African jungle wildlife. Law of the Jungle: Amazing Wild India

This material tells about the life of animals in the tropical zone. The article is illustrated with photographs of animals rainforest.

In the African forest.

Most of the African forests are located between two tropics: the North (Tropic of Cancer) and the South (Tropic of Capricorn). In this part of the earth all the seasons are alike; during a year average temperature and the amount of rainfall is almost unchanged. Therefore, almost all animals of this zone lead sedentary life - after all, unlike the inhabitants of the temperate and cold climatic zones, they do not need to make seasonal migrations in search of suitable places to live.

Hippopotamus.

The name of this animal in Greek means "river horse". It weighs over three tons.

Water is the natural habitat of this huge mammal, in which the hippo spends most time. However, with such a thick, squat figure, it is not easy to swim, so usually hippos do not go far into the water, but stay in shallow water, where they can reach the bottom with their paws. The sense organs - movable ears, nostrils equipped with closing membranes, and eyes with protruding overeyes - are located on the upper part of the muzzle, so that the hippopotamus can almost completely submerge in water, continuing to breathe air and carefully monitor everything around. In the event of a danger threatening him or his cubs, he becomes very aggressive and, no matter where - in water or on land, he immediately attacks the enemy.

Mothers give birth to cubs either on the shore, or more often right in the water. In the latter case, newborns, barely born, emerge to the surface so as not to suffocate. Childbirth in hippos takes place during the rainy season, at this time the mother's milk is in abundance due to the abundant and varied food. To feed the cubs, the female gets out on land and stretches comfortably on her side.

hippos never live alone; they gather in groups of several dozen individuals. Often, both in water and on land, adult males play with growing cubs. Moving on land. Hippos always follow the same paths they know.

Feeling in danger, the hippo emits a threatening roar, and opens its huge mouth as wide as possible, showing the enemy unusually long lower fangs. This menacing posture usually produces the desired result.

Crocodile.

Only sometimes crocodiles can swim in sea water; usually they settle along the banks of rivers and lakes in areas with a warm and hot climate. Crocodiles are much more comfortable and calmer in the water than on land. They swim with the help of paws and tail; Under water, large individuals can spend about an hour. In the hottest hours of the day, crocodiles lie on land with their mouths wide open: due to the lack of sweat glands, they can get rid of excess heat only in the same way as dogs sticking out their tongues in the heat.

The female crocodile lays her eggs in a hole specially dug on the shore, not far from the water. The cub breaks the shell with the help of a special horn located on the head, which soon falls off.

Young crocodiles feed mainly on fish, but also on birds and insects. Only when they become adults will they be able to cope with larger mammals that need to be caught, dragged from the shore and kept under water for a while.

Crocodile teeth are not needed for chewing food, but only to grab prey and tear off pieces of meat from it.

Even such terrifying reptiles, like crocodiles, have enemies - animals that hunt for crocodile eggs. The most dangerous of them is the monitor lizard, big lizard. Having found an egg, he begins to dig the ground near him unusually quickly, distracting the female crocodile, who usually stands guard, and stealing an egg from the nest, takes it to a place inaccessible to crocodiles and eats it.

Like many other land animals living in the water for a long time, the ears, nostrils and eyes of crocodiles are located on the top of the head, so that they remain above the water when the animal swims.

Most little crocodile: Osborne's caiman, its length is 120 centimeters.

Chimpanzee.

Due to its intelligence and trainability, it is the most famous of all monkeys. Although chimpanzees are great climbers, they spend a lot of time on the ground and even travel on foot. But they still sleep in the trees, where they feel safer. This is one of the few animals that uses various tools: a chimpanzee puts a broken branch into a termite mound, and then licks insects off it. These monkeys are practically omnivores. Communities living in different regions often eat differently.

The "vocabulary" of chimpanzees consists of various sounds, but in communication they also use facial expressions; their faces can take on a variety of expressions, often very human-like.

As a rule, only one cub is born in a chimpanzee, twins are extremely rare. All childhood cubs spend literally in the arms of their mother, firmly clinging to her wool.

Chimpanzees live in fairly numerous societies, but not as closed as other apes, such as gorillas. In contrast, chimpanzees often move from one group to another.

The strongest males, defending their superiority, uproot small trees and brandish this club with a menacing look.

A tender friendship usually reigns between female chimpanzees. It is not uncommon for a mother to temporarily entrust her cub to another female; sometimes such nannies take for a walk, in addition to their own, two or three other people's cubs.

Gorilla.

Despite its intimidating appearance, this large, over two meters tall monkey is very friendly; males from the same flock usually do not compete with each other, and for the leader to obey him, it is enough to goggle his eyes and utter the appropriate cry, hitting his chest with his fingers. This behavior is just staged, it is never followed by an attack. Before a real attack, the gorilla looks into the eyes of the enemy for a long time and silently. Staring straight into the eyes is a challenge not only for gorillas, but for almost all mammals, including dogs, cats, and even humans.

Baby gorillas stay with their mother for nearly four years. When the next one is born, the mother begins to alienate the eldest from herself, but never does it rudely; she, as it were, invites him to try his hand at adulthood.

Waking up, gorillas go in search of food. The rest of the time they devote to rest and play. After the evening meal, a kind of bedding is arranged on the ground, on which they fall asleep.

Okapi.

These are relatives of the giraffe, its height is slightly less than two meters, and its mass is about 250 kilograms. Okapi are extremely timid animals and are distributed in a very narrow geographical area and therefore not well studied. It is known that they live in bushes, and their coloration, at first glance very unusual, actually makes them completely invisible from the outside. natural environment a habitat. Okapi live alone, and only mothers are not separated from their cubs for a long time.

With stripes on the back of the body and on the legs, the okapi resembles a zebra; these stripes serve as camouflage for them.

Okapis resemble some types of horses, but the differences are quite noticeable; for example, males have short horns. When playing, okapi lightly hit each other with their muzzles until the defeated one, as a sign of the end of the game, lies on the ground.

When a mother hears a special call made by a cub in case of danger, she becomes very aggressive and resolutely attacks any enemy.

Asian jungle.

Some species of animals that inhabit the Asian jungle, such as elephants, rhinos and leopards, are also found in Africa; however, over thousands of years of evolution, the inhabitants of the jungle have developed many features that distinguish them from their African "brothers".

Monsoons are the name given to the winds that periodically blow in tropical zones Asia. Usually they bring heavy rains, contributing to the rapid growth and renewal of vegetation.

The time of the monsoons is also favorable for animals: during these periods, plant foods are plentiful and varied, which provides the most Better conditions their growth and reproduction. Just like the forests of the Amazon, the Asian jungle is very dense and sometimes impassable.

Tapir.

The tapir is said to be a fossil animal; indeed, this species, which inhabits several distant regions one after another, has survived on earth since very ancient times, having survived several geological epochs.

black-backed tapir can walk on the bottom of the lake!

The female tapir is larger than the male. The most noticeable feature in the structure of the body is an elongated upper lip, which forms a small and very mobile trunk, with which tapirs can pick leaves and tufts of grass - their usual food. In Asia live black-backed tapirs. Their coloration is very expressive: black with white. It may seem that these contrasting colors should make them very noticeable, but in fact, from afar, they are very similar to an ordinary pile of stones, which are many around. In cubs, on the contrary, the skin is pockmarked, with small specks and stripes. In the second year of life, this coloration will gradually change to an even black color with a characteristic white bandage - a saddlecloth.

Most tapirs eat leaves, shoots and stems. aquatic plants. They love the water and are excellent swimmers. They always walk along the same habitual paths, which eventually turn into well-trodden paths, ending, as a rule, in a "gutter" - a convenient descent to the water.

The most terrible enemies of tapirs - different kinds felids on land and gharials in the water. Very rarely, a tapir tries to defend itself; he has practically no means for this and always prefers to run away.

The body of the tapir is squat, the paws are short, there is almost no neck. Movable trunk is a very sensitive organ of smell. - with its help, the tapir explores the surface of the earth and surrounding objects. Vision, on the other hand, is very poorly developed. Asian cats.

There are no felines living in groups in Asia, like lions or cheetahs in Africa. All types of Asian cats are loners, each animal is the owner of its own territory and does not allow strangers there. Only tigers sometimes go hunting in small groups. Representatives of the cat family live everywhere in Asia, even in areas with a climate that is not very suitable for them, such as, for example, on Far East where reigns Ussurian tiger. A feature of tigers living in the jungle is their manner of hunting. It consists in sneaking up to the victim as close as possible, remaining unnoticed, and at the last moment rushing at him with one jump from a place or a short run.

The royal, or Bengal, tiger is now quite rare. Found in India and Indochina.

Leopard or black panther.

The panther also has spots characteristic of a leopard, although they are completely invisible against a black background. The black panther is a dark-colored leopard.

Smoky leopard. He jumps from branch to branch like a monkey. These cats are sometimes called tree tigers.

Spotted cat.

I also call her the fishing cat. In fact, she loves to live near the water and swims well. In addition to fish and shellfish, it catches small vertebrates on land. The habits of this animal are little studied.

Tiger.

Tigers adapt to a variety of climatic conditions; they live in flat tropical areas, but are also found in the mountains at an altitude of up to 3000 m and in very cold areas; in the latter case, a thick, more than five centimeters, layer of fat forms under the skin, which protects against heat loss.

Almost all the inhabitants of the jungle are at risk of becoming the prey of the tiger. Only large and warlike thick-skinned, and even bulls and buffaloes with strong horns, can feel safe.

Contrary to popular belief, the tiger is not a very dexterous hunter; he is so heavy. That for a successful jump, he needs to start the run from a distance of 10 - 15 meters; if the tiger comes closer to its prey, it runs the risk of missing.

A tiger brood usually consists of two, three or four cubs. For eight weeks, the mother feeds them exclusively with milk; then solid food is gradually added to their milk. Only six months later, the female begins to go hunting, leaving the cubs for more than a day.

Tigers, like all wild animals, are afraid of humans. However, it happens that an old or sick animal, for which ordinary hunting becomes too difficult, overcomes its innate fear and attacks people.

Monkey.

Among the numerous species of monkeys, there are animals that weigh no more than 70 grams, and there are those whose mass reaches 250 kilograms. At Asian monkeys the tail does not have a grasping function, i.e. the monkey cannot, having caught it on a branch, support its body so that its arms and legs remain free; this is typical only for monkeys living on the American continent.

Orangutan.

The most common monkey in Asia is the orangutan. This is a large monkey that spends most of its time among the branches and only occasionally descends to the ground.

Female orangutans, perhaps, more than all other monkeys care about the upbringing of their children. Mothers bite their nails, bathe them in rainwater, yell at them if they start acting up. The upbringing received in childhood subsequently determines the character of an adult animal.

Nosach.

This monkey owes its name to a huge ugly nose, which in males sometimes goes down to the very chin. The proboscis not only climbs trees very well, but also swims very well and can sit under water for a long time.

Thin lory.

The pointed muzzle and huge eyes that can see in the dark make this half-monkey very cute. During the day, the lory hides in the branches, and at night it gets its own food.

Indian pachyderms.

The differences between Indian thick-skinned animals and African ones are imperceptible at first glance. The behavior of both of them is also very similar: they do not stay in one place for a long time, but move over fairly long distances in search of suitable food, mostly young foliage. They love water and swim well, sometimes for a long time. They often rest near the water's edge, bathing in silty mud, which is very good for their skin.

Rhinoceros.

He is respected by all other animals who try to avoid meeting him. Only elephants do not fear them and easily put them to flight if they interfere with them. Newborn Indian rhinoceros weighs about 65 kilograms.

Unlike the African rhinoceros, it has only one horn and its body is covered with thick skin shields. Usually he moves slowly, but if necessary, speeds up to 40 kilometers per hour.

Elephant.

Although his skin looks rough, it is actually very sensitive due to a cover of short and flexible bristles that respond to even the lightest touch.

The mother never lets the baby elephant leave her. She watches the cub all the time and begins to call him as soon as she notices that he is a little behind.

Female Indian elephant carries the fetus for about 20 months!

Wildlife, jungle and animals of Thailand. Wonderful nature captivates travelers with its diversity and beauty.

These are tropical forests, mangroves, rivers, lakes, numerous waterfalls, mountains, caves, sheer cliffs and snow-white coasts.

Jungles cover most of the country's territory. Many species grow here. tropical plants, such as teak and redwood trees, ficuses, many palm trees, fruit trees and all kinds of flowers, in particular lotuses and orchids.

A variety of exotic animals also live in the jungle: elephants, rhinos, tigers, monkeys, flamingos, peacocks, crocodiles and many others.

In order to get acquainted with all this splendor wildlife Thailand, it is enough to take advantage of special excursions or trips.

Of course, those who for some reason are afraid to go to the forests can visit gardens, zoos and shows with snakes, crocodiles and other animals within the city.

But to appreciate the true natural beauty, it is worth taking a trip to the real jungle!

Thailand Jeep Safari entertainment allows brave travelers to organize an independent trip along forest roads, rivers and hills and arrange a full view of the magnificent landscapes.

The favorite excursion of most tourists is this.

Here you can carry out rafting or body rafting - rafting in life jackets, as well as bungee diving and a visit to a seven-level waterfall.

And then spend the night in a floating hotel in the wild jungle.

Here and in many other places in the country, anyone has the opportunity to swim in waterfalls, walk along forest paths and rocky caves, visit a village where elephants live peacefully, and even ride these powerful and graceful animals.

In the forests there are so-called Monkey Temples - these are abandoned or monasteries that monkeys have chosen.

Tourists and locals often go to their territory to feed the animals and communicate with them.

There is also a Tiger Temple in Thailand. Despite the name, not only tigers live here, but also other wild animals.

The Temple of the Tigers is in the jungle with quite extensive territories, which takes care of the animals and heals the victims.

Many animals themselves come here in search of peace and security and live in peace with the monks and guests of the monastery.

"Savannas" is a Portuguese word; it means "steppe with trees". Savannah is also called light forest. I kind of prefer the second option.
And when it comes to the savannah, the African savannah always appears with grass scorched from the sun and rarely standing acacias, with elephants walking and running zebras and antelopes. Something like that:

We looked at the savannas on the world map:

and focused their attention on African savannah(I'm going to talk more about the savannahs of other continents a little later). This typically African landscape occupies about 30% of the entire continent.
Senka and I have already talked about the savannah of Africa more than once, and he already knows many animals, but since we traveled here on the black continent for a long time (we walked across the Sahara, yes Ancient Egypt studied), we decided to continue our acquaintance with the types of forests of our planet according to this picture:

Topic start .
... and at the same time repeat the information already known to us + supplement knowledge with new interesting facts.
I haven’t made books according to G. Doman’s method for a long time and I’m sad for the time when my son read and absorbed them avidly interesting information while practicing reading skills; but I still continue to make some reading materials with various pictures to make it more interesting to read, like this:

I place the sections "Savannah of Africa" and "Jungles of Africa" of such a "book" here in the post, so if someone decides to repeat the lesson, you can copy it by diluting it with your photos or make books using the Doman method by selecting the basic information. Now we get mini-classes, even more repetition, so I didn’t tell much, Sena had to work more: read and answer questions.
Text from our book:
African savannahs are spaces completely covered with tall grasses and separately standing trees or their groups. In rainy seasons, the grasses grow rapidly and can reach a height of 2-3 m or more. Trees are leafing out at this time.

But as soon as the drought comes, the grasses burn out, some types of trees shed their leaves and the savanna takes on a yellow color. Yellow and black, because fires often occur here during dry periods.
The dry season here lasts about six months. During this time, only occasional showers fall.

In drought, countless herds of antelopes roam, making long journeys to those places where water can be found. And they are followed by predators - cheetahs, leopards, hyenas, jackals...

When it starts to rain, the dusty yellow-black edge turns into an emerald green park with shady trees. Hazy from the smoke of fires and dust, the air becomes transparent and clean. The first tropical downpours after a drought are impressive. It's always hot and stuffy before it starts to rain. But then a big cloud appears. Thunder rumbles are heard. And then the rain hits the ground.

With the onset of the rainy season, antelopes return to their former pastures.
For grass savannas, tall elephant grass is most characteristic,

and among the trees there are the oil tree and the oil palm, the ramp, and often the baobab comes across. Along the river valleys stretch gallery forests with many palm trees, reminiscent of tropical rainforests.
Cereal savannas are replaced by shrub or acacia savannas. The grass here is already of a lower height, only 1-1.5 m, and the trees are mainly represented by several types of acacias with a dense crown in the form of umbrellas.

There is also a baobab, which is also called monkey tree or breadfruit tree.

Tree-like acacias are found everywhere in Africa, except for mountain and tropical rainforests. They may look like mighty trees almost twenty meters high, and like a low shrub, but always acacias have feathery leaves, crooked spines or long thorns and sweet-smelling flowers that attract bees. Thorns and thorns are a means of self-defense, although one of the types of acacias has a more cunning way to remain intact and uneaten. At the base of each thorn, this acacia grows an ovoid swelling. It dries up, and a colony of small ants settles in it. As soon as some animal encroaches on the young shoots of the plant, ants pour out of this growth and attack the alien.

There are more animals in the savannas than anywhere else on earth. Why? Millions of years in tropical Africa only rainforests grew. Then there were changes. The climate has become drier. Large tracts of rainforest have disappeared, giving way to light forest and open spaces covered with grass. Thus, new food sources were born. "Pioneers" moved into the newborn Savannah. Giraffes were among the first to leave the jungle. Many antelopes also came here. For them, the savannah was heaven - so much food!
The animal world is simply amazing with its richness and diversity! In the savannah, you can see zebras and ostriches grazing nearby. AT warm water lakes, in their mud "baths", hippos and rhinos bask. Lions rest in the shade of sprawling acacias. The largest animals on land, elephants, pluck branches with their trunks. And in the crowns of the trees monkeys scream. And also great amount species of insects, snakes, birds...
In the savanna, you can also see towering cone-shaped termite mounds.

About all the animals of the savannah we read:
- our self-made book (or rather, Senya read it himself), but unfortunately, I did not have a file with facts about animals;
- ,
- Kipling books and another wonderful book " Funny stories about animals" T. Wolfe:

Listened to entz. Chevostika "Animals of Africa" and watched "Safari with Kuzey":

Finally, the son enjoyed watching all the series (some more than once)! I myself really liked this cartoon (or rather, the animated series), but before Sena was not interested, but now he just absorbed all the series.
Animals were used to repeat .
Then I wanted to get out of a distant box an already useless savanna layout that my son and I once made ... From a pile of animal figurines, I asked my son to find the inhabitants of the savannah and populate our layout:

The savannah, lifeless at the very beginning, became like this:

They beat something, even for the "riot of colors" they added a fabric - a lake:

They played situations of watering animals.
But for a long time (as I already wrote) Senya will not sit with toys, so I immediately wanted to start a new topic))

Jungle

In Africa, there are not only deserts and savannahs, there are also tropical rainforests. Why rain? Of course! Because it rains a lot there! There is another name for such forests - the jungle - which means "impenetrable thickets."
We know that the most big jungle exist in the Amazon Basin rain forests Amazon) in South America. Remembered where else there is a jungle:

I hope we will talk about all the jungles of the planet, but for now we have analyzed the African ones in more detail.
Text from our book:
The heart of Africa is not black at all, it is green. And it's jungle...

These forests are not at all like ours, where in summer the ground is shaded with foliage, and in winter there is snow. Rainforests are always hot, humid and dark. The forest is so dense that it is impossible to see anything in the distance, everything is blocked by bushes, lianas climbing trees, fallen tree trunks overgrown with ferns and moss. Bushes rise above these rubbles and small trees, from which individual tree giants grow over time. The branches of the lower plant layer are so densely intertwined that the crowns are not visible through them. tall trees upper tier. And these trees are huge, they are crowned with lush crowns, and their trunks-columns rest at the bottom on plank-like outgrowths on the roots, a kind of props. Each such trunk rises to 40 m or more. And there, at a height of 40 meters, there is already a completely different world. Here is the motor of all jungle life. The leaves absorb the energy of the African sun and turn it into plant food. They live here great apes gorillas and chimpanzees, numerous monkeys and baboons.

The forest canopy is a world of extremes, a world of scorching sun, hot winds, heavy rains. The drought is replaced by rains, the seasons differ sharply from each other. The jungle palette is changing. Green foliage is replaced by red, yellow, light green and orange. But this is not old, but new foliage. In the jungle, spring dresses up in autumn colors.
The most desirable delicacy that the jungle gives in the spring is honey. But in order to get it, you need to climb to a forty-meter height using the branches of vines, and then still withstand the onslaught of bees.

In the spring, foraging in the forest is not an easy task, but later comes abundance.
Figs are fruiting here all year round, therefore, it is easier to observe wild animals near these trees.

Okapi is always cautious and very shy, it is very difficult to meet him and, at the slightest danger, takes flight.
Not afraid of thick tropical vegetation and African elephant. On the branches of trees you can also meet a leopard. There are many insects and snakes in the jungle. But most of all, birds love tropical forests, but it’s not so easy to see them here. The feathered inhabitants of tropical forests are well camouflaged and, at the slightest danger, immediately hide in the foliage.

We liked this video:

jungle animals

Prepared

Grigoryeva S.A.

The name of this animal in Greek means "river horse". It weighs over three tons.

Water is a natural habitat where hippos spend most of their time. However, with such a fat figure, it is not easy to swim, so usually hippos do not go far into the water, but stay in shallow water, where they can reach the bottom with their paws.

He is respected by all other animals who try to avoid meeting him. Newborn rhinoceros weighs about 65 kilograms. It has only one horn and its body is covered with thick leather shields. Horn a rhinoceros can be as long as 1.5 meters. Usually he moves slowly, but if necessary, speeds up to 40 kilometers per hour.

Although in appearance leather his hair is coarse, in fact very sensitive thanks to a cover of short and flexible bristles that respond to even the lightest touch.

Tusks and trunk are two miraculous tools for elephant survival. tusks the elephant defends itself against predators and uses them during drought to dig up the ground in search of water. Very mobile trunk it plucks leaves and scoops up water, which it then puts into its mouth. The elephant loves water very much and at the first opportunity climbs into the pond to freshen up. He's fine floats .

The elephant willingly hides in the shade, because its huge body is hardly cooled. For this purpose serve huge ears, which he fanned rhythmically to cool off.

More often tapirs are eating leaves, shoots and stems of aquatic plants. They love water and are great. swim. They always walk along the same habitual paths, which eventually turn into well-trodden paths, ending, as a rule, in a "gutter" - a convenient descent to the water.

Body the tapir is squat, the legs are short, there is almost no neck. Movable trunk is a very sensitive organ of smell. - with its help, the tapir explores the surface of the earth and surrounding objects. Vision, on the other hand, is very poorly developed.

They are settle down along the banks of rivers and lakes in areas with a warm and hot climate. Crocodiles are much more comfortable and calmer in the water than on land. swim they use paws and tail.

young crocodiles eat mainly fish, but also birds and insects. Only when they become adults will they be able to cope with larger mammals that need to be caught, dragged from the shore and kept under water for a while.

Teeth the crocodile is needed not for chewing food, but only to grab prey and tear off pieces of meat from it.

Chimpanzee excellent climb, they spend a lot of time on the ground and even travel on foot. But are sleeping they are still in the trees, where they feel safer.

These monkeys are practically omnivorous. For example, insects, bananas.

live quite numerous societies.

This is a large monkey that spends most of its time among the branches and only occasionally descends to the ground.

Female orangutans, perhaps, more than all other monkeys care about the upbringing of their children. Mothers bite their nails, bathe them in rainwater, yell at them if they start acting up.

It's big, more two meters the growth of the monkey is very friendly; males from the same flock usually do not compete with each other, and for the leader to obey him, it is enough to goggle his eyes and utter the appropriate cry, hitting his chest with his fingers.

Waking up, gorillas go in search of food. The rest of the time they devote rest and games. After the evening meal, a kind of bedding is arranged on the ground, on which fall asleep .

The pointed muzzle and huge eyes that can see in the dark make this half-monkey very cute. During the day, the lory hides in the branches, and at night it gets its own food.

Sloths so named for the extreme slowness of the movements, reminiscent of the movements in slow motion filming. The constantly wet skin of sloths serves nutrient medium for microscopic algae, due to which the hair of animals acquires a greenish tint, making them almost invisible among the foliage.

Its height is slightly less two meters, and the mass is about 250 kilograms.

It is known that live they are in the bush, and their coloration, at first glance very unusual, actually makes them completely invisible in their natural habitat. Okapi live alone, and only mothers are not separated from their cubs for a long time.

The giraffe can feed on the leaves of trees that other herbivores cannot reach: thanks to six meters tall he is superior to all other animals. The giraffe can also take food from the ground, as well as drink water, but for this it must spread its front legs wide in order to bend over. In this position, he is very vulnerable to predators, because he cannot immediately rush to flight.

Giraffes live in herds, divided into two groups: in one female with cubs, in the other - males.

The black panther is a dark-colored leopard.

She jumps from branch to branch like a monkey.

"secret weapon"The cheetah is served by its flexible body with a strong spine, curved like an arch of a bridge, and powerful clawed paws that allow it to firmly rest on the ground. This is the fastest animal. No one can imagine an animal running faster than a cheetah. In short moments, it develops speed over At 100 kilometers per hour, the cheetah climbs trees and surveys the area from above to spot herds of grazing herbivores that could become its prey.

adapt to a variety of climatic conditions; they live in various localities, they are also found in the mountains at an altitude of up to 3000 m and in very cold areas; in the latter case, a thick, more than five centimeters, layer of fat forms under the skin, which protects against heat loss.

Almost all jungle dwellers are at risk of becoming tiger prey. Contrary to popular belief, the tiger is not a very dexterous hunter; he is so heavy. That for a successful jump, he needs to start the run from a distance of 10 - 15 meters; if the tiger comes closer to its prey, it runs the risk of missing.

An animal similar to a leopard, but larger; it also differs in a special pattern on the skin: ring-shaped dark spots, inside of which there are smaller specks. Jaguars hunt alone and mostly on the ground, although they are good at crawling through trees and swimming. Having caught the prey, the predator usually hides it somewhere in a secret place and then eats it piece by piece.

The lion prefers open spaces, where he finds coolness in the shade of rare trees. For hunting, it is better to have a wide view in order to notice herds of grazing zebras, buffaloes, antelopes from a distance and develop a strategy for how best to approach them unnoticed. Outwardly, this is a lazy beast, which, on duty, dozes and does nothing. Only when the lion is hungry and forced to pursue herds of herbivores, or when he must defend his territory, does he come out of his stupor.

A characteristic feature of the lion is the thick mane of males. The claws of a lion can reach 7 cm.

The skin of a zebra is original and easily recognizable. At first glance, all zebras seem the same, but in fact, each animal has its own stripe pattern, like human fingerprints.

Zebras are deprived of horns and other means of protection, fleeing from predators. Once in the environment, they defend themselves with their teeth and blows of hooves.

A pursued zebra can run at a speed of 80 kilometers per hour, but not for a long time.

The mass of an ostrich exceeds 130 kilograms . Long neck increases the growth of the ostrich up to two meters. A flexible neck and excellent eyesight allow him to notice danger from afar from this height. Long legs give the ostrich the ability to run at speeds up to 70 kilometers per hour. The ostrich prefers open spaces where everything can be seen from afar and there are no obstacles for running.

The beak of an ostrich short, flat and very strong. It is not specialized for any particular food, but serves to pluck grass and other vegetation and grab the insects, small mammals, and snakes it feeds on.

This bird cannot be confused with any other because of the huge motley beak, which toucans sometimes longer than the whole body. Toucans nest in the recesses of tree poles, but often they occupy hollows left by woodpecker families.

This tiny bird (size from 5.7 to 21.6 cm; weight from 1.6 to 20 grams) with a long curved beak is able to flap its wings so often that it manages to hang almost motionless in the air, sucking nectar from a flower. It is the only bird in the world that can fly backwards.