What monkeys live in India. The animals of India are sacred and common. Enemies of dangerous cobras - mongooses

Indian macaque (lat. Macaca radiata) is a small primate of the Monkey family (Cercopithecidae). His head is decorated with luxurious hair, resembling a dark hat. It is also called the bonnet macaque or zati. The animal is not afraid of humans and, due to the reduction of the natural 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, has a relatively docile and curious character. It is often used for laboratory research, and in captivity it becomes strongly attached to its owner.

Spreading

The species is widely distributed in India. The largest populations live in the coastal regions of the states 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. The lowlands are inhabited by primary and secondary forests, bush and savannas. In many cities of India they live by begging and stealing provisions.

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

Behavior

Indian macaques lead an active diurnal lifestyle, forming groups of an average number of about 30 individuals. Unlike many other primates, they do not have a clear hierarchical division during fur shedding. Even dominant males look for insects in the fur of their young compatriots with great pleasure.

Resting monkeys try to experience close physical contact with members of their own sex. Older animals show obvious concern for the younger ones, trying in every possible way to cheer them up, console and caress them. Young individuals love to scream loudly and imitate attacks on each other in a playful way. Dominant males take an active part in such games, even allowing babies and teenagers to bite themselves.

The home lots are very large. The area of ​​holdings of one group can reach 50 hectares. Primates usually stay in their territory for a long time and leave it only after a significant reduction in the food supply. The sites of different groups, as a rule, intersect, but the meeting of two clans does not lead to aggression. Monkeys also get along 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 caranga (Pongamia pinnata), fig tree (Ficus carica) and large grasshoppers (Tettigoniodea).

Animals are busy searching for food during daylight hours. In settlements, they willingly feed on the food waste of 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, the mating season takes place in early spring, and in the rest all year round. The peak birth rate is observed from February to April. The 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 directly participate in the upbringing of their offspring and begin to show interest in them only after reaching adolescence. Cubs feed on mother's milk for 6-7 months.

Females give birth at intervals of 1-2 years and usually bring about 5 babies in total. Menopause occurs at age 27.

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

Description

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

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

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

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

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

Animal world of India

The territory of this country is inhabited by many species of mammals, birds, insects and reptiles. The fauna of India is very diverse. The most common here are such representatives of the fauna as camels, monkeys, elephants, cows, 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 participated 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 30-50 years. The body of camels is very well adapted to survival in the desert. Due to the specific form of erythrocytes, a camel can drink an impressive amount of water at a time - 60-100 liters. Thus, the animal makes a supply of fluid, which can be enough for two weeks. When a camel goes without water for a long time, his body gets it by burning fat, while the animal can lose most of its weight. In India, the milk of this animal is often eaten. It has a number of useful properties: it contains vitamins C and D, trace elements (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 type of elephant - African. The Indian differs from it in that it has smaller ears, and is smaller in size than the African. It is also interesting that both males and females have tusks, while Indian ones have only males. These animals are the largest land animals (they are only surpassed in size but they live in the ocean). Elephants are used as a means of transport in the jungle. In India, these animals are very fond of because of their complaisant nature. In addition, elephants often participate in religious celebrations.

Monkeys

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

King of beasts - Indian tiger

Now only 3,200 individuals of this species remain 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 numbers, but it is not easy to hunt tigers.

What snakes live in India?

On the territory of this state lives on Earth - the king cobra. However, people very rarely suffer from her bites, as she lives far in the forests, hunting small animals there. Much more dangerous for humans are the sand efa. 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 is a brown snake with a zigzag pattern on the sides.

Peacock

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

What animals are considered sacred in India?

First of all, these are cows. Since ancient times, these are the 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 reach 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 eaten. Therefore, the cow is considered a symbol of life.

Elephants are another sacred animal of India. They are considered a symbol of wisdom, kindness and prudence, they are often depicted in dwellings 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. In addition, in India it is rats. There is even a whole temple dedicated to them - thousands of these animals live there. In India there is a legend associated with them. 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. Also in India there is a cult of the snake. 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 features as wisdom, beauty and strength. In addition, a 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, there are new guards of peace and life of citizens. These are tailed langur monkeys. No one but them can cope with macaques, which have recently been increasingly attacking people.

Religion forbids Hindus from harming these animals. But everything is in balance in nature, 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 to 17 a security guard named Sunil works here. He walks around the district, menacingly raising a two-meter tail and sometimes exposing fangs. His partner Anish tells how these inhabitants of the Indian jungle - langurs - were called to the service.

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

The guard langur appeared in the area after the most famous human-monkey fight in India. On a beautiful glass balcony, a respectable man in his fifties 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 newly elected vice-mayor of Delhi was killed, the attackers were macaques.

This tragedy showed that macaques are dangerous neighbors even for the most senior Indian. Now in the center of Delhi alone, the population of primates is about 20,000 animals - this is more than in many Indian national parks. Their native home, the jungle, is increasingly crowding the big cities, so the red-faced monkeys, as they are called here, go to these very big cities for food, and the Hindus cannot refuse them this.

Monkeys in India are considered the earthly incarnation of the god Hanuman, therefore they are no less sacred than, for example, cows. They cannot be driven out, beaten, and even more so killed, monkeys can only be appeased. For example, a banana. And how then to deal with their invasion? Force them to protect themselves, came up with Indian veterinarians. No kidding. We have to mix oral contraceptives in macaque food, fortunately, human ones are quite suitable.

But either due to the fact that hormonal drugs are expensive, or because not all of them reach the addressees, the program was quickly curtailed. The fertility of primates did not decrease at all - in Delhi they began to raid the Indian parliament and even visit the presidential palace, gnawing wires and rushing at officials. The Supreme Court stood up for civil servants and ordered the mayor's office to find a new solution.

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

And in the tourist city of Agra, the 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 meetings are a risk for the tourist. They often end in bites," he 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 empty - few people like the view of the Taj Mahal from behind bars. And the owner can only joke, they say, the macaques showed who is the boss here.

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 related to local traditions. Special attitude in India to 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 thieving, sometimes reaches extreme, sometimes funny, sometimes dramatic tricks. Therefore, in everyday life, the divine halo of monkeys often goes out. They are often subjected to abuse and even beatings.

There are cases when voracious brown macaques, reaching the age of 18, raid apartments in the heart of New Delhi. For them, it costs nothing to climb the upper floors of multi-storey buildings and, taking advantage of the absence of the owners, destroy all stocks of food, including those stored in refrigerators. In Delhi, there are several million of these creatures, which are vindictive, capable of turning the life of the inhabitants of entire city blocks into a living hell at any moment. They say that macaques are feared even by officials of the Ministry of Defense, where they once visited and committed a complete pogrom in the meeting room.

In the city of Naggar, in the Himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh, a flock of monkeys periodically devastates the famous orchard around the museum-estate of the Roerich family, eating all the fruits, even unripe ones. The frightened inhabitants of this particular region decided that they had 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 example of the Himachals was followed by the Delhi municipality, which ordered to catch these rapidly breeding mammals and take them to suburban reservations. True, this coercive measure has not yet led to the desired results. The monkey colony, accustomed to city comforts, is clearly not satisfied with the prospect of being 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 brethren are denied the protection afforded by sacred cows, the monkeys generally fare quite well, with many temples dedicated to them. In one of the temple complexes of New Delhi, at least a twenty-meter statue rises in honor of the Hindu hero Hanuman. And this means that this iconic place is visited by numerous pilgrims and monkeys will always find something to eat and entertain themselves, for example, posing for photographers 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 afraid to offend. Some animals are especially associated interesting and even funny stories which I would like to talk about.

Dogs of India

Canine Pregnancy Syndrome

Dog bites are a worldwide phenomenon, 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 the bite of infected dogs.

India has more stray dogs than any other country tens of millions of them attack people. According to very rough estimates, about 20,000 people die every year from dog attacks in India.

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 a real hysteria among the population with a low level of education, which in India abounds. Those bitten swear that they feel the movements of the fetus inside them and even start acting weird eg bark.

Instead of going to a doctor, these people mostly turn to sorcerers who offer them Mystery Fetal Resorption Medicines. Only after that the bitten person more or less calms 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 condescending to the fact that thousands of rhesus monkeys calmly roam the streets of cities, climb into houses, spoil property and steal.

These animals are incredibly dangerous because bite hard. Hordes of monkeys run amok in settlements. For example, the situation in cities such as New Delhi, generally catastrophic, so sometimes they try to set traps on the streets. However, these animals are so smart that they are easily bypassed.

In 2007, newspapers wrote about one tragic case. Some Savinder Singh Baiva fell from the balcony and crashed, trying to repel the attack of the hated monkeys. Although people are attacked daily by macaques, citizens do not stop feeding them. Looks like the problem is still there will remain relevant.

pig toilets

Pigs have a reputation enough dirty animals, however, they 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 buildings-toilets for people, which are connected to pig sheds. Through the holes, what gets 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 plumbing the need for them has largely disappeared. Some of these toilets are still in operation in India.

indian birds

Indian Sip Crisis

Indian Sips from the genus of vultures are by nature predatory scavengers. Huge wings allow them to make circles in the air for several hours. Their beaks are designed to tear off chunks of flesh from prey. Despite all these awesome qualities of vultures, they play an important role in the ecological cycle helping to process carrion.

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

Hindus deeply revere cows and if they notice any signs of pain in them, they pump them with diclofenac. After the death of animals, vultures usually eat their corpses.. Despite the fact that vultures have one of the most advanced digestive systems on the planet, they are unable to process medicine.

India bans giving diclofenac to animals in 2006 year, but it is still widely used. The disappearance of Indian vultures threatens with great disaster: wild dogs and rats that spread pathogens will take their place. Vultures in this sense are irreplaceable predators, since all harmful substances in their stomachs are destroyed.

Indian tigers

killer cats

When tens of thousands of these large tabby cats lived in India, they were dangerous, so the locals knew very well that at night you can't go far from the fire to avoid becoming prey to predators.

Hunting for tigers is a serious matter, as a predator is not so easy to kill. Even a tiger wounded in a vital organ may not die immediately. A wounded beast can run away and then attack weaker prey. Tigers often attack people, suspecting nothing.

famous Champawat tigress killer was considered one of the most dangerous predators, it had over 400 deaths. In 1907 the legendary hunter Jim Corbett finally put an end to her chaos.

There are relatively few tigers left in India today, according to the World Wildlife Fund, about 3200 big cats. Every year, these creatures kill dozens of people, especially in Sundarbans, mangrove forests, where about 500 tigers are found.

There is an assumption that bad water makes tigers irritable and unnaturally aggressive. The fishermen who come to these places wear face masks on the back of the head because tigers love to attack from behind.

Indian elephants

Drunkenness in the animal kingdom

We can't stop admiring elephants - the largest land mammals, which have great intelligence. Elephants can resemble humans: some especially intelligent representatives even they can draw real pictures, as well as imitate human speech. Just like us, elephants sometimes want to drink something intoxicating.

In 2012, a herd of elephants from 50 individuals drunk alcoholic drink from the flowers of the tree maduka. After drinking about 500 liters of alcohol, the elephants became violent and destroyed dozens of houses in the village. Dumurkot. After a few hours, they left the village, leaving behind the strongest destruction.

This isn't the first time elephants have been involved in drunken brawls. The problem has become so widespread that in some areas, fences hung hot chili peppers in the hope that he will scare away the elephants. It is known that chili peppers are the most spicy, so intruders at the sight of them try to stay away.

Fish of India

Dangerous underwater predators

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

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

Although catfish do not have a reputation for being such dangerous predators as sharks, fish the size of a man can easily grab a swimmer by the leg and pull him to the depth, 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 the national park Gir forest in the west of the country. Once 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 are separated from their African relatives by tens of thousands of years of evolution. Indian lions are slightly smaller than African lions, and their manes are not as lush.

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 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

Holy Temple of the Rats

A rat that has climbed into the house can panic all household members. These animals are uninvited guests for our dwellings. It turns out that in some parts of India, rats are not only not afraid, 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 on Earth of the goddess Durga. When one of Mata's stepsons drowned, she began to pray to the god of death, Yama, to return her son to her. Pit turned all of Mata's children into rats.

In the temple of Karni Mata 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 a few whites, who are considered the incarnation of Karni Mata herself and her sons. To see these albinos is considered a great success.

The temple is open to the public, but far away not all tourists dare to get into it: rats are everywhere, and they are not at all afraid of people. Moreover, only barefoot is allowed to enter the temple grounds.

Enemies of dangerous cobras - mongooses

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

mongoose- 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 against deadly poison, so even after being bitten by a cobra they do not die, however, they are so good at hunting that the snake just does not have time to bite them. They begin to dance from side to side in front of the snake, jumping deftly when the snake tries to strike. At the right moment, the mongoose grabs the snake by the head and kills it.