What kind of monkeys live in India? Animals of India - sacred and ordinary. The enemies of dangerous cobras are mongooses

The Indian macaque (lat. Macaca radiata) is a small primate from the monkey family (Cercopithecidae). His head is decorated with luxurious hair, reminiscent of a dark cap. It is also called the bonnet macaque or zati. The animal is not afraid of humans and due to the contraction natural environment habitat willingly settles near villages and temples.

In many regions it causes serious damage to farmers, destroying crops in fields and plantations. The monkey is easily tamed and has a relatively docile and curious character. It is often used for laboratory research; in captivity it becomes strongly attached to its owner.

Spreading

The species is widespread throughout India. The largest populations are found in the coastal regions of Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.

Monkeys easily adapt to various landscapes, preferring wooded areas. In the north of the country they settle in mountain forests at altitudes of about 2100 m above sea level. In the lowlands they inhabit primary and secondary forests, bush and savannas. In many Indian cities they make a living by begging and stealing food supplies.

To date, 2 subspecies are known – M.c. radiata and M.c. diluta. The second subspecies is found on the southeastern coast of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. It differs from the nominate subspecies in having a lighter belly.

Behavior

Indian macaques lead an active daily lifestyle, forming groups with an average size of about 30 individuals. Unlike many other primates, they have no obvious hierarchical division during fur preening. Even dominant males take great pleasure in looking for insects in the fur of their young fellow tribesmen.

Monkeys on vacation try to experience close physical contact with members of their own sex. Older animals demonstrate obvious care for the younger ones, trying in every possible way to cheer them up, console and caress them. Young individuals love to scream loudly and game form imitate attacks on each other. Dominant males take an active part in such games, even allowing children and adolescents to bite themselves.

Home lots are very large. The area of ​​holdings of one group can reach 50 hectares. Primates usually stay in their area for a long time and leave it only after a significant decrease in the food supply. Sites different groups, as a rule, intersect, but the meeting of two clans does not lead to aggression. Monkeys also coexist peacefully with langurs (Presbytis) and (Macaca Silenus).

Fruits occupy 47-53% of the total diet. In addition to them, the daily menu includes seeds, leaves and flowers of various plants.

Food of animal origin consists of insects, small lizards and frogs. Macaques especially like the fruits of karanja (Pongamia pinnata), fig tree (Ficus carica) and large grasshoppers (Tettigoniodea).

Animals are busy searching for food during daylight hours. IN populated areas willingly feed food waste local residents.

Reproduction

Sexual maturity in females occurs at the age of 3-4 years, and in males at 4-6 years. In the northern regions of the range mating season passes in early spring, and in the rest all year round. Peak birth rates occur from February to April. Fertility of females depends on the abundance of food and social status.

Pregnancy lasts from 155 to 165 days. The female brings only one baby. Fathers do not take a direct part in raising their offspring and begin to show interest in them only after reaching adolescence. The cubs feed on mother's milk for 6-7 months.

Females give birth every 1-2 years and usually produce a total of about 5 babies. Menopause occurs at 27 years of age.

For the first six months, the cubs are inseparable from their mother, hanging on her back or paws. After finishing milk feeding, they learn to get their own food on their own, and in the second year they move on to independent existence. Females stay with their closest relatives, and mature males join other clans.

Description

The length of the body and tail of adult individuals is 40-50 cm. Weight is 3000-6000 g. Females are smaller and lighter than males.

The fur color is brownish, yellowish-brownish or olive-brown. The abdomen is lighter. The face is reddish or flesh-colored, devoid of hair. There is no hair on the ears either.

Cheek pouches allow you to store and carry food. Their volume is approximately equal to the volume of the stomach. On the head there is a dark “cap” characteristic of this species. It is especially noticeable in sexually mature males.

Under natural conditions, life expectancy Indian macaques rarely exceeds 18-19 years. In captivity good care it increases to 30 years.

India is a country located in the southern part of Asia, most of it is located on the Hindustan Peninsula. This state washes Indian Ocean, namely its Bay of Bengal and Arabian Bay.

Fauna of India

This country is home to many species of mammals, birds, insects and reptiles. Animal world India is very diverse. The most common fauna here are camels, monkeys, elephants, cows, and snakes.

Camel

These are the most common animals in India, they are mainly used for transporting goods, as well as for riding, in ancient times they even took part in battles.

There are two types of this animal - dromedary and bactrian, that is, one-humped and two-humped. Camels are herbivores. They are able to feed on those desert plants that are not eaten by any other animals. This, for example, An adult animal weighs about 500-800 kilograms, and it lives for 30-50 years. The camel body is very well adapted to survive in the desert. Thanks to the specific shape of red blood cells, a camel can drink an impressive amount of water at one time - 60-100 liters. Thus, the animal makes a supply of fluid, which can last for two weeks. When the camel for a long time does without water, its body gets it by burning fats, while the animal can lose most your weight. In India, the milk of this animal is often consumed. It has a number useful properties: it contains vitamins C and D, microelements (calcium, magnesium, iron and others). Another positive feature of this product is that it contains very little casein, which makes milk difficult to digest.

Indian elephant

Elephants are also very common animals in India. In addition to the animal that lives in this state and bears the corresponding name, there is also another species of elephant - the African one. The Indian differs from it in that it has smaller ears and is smaller in size than the African. Another interesting thing is that both males and females have tusks, while in Indians only males have tusks. These animals are the largest land animals (they are surpassed in size only but they live in the ocean). Elephants are used as a means of transportation in the jungle. In India, these animals are very popular because of their docile nature. In addition, elephants often participate in religious celebrations.

Monkey

These are very common animals in India. Species such as macaques, langurs and others live here. Many even live in big cities.

King of Beasts - Indian Tiger

Now there are only 3,200 individuals of this species left on the territory of this state. Many of them live in mangrove forests. Previously, these animals often attacked people, so they were exterminated in large quantities, but hunting tigers is not easy.

What kind of snakes live in India?

The king cobra lives on the territory of this state. However, people very rarely suffer from its bites, since it lives far in the forests, hunting small animals there. Much more dangerous to humans are sand faff. The first reaches 1.5-2 meters in length, has a rich yellow color and a dark pattern on the head, which is somewhat reminiscent of glasses, hence the name. The second belongs to the same family with vipers. Its length is small - about 70 centimeters. It's a snake Brown with a zigzag pattern on the sides.

Peacock

Many people associate these birds with Indian culture. They are often found not only in the mythology of a given country, but also in Persian and Islamic legends. Even in Christianity there is a mention of the peacock - it is a symbol of life. This bird is very common in Indian art - both in literature, music, and painting. Peacocks are very common in this state; they live almost everywhere.

What animals are considered sacred in India?

First of all, these are cows. Since ancient times, these are sacred animals of India. They were considered as such in Ancient Egypt. In the mythology of this country, there is a belief that after death you can get to heaven if you swim across the river while holding on to the tail of a cow. This is also due to the fact that the milk of this animal is very often consumed as food. Therefore, the cow is considered a symbol of life.

Another sacred animal of India is elephants. They are considered a symbol of wisdom, kindness and prudence, and are often depicted in homes and on temples. There are also sacred animals of India, which are representatives of certain gods. These are, for example, monkeys - they are considered the incarnation of the god Hanuman, an ally of Rama. Also, in India they are rats. There is even a whole temple dedicated to them - thousands of these animals live there. There is a legend associated with them in India. According to her, Karni Mata was a Hindu saint, and when one of her children died, she began to pray to the god of death Yama to return her son to her, and he turned all her sons into rats. There is also a snake cult in India. According to ancient legends, these animals are the patrons of the waters of the valley. If we turn to mythology, we can find out that snakes are the sons of Kadru. In myths, these animals are described in human images, they are endowed with such traits as wisdom, beauty and strength. In addition, the peacock is also found in Indian mythology - Krishna’s headdress was decorated with its feathers. Temples dedicated to this god are painted with images of this bird.

In the Indian capital of Delhi - new guards of peace and life of citizens. These are tailed langur monkeys. No one but them can cope with the macaques, which Lately More and more people are being attacked.

Religion prohibits Hindus from harming these animals. But in nature everything is balanced, and it turned out that dangerous macaques are very afraid of long-tailed langurs and do not dare to approach them.

Elite suburb of New Delhi. Every day from 8 am to 5 pm there is a security guard named Sunil. He walks around the area, menacingly raising his two-meter tail and sometimes baring his fangs. His partner Anish tells how these inhabitants of the Indian jungle - langurs - were called into service.

“The authorities were looking for trainers for the captured monkeys. I trained him, we worked together and have been patrolling this territory together for several years now - he drives the macaques away from here, I drive away onlookers from him,” says the trainer.

The guard langur appeared in the area after the most famous man-monkey fight in India. On a beautiful glass balcony, a respectable man of about fifty was reading a newspaper. Suddenly a noise was heard, the owner was thrown from the second floor onto the asphalt, and he died on the way to the hospital. The dead man turned out to be the newly elected vice-mayor of Delhi, and the attackers were macaques.

This tragedy showed that macaques are dangerous neighbors even for the most senior Indian. Now in central Delhi alone the primate population is about 20,000 - more than in many Indian national parks. Their native home, the jungle, is increasingly crowded out by big cities, so the red-faced monkeys, as they are called here, go to these biggest cities for food, and the Indians cannot refuse them this.

Monkeys in India are considered the earthly incarnation of the god Hanuman, and therefore are no less sacred than, for example, cows. They cannot be kicked out, beaten, much less killed; the monkeys can only be appeased. For example, a banana. And how then to deal with their invasion? Indian veterinarians came up with the idea of ​​forcing them to use protection. No kidding. We have to mix oral contraceptives into the macaques’ food, fortunately, human ones are quite suitable.

But is it because hormonal drugs roads, or because not all of them reach their recipients, the program was quickly curtailed. The fertility of primates has not decreased at all - in Delhi they began to raid the Indian Parliament and even visit the presidential palace, gnawing wires and throwing themselves at officials. Supreme Court stood up for civil servants and obliged the mayor’s office to find a new solution.

“There are 200-300 monkeys in my area. And they already know me by sight. They see me and run away. But I can’t relax and shut up even for a minute - they will attack. That’s why my voice dies every evening,” says Mahendr Harisankar.

And in tourist city Agra monkeys turned everything upside down.

“We have a cage here. For people. Previously, there was none, and tourists came here in the afternoon heat and enjoyed the view of the Taj Mahal. Monkeys also came to steal food. Such encounters are a risk for tourists. They often end in bites,” says Restaurant owner Ankit Saraswat.

Indian doctors have found that monkeys can carry up to 40 infections. This rooftop restaurant, like many others in Agra, is deserted - few enjoy the view of the Taj Mahal from behind bars. And the owner can only joke, saying that the macaques have shown who is boss.

In India, many representatives of the fauna are surrounded by an aura of holiness, for example, cows, snakes, crocodiles living in ponds or reservoirs near temples. The differences in these cases are due to local traditions. India has a special attitude towards monkeys. In this country they have long been revered thanks to their ancient mythical leader Hanuman. It was he who at one time tied a torch to his tail to illuminate the battlefield and help King Rama defeat the evil demon Ravana.

In northern India, the attitude towards monkeys that fill groves and take over entire villages is twofold. The importunity of these animals, caused by their curiosity and thievery, sometimes reaches extreme, sometimes funny, sometimes dramatic pranks. Therefore, in everyday life, the divine halo of monkeys often goes out. They are often abused and even beaten.

There are cases when voracious brown macaques, reaching the age of 18, raid apartments in the heart of New Delhi. It costs them nothing to climb to the upper floors of multi-story buildings and, taking advantage of the absence of the owners, to destroy all food supplies, including those stored in refrigerators. In Delhi, there are several millions of these creatures, which can be vengeful, capable at any moment of turning the lives of the inhabitants of entire city blocks into a living hell. They say that macaques are treated with fear by officials even in the Ministry of Defense, where they once visited and caused complete mayhem in the meeting room.

In the city of Naggar, in the Himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh, a troop of monkeys periodically devastates the famous orchard around the museum-estate of the Roerich family, eating all the fruits, even unripe ones. Frightened residents of this particular region decided that they had enough and “took up knives,” or rather scalpels, to sterilize the annoying male primates, having received the sanction of the Ministry of Health. The Delhi municipality followed the example of the Himachalis, which ordered the capture of these rapidly breeding mammals and export them to suburban reservations. True, this coercive measure has not yet led to desired results. The monkey colony, accustomed to city comfort, is clearly not happy with the prospect of ending up in the jungle again.

Nothing is known about the exact number of monkeys living in Indian cities, but they can be seen almost everywhere, especially in areas dominated by Vaishnavism. Although macaques and their larger cousins ​​are denied the protection enjoyed by sacred cows, monkeys generally fare quite well, with many temples dedicated to them. In one of the temple complexes in New Delhi, there is at least a twenty-meter statue in honor of the Hindu hero Hanuman. This means that this cult place is visited by numerous pilgrims and the monkeys will always find something to eat and entertain themselves, for example, by posing for photographs or taking bananas from tourists.

Ecology

The fauna for Hindus is an integral part of their religious beliefs; many four-legged animals are for them real deities who are revered and feared to offend. Particularly associated with some animals interesting and even funny stories that I would like to talk about.

Dogs of India

Dog pregnancy syndrome

Dog bites are a phenomenon common throughout the world, but in the West many stray dogs receive rabies vaccinations. In India, of course, no one does such vaccinations, so there are more than enough accidents from bites from infected dogs.

India has more stray dogs than any other country - tens of millions of them attack people. According to very rough estimates, about 20 thousand people die from dog attacks in India every year.

IN rural areas a rumor has spread that if a person is bitten by a dog, her embryo begins to grow in his body, in other words, with the help of a bite, dogs can impregnate a person (and not only women)!

Dog pregnancy syndrome has become real hysteria among the population with low level education, of which there is plenty in India. Those who have been bitten swear that they feel the movements of the fetus inside them and even start to behave strangely, for example, bark.

Instead of consulting a doctor, these people mostly turn to sorcerers who offer them medicines for resorption of the mysterious fruit. Only after this does the bitten person more or less calm down.

Monkeys of India

Sacred animals take advantage of their position

Like some other peoples, Hindus consider monkeys to be sacred animals. That is why they are very lenient about the fact that thousands rhesus macaques they calmly walk the streets of cities, break into houses, damage property and steal.

These animals are incredibly dangerous because bite hard. Hordes of monkeys are rampaging through populated areas. For example, the situation in cities such as New Delhi, is generally catastrophic, so sometimes they try to set traps on the streets. However, these animals are so smart that they can easily bypass them.

In 2007, newspapers wrote about one tragic incident. Some Savinder Singh Baiwa fell from the balcony and crashed while trying to repel the attack of the hated monkeys. Although macaques attack people every day, citizens do not stop feeding them. Looks like the problem will be around for a long time will remain relevant.

Pig toilets

Pigs have quite a reputation dirty animals, however, they can boast excellent mental abilities. Hungry pigs can eat almost anything, including garbage and human excrement.

In Goa there are so-called pig toilets– small stone toilet buildings for people, which are connected to pig sheds. Through the holes, what goes into the toilet gets into the barn, and pigs gratefully accept "treats".

In the old days, these structures were used for hygiene, but with the advent of running water the need for them has largely disappeared. Some such toilets are still functioning in India.

Indian birds

Indian Vulture Crisis

Indian vultures from the genus of vultures, they are by nature predatory scavengers. Huge wings allow them to circle in the air for several hours. Their beaks are designed to tear pieces of flesh from prey. Despite all these terrifying qualities of vultures, they play important role V ecological cycle , helping to process carrion.

Just 20 years ago, there were a huge number of these birds in India - flocks of vultures circled in the air, turning the sky black. But by 1999 their numbers have dropped significantly due to a mysterious kidney disease. By 2008 the number of vultures decreased by 10 percent. Later it turned out that the birds died because of the medicine - diclofenac(painkiller, which is on par with aspirin And ibuprofen).

Hindus deeply revere cows and if they notice any signs of pain in them, they pump them full of diclofenac. After the death of animals, barn owls usually eat their corpses. Despite the fact that the vultures have one of the most advanced digestive systems on the planet, they are not able to process medicine.

India bans giving diclofenac to animals in 2006, but it is still widely used. The disappearance of Indian vultures threatens a big disaster: their place will be taken by wild dogs and rats that carry pathogens. In this sense, vultures are irreplaceable predators, since all harmful substances in their stomachs are destroyed.

Indian tigers

Killer cats

When tens of thousands of these big striped cats lived in India, they were dangerous, so local residents knew perfectly well that at night you can't go far from the fire to avoid becoming victims of predators.

Hunting tigers is a serious matter, as the predator is not so easy to kill. Even a tiger wounded in a vital organ cannot die immediately. A wounded animal can escape and then attack weaker prey. Tigers often attack people, unsuspecting of anything.

Famous Champawat killer tigress was considered one of the most dangerous predators, on her account there was more than 400 deaths. In 1907, the legendary hunter Jim Corbett finally put an end to her chaos.

Today there are relatively few tigers left in India, according to the World Wildlife Fund. wildlife, lives here about 3200 big cats. Every year these creatures kill dozens of people, especially in Sundarbans, mangrove forests where about 500 tigers live.

There is an assumption that bad water makes tigers irritable and unnaturally aggressive. Fishermen who come to these places wear masks with faces on the backs of heads, since tigers love to attack from behind.

Indian elephants

Drunkenness in the animal kingdom

We will never cease to admire elephants - the largest land mammals who have great intelligence. Elephants can resemble humans: some especially intelligent representatives even can draw real pictures and also imitate human speech. Just like us, elephants sometimes want to drink something strong.

In 2012, a herd of elephants from 50 individuals drank an alcoholic drink from tree flowers maduka. After drinking about 500 liters of alcohol, the elephants began to run amok and destroyed dozens of houses in the village Dumurkota. A few hours later they left the village, leaving behind severe destruction.

This is not the first time that elephants have engaged in drunken brawls. The problem has become so widespread that in some areas fences are being hung up hot chili peppers in the hope that it will scare away the elephants. Chili peppers are known to be the hottest, so uninvited guests when they see them they try to stay away.

Fishes of India

Dangerous underwater predators

Catfish can reach impressive sizes, but these fish usually do not cause thoughts of danger. Found in the Kali River in India South Asian giant catfish, who is accused of the death of several people.

According to Indian customs, after death human body it is burned, and everything that remains is thrown into the river. Giant catfish feast on these human remains. On this diet, fish can reach incredible sizes - up to 70 kilograms. There is no doubt that they are involved in the mysterious disappearances of swimmers.

Although catfish do not have the reputation of being such dangerous predators as sharks, fish the size of a person can easily grab a swimmer by the leg and pull him into the depths, drowning him.

Lions of India

Rare endangered species

In India there are not only tigers, but also other big cats. Rare asian lions live in national park Gir forest in the west of the country. Once upon a time, these animals could be found not only in Africa, India and the Middle East, but even in Europe - in Greece and Hungary!

Today the number of lions has been reduced to a minimum. Gir lions exist only about 400 individuals, and they are separated from African relatives tens of thousands of years of evolution. Indian lions are slightly smaller in size than African lions, and their manes are not as bushy.

Unfortunately, there are so few of these predators left that they are forced to resort to inbreeding, which significantly weakens their immunity. Any epidemic or even a forest fire can completely destroy the entire population. A small group of lions have been relocated to a neighboring state to preserve this rare subspecies.

Rats of India

Sacred Temple of Rats

A rat that has entered the house can cause panic among all household members. These animals are uninvited guests for our homes. It turns out that in some areas of India they are not only not afraid of rats, but even revered as sacred animals.

In the temple Karni Mats in northern India (state Rajasthan) live thousands of rats, which are protected and fed. According to legend, Karni Mata was a Hindu saint - the incarnation of the goddess on Earth Durga. When one of Mata's stepsons drowned, she began to pray to the god of death Yama to return her son to her. Yama turned all of Mata's children into rats.

In the Karni Mata temple today lives, according to the ministers, about 20 thousand rats who feast on milk kindly provided to them by believers in large vats. Among the huge number of gray rodents there are several white individuals, which are considered to be the incarnation of Karni Mata herself and her sons. Seeing these albinos is considered great luck.

The temple is open to the public, but it is far away not all tourists decide to go there: Rats are everywhere, and they are not at all afraid of people. Moreover, only barefoot people are allowed to enter the temple premises.

Enemies dangerous cobras- mongooses

A story about Riki-tiki-tavi Kipling is not a fiction at all. King Cobra- one of the most dangerous snakes on the planet. It has a curious feature: the cobra can rise up and even look straight into the eyes of a person of average height, while it emits a terrifying hiss and inflates its hood widely. In one cobra bite so much poison that it is enough to kill 20 people. However, even this dangerous beast there are enemies.

Mongooses- small cute animals the size of a ferret. However, these animals turn out to be very dexterous predators: they are fast, agile and can kill a cobra or any other snake with incredible agility.

They have protection from deadly poison, therefore, even after a cobra bite they do not die, however, they know how to hunt so well that the snake simply does not have time to bite them. They begin to dance from side to side in front of the snake, deftly jumping away when the snake tries to strike. At the right moment, the mongoose grabs the snake by the head and kills it.