Discovery Science 🧬

A small selection of interesting things: 1. Royal vulture. Not very pleasant growths, but it's just a goiter. A place where many birds pre-digest their food. 2. Arabian horses have very interesting faces. The result of selection. 3. When a walrus wants to rest or sleep, he does this 😁 4. While Russian grandmothers go out to feed pigeons, South American men feed iguanas, of which there are just as many. 5. The south of South America has its own atmosphere. Cougars intersect with penguin colonies. 6. Male saiga. Lost a horn in the fight for the harem. 7. Echidna looks incredible! 8. A beautiful pangolin that looks so much like a fir cone ☺ 9. Indus dolphin. These extremely rare blind creatures live in the dirty rivers of India and Pakistan. Думаете, купить криптовалюту — это сложно? 🤔 совсем нет! Вот удобный способ начать: ➡️ https://bingx.com/partner/investitsii

 such close contact is guaranteed to lead to blindness. And here are the figurines. This winter, an international team of scientists was able to study parasite-infected sharks aged 130-150 years and found that their vision was as sharp as in their youth. Age-related changes in the retina are not even recorded in them! The only pity is that this knowledge is absolutely inapplicable to humans. The physiology and lifestyle of Greenland sharks are so different from ours that their methods of extending their life and the health of their organs simply will not work for us, even theoretically. But they are extremely useful for a general understanding of the principles of operation of regeneration mechanisms at the cellular level. Думаете, купить криптовалюту — это сложно? 🤔 совсем нет! Вот удобный способ начать: ➡️ https://bingx.com/partner/investitsii

Greenland shark: Anomalous fish. Lives for 500 years, and her body does not degrade with age at all Today, the Greenland shark is considered the longest-living vertebrate on the planet. Radiocarbon dating of the lens of the shark's eye showed that their age could exceed 500 years! This is several times longer than the life expectancy of other record holders, such as giant tortoises, bowhead whales and humans. Of course, the latter are of keen interest in the anomalous fish. And while some simply study it, like some kind of biological curiosity, others ask: “Can a person do the same?” We used to think that the abnormally long lifespan of Greenland sharks was a side effect of their adaptation to specific environmental conditions. For most of the year, sharks live in deep-sea regions of northern waters, where resources and energy are catastrophically scarce. To survive here, they have to eat anything: shellfish, worms, carrion, any fish. And the largest sharks even attack seals sleeping on the ice, compensating for their slowness with surprise. However, everything turned out to be not so simple. Research in recent years shows that shark metabolism is not just slow, it is abnormal. In the vast majority of animals, metabolic processes in their bodies gradually slow down with age. Explosive growth and development in childhood are replaced first by stable maturity, and then by fading old age. But for Greenland sharks everything is different: the metabolism of newborn babies and elders, who are 2 times older than Pushkin, is almost identical. Their enzymes, protein production rates, and thousands of other processes occur at the same speed and efficiency regardless of age. Part of the small difference in metabolic rate is due to the fact that baby Greenland sharks are selective sluggers. In eggs and the womb (Greenland sharks do not lay eggs, but carry them inside themselves), sharks spend from 8 to 18 years, and after leaving their mother they grow at a rate of only 1-2 centimeters per year, slower than trees! Even though they live in a kind of nursery - in the relatively safe and food-rich shallow waters of Europe and the East Coast of North America. It is logical to expect that if the base metabolic rate is so low, it will be very difficult to fall below. However, there is something more here. Greenland sharks have mechanisms for genome repair and restoration and cell regeneration that are unique to no one else, complementing the standard self-repair mechanisms of the body. And they are so perfect that even the retina of their eyes - one of the most fragile tissues of the body - feels great after a couple of centuries of working in close contact with parasites. The eyes of almost all adult Greenland sharks are infested with luminous copepods, which are anchored in the cornea using special hooks. In humans, such contact with arthropods would surely lead to rapid degradation of vision. This is why we have long believed that decades of

Admin is in touch. People, I don't know what to do. Thousands of spider mites have occupied my favorite flower. Share your wisdom on how to remove them... For now there are two options: throw everything away or use powerful specialized poisons that are dangerous even for humans and the plant itself. Maybe there are simpler options? Думаете, купить криптовалюту — это сложно? 🤔 совсем нет! Вот удобный способ начать: ➡️ https://bingx.com/partner/investitsii

 tipede fly so awkwardly? Because he doesn't know how... Her flight is chaotic and uncertain for the same reason that she hardly eats: there are no resources, accuracy is not a priority. The priority is only to find a partner. By the way, in case of danger, centipedes are also capable of throwing their legs away - like the haymakers we wrote about yesterday. In general, a long-legged mosquito is an insect that flies into your window, does not want anything, does not threaten anything, and will die in two weeks. The only thing it will have time to do during its adult life is to mate and leave eggs in the ground from which the larvae will hatch. And the larvae will take care of your carrots... Author: Vlad Gorbachev, Book of Animals Думаете, купить криптовалюту — это сложно? 🤔 совсем нет! Вот удобный способ начать: ➡️ https://bingx.com/partner/investitsii

Centipede: Myths and truth about the huge “malarial mosquito” Every summer it's the same story. In the evening you open the window and IT flies into the room. Huge, awkward, with legs in all directions. It rushes randomly around the room, bumps into a lamp, falls on the table, and takes off again. People are a little scared. Someone says: “A malaria mosquito.” Someone: “Don’t touch it, it’s poisonous.” Someone has already swung a slipper. So here it is. In front of you is a long-legged mosquito, also known as caramora. And everything you might think about him is most likely not true. Myth one: it's a huge malaria mosquito Many people mistake the centipede for a malarial mosquito. In fact, malaria mosquitoes look completely different, and centipedes, despite their size, are completely harmless to humans. The centipede is a separate family of Tipulidae, related to the common mosquito about as much as the ostrich is related to the sparrow. There is an external resemblance, but the lifestyle, habits and intentions are completely different. The family is at least one and a half hundred million years old - the first traces of these insects were found in sediments of the Late Jurassic period. While the dinosaurs were sorting things out, the centipede was already flying over the swamps and did not bite anyone. Myth two: she bites No. Physically he can't. The centipede does not have piercing bristles, like a regular mosquito. The proboscis is short and soft. And that “thorn”, which many take for a sting, is the female’s ovipositor, completely safe for humans. That is, the creature that you are trying to kill with a slipper is technically incapable of harming you. It just flies into the light, loses its orientation and rushes around the room in panic. Poor guy... Myth three: the adult centipede is looking for food This is where it gets really interesting. Adult centipedes practically do not eat. Their mouthparts are not suitable for biting or chewing. All adult life is dedicated to one thing: mating and laying eggs. They have at most ten to fifteen days to do this. This is why the centipede so often sits still - it saves energy, which is almost gone. This is a creature in the final stages of its life that is literally running out of fuel. Sometimes males still drink the nectar of flowers - in order to hold out until they meet the female. And the females just sit and wait for the real mosquito man to find them. Who's really dangerous here? An adult centipede is harmless. But its larva is a different story. The larvae are voracious. They live in the soil, in damp places - in meadows, gardens, near water. They damage field, vegetable and berry crops: cereals, corn, potatoes, beets, cabbage, cucumbers, clover. In Britain, the larvae of the centipede are even called leatherjackets - “leather jackets” - for their tough gray skin. The thick skin eliminates the desire of some birds to feed on these worms. Why does the cen

 red haymakers vibrating in unison is probably one of the strangest sights you can see under an old tree stump. You've seen those creepy videos where a person is disturbing the thickets of haymakers? I have attached it to the post. An ordinary spider feeds only on what it catches alive. The haymaker is much more democratic in this sense. Harvesters are primarily predators and feed on small arthropods. But they can also consume plant foods, mushrooms, carrion, bird droppings and animal feces. And while bro the ordinary spider is starving on the web, the haymaker heroically drinks bird poop. And this is evolutionary success, yes! Unlike most arachnids, harvesters absorb not only the liquid contents of the prey, but also solid particles, tearing them off with chelicerae (chelicerae are oral appendages, small paws on the mouth) and bringing them to the mouth. Spiders suck the victim from the inside, like juice from a bag. The haymaker eats like a human - he bites and chews. So you can try inviting him for tea with livers... Is he dangerous? No. At all. Harvesters are not poisonous, they do not have arachnoid glands. There are a pair of glands that secrete an odorous secretion - because of the pungent odor, they are almost not eaten by predatory insects and vertebrates. Chemical protection instead of poison is also a working option. The harvestman is theoretically capable of biting a person, but its chelicerae are so small that it will not be possible to bite through the skin. So, what did he leave in our houses? It’s just that home is an ideal environment. Moderate humidity, dark corners, crevices, small creatures such as springtails and small midges. The haymaker settles where there is something to eat and where no one bothers. And while he sits there, he works for the benefit of our home! Eats insect pests, picks up organic matter, various crumbs. And absolutely silent. These robot vacuum cleaners of yours will be even cooler... In general, there is something to respect for the haymaker. Not only should you not be afraid of him, but you should be glad that he started up. - - - - - - - The Book of Animals was with you! Friends, our group is led by several zoological authors, and sometimes we need money, but VK has destroyed the author’s content and does not pay for advertising. You can support our work in the form of a paid subscription (100 rublesy). The button is right in this post. This really saves us from extinction, namely subscription, because we know for sure that we will receive some money per month. Thank you Думаете, купить криптовалюту — это сложно? 🤔 совсем нет! Вот удобный способ начать: ➡️ https://bingx.com/partner/investitsii

Haymaker: It's not a spider. Since childhood, we have misunderstood this creature. You definitely saw him. A small body the size of a pea, from which eight incredibly long legs protrude, like a compass that has been given too many legs and too little body. Hanging on the wall of the dacha, frozen in the corner of the bathroom, looking at you in the village toilet at the most crucial moment... Since childhood, we have called it a spider. But this is a mistake. The haymaker is not a spider. Harvesters are a separate order of arachnids, but they are very far from real spiders. They resemble spiders, but, unlike them, they have a round abdomen connected to the cephalothorax by a wide base rather than a stalk. A real spider's body seems to be divided into pieces. The haymaker's body is a monolith, in one piece. This is the first thing that gives him away. Second: haymakers never spin webs. Never, under any circumstances. They have no arachnoid glands at all. The eyes are simple, one pair, located on raised tubercles of the cephalothorax. Vision is weak. But the long legs practically serve as antennas - the haymaker uses them to feel the space around him, reading smells and vibrations. By the way, most arthropods, including spiders and insects, smell, hear sounds and even breathe through their legs and other openings on the body! In fossil form, haymakers have been known since the Devonian period. Devonian is 400 million years ago. When not a single dinosaur had yet walked the planet, when the first fish were just carefully crawling onto land, the haymaker already existed. In almost the same form as it sits in our dachas. For example, a 100-million-year-old haymaker frozen in amber was almost no different from modern representatives of its order. Evolution looked at him, shook its paw for good service, and went off to do something else. The design turned out to be so working that there was nothing to improve. If you grab a haymaker by the leg, he tears it off himself - of his own free will, in the right place at the base. Moreover, the wound is immediately closed and the hemolymph does not leak out. No blood, no shock. Just a click - and the foot remains in your fingers, and the haymaker is already running away. The severed leg continues to contract rhythmically for a long time - this is where the name “haymaker” arose: the twitching leg resembles the movements of a scythe. The predator is distracted by a twitching limb, and the harvester disappears. Brilliant and a little creepy. But there is one caveat... Lost limbs are not restored. At all. Unfortunately, not like a lizard's tail... Therefore, adult harvestmen with five or six legs instead of eight are absolutely common. They live and don’t complain. We stayed alive and it was okay. Some species jump when in danger to confuse the enemy. It happens that a large cluster of cowtails begins to tremble at the same time - this is how they deceive predators and avoid attack. A hund

We make Probalance food and every day we study everything that helps dogs live longer and happier. Therefore, we created a large community for dog owners. Here we talk about health, education, behavior and proper care. There are already more than 180,000 of us on VKontakte. Join the Probalance family: https://vk.cc/3Ps0rj Думаете, купить криптовалюту — это сложно? 🤔 совсем нет! Вот удобный способ начать: ➡️ https://bingx.com/partner/investitsii

 . And the consequences of the underground work of moles - molehills - also do not please anyone. Mounds of discarded soil make the soil inconvenient for cultivation and dangerous for grazing - molehills for horses and cows work no worse than traps, and falling into them often results in a broken leg. So what should we do with moles? If you feed from the garden or, even more so, work in agriculture, then moles are unpleasant neighbors for you, who can cause mischief if their numbers are high. Well, if you manage an orchard or grow flowers, then you don’t need to drive them away. In this case, the moles will not cause significant harm to you. Author: Yaroslav Ilyin Думаете, купить криптовалюту — это сложно? 🤔 совсем нет! Вот удобный способ начать: ➡️ https://bingx.com/partner/investitsii

Mole: Does it harm or help? What is the animal actually doing on your property? Among summer residents, gardeners and agronomists, moles have a mixed reputation, to put it mildly. While some people claim that moles are normal guys who work in the garden just like you, protecting it from harmful insects, others are sure that they are crop destroyers that turn neat gardens into a complete nightmare. And the war between these two camps lasts not for years but for decades. So I decided it was time to answer the question once and for all: are moles friends or enemies? Supporters of the mole camp claim that these guys are extremely positive. Contrary to all myths, moles did not care about your plants; they are convinced meat eaters who do not require plant food at all. In addition, the bulk of their passages, storage rooms and bedrooms are located at depths from 50 centimeters to 2 meters. Usually cultivated plants do not take root that deep! Well, the most important thing is that it is an environmentally friendly and natural pest control product. Yes, up to 80% of a mole’s diet consists of earthworms, but the remaining 20% ​​depends on the specific place of residence. In the forest, for example, they eat many centipedes and slugs. And in the garden or garden, they actively attack spiders and root pests, such as mole crickets and chafer larvae. Moreover, moles are the only predators capable of hunting their larvae directly underground. Cute mole rats also perform other tasks in the garden: they loosen the soil and aerate it, and their numerous tunnels act as drainage, removing excess water from the soil. They do this, however, not for human benefit, but for personal reasons: so that their storerooms do not flood. But the result is important to us, not the motive, right? It is for their sake that adult moles bother with water drainage. And if you look at moles from this angle, the conclusion is obvious - they are wonderful guys. But the compilers of textbooks on agronomy and plant protection do not agree with this. They argue that the number of moles must be constantly monitored, and if it exceeds the permissible threshold, they must be mercilessly exterminated. And they also have their arguments. Although the harm from moles is much less than from rodents, insectivores still damage the roots of plants, causing them to rot and gradually die. And their plans to change the condition of the soil often run counter to the plans of agricultural workers. Numerous mole tunnels, for example, inevitably disrupt drainage systems and can unpredictably affect soil moisture, either making them waterlogged or excessively drying them out. Which ultimately reduces the effectiveness of fertilizers and insecticides, which are designed for a certain percentage of leaching. And even eating pests by a mole does not save the situation. Violation of soil characteristics inevitably leads to an increase in the number of parasites, both large and microscopic

 ings and goes in search. If the male gets to the female, he will almost certainly be able to mate with her. But whether he will survive is a big question. If a lady is nervous, her hunting instincts may kick in at the most inopportune moment. She will simply eat her betrothed. Soon after mating, the female will grow an ootheca: a leathery sac with several dozen eggs inside (photo 5). She will put it in a secluded place. Then he will come to his senses, gain fat and repeat the process. The damn flower lives for about a year, during which time you can manage to leave offspring 2-3 times. The damn flower turned out to be so frighteningly beautiful that some people have entire “greenhouses” at home. Large dimensions and a rich palette of colors attract exotic lovers. True, the demand for insects exceeds supply. Wild mantises are caught for private collections. So far this has not affected the population of the species. But how long can the alien beech survive on our planet? - - - - - We have a huge group, which is 11 years old and there are many zoologists who write tons of text every day from the field in which they are specialists. Due to VK’s failed policy towards authors, all this, unfortunately, rests only on rare advertising and your support. You can support the stability of our nervous system with a minimum subscription of 100 rubles per month. You can request support directly through the button in this post. Thank you! Думаете, купить криптовалюту — это сложно? 🤔 совсем нет! Вот удобный способ начать: ➡️ https://bingx.com/partner/investitsii

Damn flower: Something from another world. The life of this praying mantis is like a space horror movie If you want to hide death, hide it in beauty. Poison at the bottom of a glass of ruby ​​wine. A stiletto under the flaps of a weightless robe. A destructive idea behind speeches about lofty things. A damn flower among the most beautiful flowers of tropical Africa. The damn flower is close to the title of the largest praying mantis on the planet. The length of a child's palm, graceful and flexible, it sways slightly on four supporting legs, echoing the gusts of wind. You never guess where the killer is hiding. Leaf-like outgrowths of chitinous armor will not allow one to suspect a predator in the crown. While the praying mantis hides in fragrant inflorescences and lush branches, it is almost impossible to notice it. The insects don't even notice. And he easily did them. The vision of the praying mantis is unique. Firstly, he sees the picture at 180 degrees. Secondly, the insect's eyepieces are stereoscopic, like ours. This means that the mantis perfectly determines the size of objects and the distance to them. But if our brain compares pictures from both eyes, creating a three-dimensional image based on them, then the central ganglion of the devil’s flower sees the picture in dynamics. The insect monitors changes in illumination and size of objects, and then builds an image based on this data. This means that the praying mantis only needs to notice the prey with one eye for it to fall into its field of vision. The predator doesn’t even need to turn its head to follow the flying target. And when the prey is close enough, the mantis simply takes it out of the air with its front paws. The entire throw takes the damn flower no more than 0.08 seconds. The very laws of physics will not allow a beetle, fly or butterfly to dodge such a blow. Just for comparison: the speed of human reaction is 0.2-0.25 seconds. We humans, even in theory, could not protect ourselves from them. The mantis hunt turns into a creepy thriller. An ordinary-looking flower suddenly opens up, turning into an elegant, alien-looking creature on four thin legs. With supernatural speed, it grabs its prey and devours it alive and leisurely (ramson). Not because he wants to cause her as much pain and suffering as possible. The damn flower is simply incapable of doing otherwise. Its front paws, powerful and spiky, are excellent at capturing prey, but are not capable of causing fatal injuries. And small jaws are quite weak. So it turns out that a meal can take 10-15 minutes. But even living weapons need to reproduce. 2 weeks after 8-9 molts, the devil's flowers muffle their fighting instincts, spread their antennae and raise their abdomens. At the end of the female’s belly there are pheromone glands, and on the male’s antennae there are special sensitive receptors. Having smelled the scent of love and determined the approximate direction, the male spreads his thin w

 he moment of the bite. But there is not enough energy for self-defense, so the viper prefers flight to defense. In the vast majority of cases, she bites only if you press her to a corner, take her by surprise, or press her butt with a snake tail. And then the person understands that even though the viper is not considered a particularly dangerous snake, it should be respected and feared. After all, a viper bite is always followed by severe pain and swelling of the tissues, which are gradually supplemented by fever and sweating. And in 12% of cases (according to British scientists), people receive tachycardia, bronchospasm and even temporary blindness. In such cases, they are hospitalized in the hospital - just in case. Author: Yaroslav Ilyin Думаете, купить криптовалюту — это сложно? 🤔 совсем нет! Вот удобный способ начать: ➡️ https://bingx.com/partner/investitsii

Common viper: The only venomous snake capable of surviving in the Far North The common viper is actually a very unusual creature. After all, this is not just a slightly toxic scaly string, but the northernmost poisonous snake. It survives where the vast majority of reptiles die even in summer, and in winter their remains turn into whole frozen pieces of meat. So let's figure out how vipers manage to withstand the wrath of the elements. The northern border of the viper's range strongly depends on the dryness of the climate - the wetter the winter, the further north the animal can climb. But in any case, even in Western and Central Siberia, snakes feel confident in the southern taiga, in some places actively climbing into the middle or even northern taiga. But in rainy Scandinavia, for example, they are able to colonize even the subarctic forest-tundra of the northern coast. They simply have nowhere to move further; beyond that there is only the Arctic Ocean and the distant Arctic. To survive in such conditions, vipers had to become very selective in their choice of habitats. Although snakes live in a wide variety of landscapes, they thrive best in mosaic environments. If it is a forest, then with sun-drenched meadows and flat stones and sand. If tundra or steppe - then with groves of trees, hills and ravines. Yes, they can even get into swamps, provided there is dry soil nearby. In this cunning way, vipers compensate for the disadvantages of the terrain and climate. On cold days they bask in the sun and crawl through open spaces, and on hot days they move under the forest canopy. Vipers change their habitat so easily thanks to one of their main abilities - the ability to ovoviviparity. That is, the eggs mature inside the mother, and small snakes immediately ready for life emerge from the womb. Females do not need to spend a lot of time building a nest and making sure that the eggs inside do not freeze or get wet, and that cunning egg stealers do not get inside the nest. In case of danger, the female simply crawls away - and remember her name. True, this lifestyle has its own price - extremely low fertility. Vipers reproduce once every 2-3 years, and females bring from 2 to 20 eggs - the womb simply cannot accommodate more. But the hatched/born babies are ready to leave their mother in just a couple of days and go eat snails, woodlice and insects - the basic food of any small reptile. But an adult animal has a very wide diet - for a viper, everything that fits into its mouth is useful. Most of the northern woman's diet consists of frogs, toads, newts and mice. However, it is also capable of catching more serious prey, such as rats, stoats or even young weasels. Which for a snake only 60-70 centimeters long is a serious achievement, even taking into account the poison. By the way, the viper’s venom is... competent, no more and no less. It is enough for hunting small prey, which loses all will to resist in just 5-7 minutes from t

Hello, we are looking for authors for our community! This could be a small part-time job for you and development in the field of content creation. The requirements are simple: 1. Extensive competent knowledge in the field of zoology. 2. Journalistic spirit to write interestingly, fervently, emotionally, to look for bright photographs. 3. AI can be used to help and find facts, but the “dead” text will most likely be obvious to the editor-in-chief and readers. Details in PM here - https://vk.com/magnusrizhiy Write some basic information about yourself in the letter. Думаете, купить криптовалюту — это сложно? 🤔 совсем нет! Вот удобный способ начать: ➡️ https://bingx.com/partner/investitsii