculture and mining industry. Many animals die by eating rodents poisoned as part of pest control, as well as in traps intended for steppe ferrets and ground squirrels. In order to preserve the species, the ligation is included in the IUCN Red List and the Red Book of the Russian Federation with oran status - 3: a rare animal with a declining range.

Bandaging or pereguzna is a rare exotic predator, a member of the mustelid family. In appearance, it is similar to ferrets, but it is distinguished by its smaller size, blunt muzzle, larger ears, coarse fur, long tail, and also a rather changeable, unusually variegated color, which consists of whimsically alternating spots of white, yellow and black.

The appearance of the ligation is similar to the forest and steppe polecats, but this species is smaller in size, with a body length of 29-38 cm and a tail length in the range of 15-22 cm. The mass of an adult ligation is in the range of 370-730 g. of this type are the same. The body is elongated, narrow, the legs are short, which is typical for many members of the mustelid family. Body color is dark brown above, with yellow spots and stripes. The underside of the body is painted black. The color of the muzzle of the dressing is special: black and white, in which White color characteristic of the areas around the mouth and a wide stripe running from the ears to the eyes, and all other parts are black. The ears are very large. The tail is fluffy, it is decorated with a black tassel.

Dressings hunt on the ground, standing on their hind legs, for better view terrain, as well as climbing trees. But more than other types of hunting, they prefer to explore underground passages, where they find a variety of rodents. Their diet consists of gerbils, voles, ground squirrels, hamsters, as well as birds, various small vertebrates and insects.

The range of dressings includes Eastern Europe and Asia, it begins on the Balkan Peninsula and in Asia Minor (except for the Arabian Peninsula) and passes through southern regions Russia and Central Asia to the northwestern regions of China and Mongolia. Ligations live in dry areas, without trees, in steppes, semi-deserts and deserts. They can also be found on grassy plateaus in foothill areas. Sometimes they are found in the mountains, at altitudes up to 3000 m above sea level. In addition, now these animals inhabit parks, vineyards and other places near people's homes.

For dressings, there are several subspecies depending on the regions of distribution, namely: Vormela peregusna koshewnikowi, Vormela peregusna negans, Semirechenskaya dressing (Vormela peregusna pallidior), South Russian dressing(Vormela peregusna peregusna), Syrian ligation (Vormela peregusna syriaca).

For dressings, sexual dimorphism is not characteristic, males and females do not differ from each other in any way. external characteristics, nor in size.

The lifestyle of the dressing is similar to the lifestyle of the steppe ferrets. They are most active at twilight and at night, sometimes they can go for daytime hunting. But still, usually the daytime is spent in burrows that they dig either themselves or occupy the burrows of other animal species. Stones and plant roots do not interfere with dressing, it is very agile and easily finds suitable habitats for itself.

They lead a single lifestyle all the time, except for the mating season. The ranges of individual individuals often intersect, but duels between them practically do not occur, since the ligations avoid meeting each other.

In case of danger and the appearance of an enemy, the bandages raise their hair on end, arch their backs, show their teeth, direct their fluffy tail forward, and their warning color scares off enemies. If such actions do not work, then the dressings from their anal glands can secrete a secret with extremely bad smell, or they begin to squeal loudly and rush at the beast attacking them. In addition, bandages easily climb trees, escaping from danger, and if there is nowhere to go, they themselves can scare the enemy.

They prefer to hunt in the underground passages of their own burrows, where they use their noses as their main guide. During the day, the animal usually travels about 600 m, moves along underground passages, where voles, gerbils, ground squirrels and hamsters live. On the ground for prey, the bandage is able to jump up to 60 cm. In search of food, the bandage can roam. If there is enough food in the area, then these animals lead sedentary life.

The duration of pregnancy at the ligation is about 11 months, which includes a latent period during which the fertilized egg, as it were, “sleeps”. In one litter, a female has 1-8 (average 4-5) babies. They are born small and blind, but grow quickly and breastfeeding lasts only about a month. Females become sexually mature at 3 months, and males much later, at 1 year. The long life of dressings in nature has not been precisely established, but in captivity they live up to 9 years.

In the 20th century, the ligature population began to decline rapidly. The reasons for this process were, firstly, hunting for animal fur, although it is not highly valued in comparison with the furs of other mustelid species, and secondly, the development of agricultural land in their habitats. In addition, the large-scale process of extermination of rodents, which serve as their food, causes them starvation and lack of food. Also, animals die when they eat rodents, which are poisoned during pest control, and in traps for the steppe ferret and ground squirrel. To preserve the type of bandaging, they are listed in the IUCN Red List and the Red Book of Russia as rare animals with a declining range.

• On a colony of gerbils, bandages arrange attacks along with foxes. Gerbils that jump out of their burrows in horror become the prey of foxes, and those that try to hide in holes fall into the paws of bandages.
• The Balkan ligation subspecies Vormela peregusna peregusna is the most endangered of the other subspecies.