Who lives in coniferous forests. Animal world of the forest. Far Eastern or Amur leopards

Animal world The mixed forest is represented by many species of animals, birds and insects. Some of the original wild animals: hedgehogs, foxes, hares and wild boars even live in groves adjacent to villages and towns inhabited by people. Often and within settlements, in city parks and squares there are squirrels, snakes, moles, and wild birds.

IN coniferous-deciduous forests artiodactyls live: elk, bison, red deer, roe deer. There are also predators such as bear, wolf, ferret, badger, marten and others. For rivers and reservoirs located in the zone mixed forests, characterized by its own fauna. Thus, on river banks far from human attention, beavers build huts, water rats, muskrats and even otters live. The world of birds in this area is even more diverse.

The wild boar is a large, strong animal with short legs and a strong, stocky body. This is the ancestor of the domestic pig. They are similar in body structure and are omnivores. Boars are covered with dark, bristly fur. The young are lighter in color and have stripes on their sides and back. Boars see poorly, but can move quickly, guided by their well-developed sense of smell and hearing. They live in herds of adult males and females with piglets. Old male loppers stay apart. Usually these animals lead night look life, resting during the day in secluded places.

With the proper level of affection and attention, even a wild boar will behave like best friend person. On one of the islands of the Bahamas lives a 12-year-old wild boar named Baby. 9 years ago he was tamed by two local residents.

The common fox is one of the predators of the mixed forest. The length of the lean body, together with the fluffy tail, reaches 1.5 m. Foxes have an elongated, pointed muzzle and triangular-shaped ears. The coat color is usually red various shades. The cheeks, chest, belly and tip of the tail are white. Animals are especially beautiful in winter, with fluffier and warmer fur.

The common badger lives in the forests of Europe and Asia, to the Far East. An adult weighs up to 25 kg. The body reaches 0.9 m, and the tail is 0.24 m in length. The body color is brownish-gray, the paws are blackish. There are white and black stripes on the face. The badger is a nocturnal animal. Its diet includes animal food (worms, frogs, insects) and edible roots. Lives in independently dug burrows. During the winter it hibernates.

Common hedgehog - insectivorous mammal. Has poor vision, but excellent sense of smell and hearing. The back of the animal is densely covered with needles 2 cm long, usually gray with transverse dark stripes. To protect itself from danger, the hedgehog curls up into a needle-shaped ball. Prefers areas with dense grass and undergrowth. It overwinters and raises its young in burrows.

From September 15 to 17, Russia celebrates one of the largest environmental holidays - Russian days forests. As you know, forests are not only lungs of the planet and a pantry of various berries, mushrooms and medicinal herbs, but also home to many amazing animals. In this regard, we are telling you about some rare animals that live in Russian forests.

1. Musk deer.

This small deer-like animal with fangs lives in the mountain coniferous forests Sayan, Altai, Transbaikalia and Primorye. Despite its terrifying appearance, the musk deer feeds exclusively on vegetation. However, the musk deer is notable not only for this, but also for its attractive smell, which lures females for mating. This smell appears due to the musk gland located in the male’s belly next to the genitourinary canal.

As you know, musk is a valuable component of various medicines and perfumes. And it is precisely because of this that musk deer often become the prey of hunters and poachers. Another reason why this unusual animal is considered an endangered species is that its range is shrinking due to increased economic activity humans (mainly with deforestation).

One of the solutions to the problem of preserving the species in wildlife is farm breeding of musk deer and selection of musk from living males.

2. Japanese green pigeon.

This unusual bird about 33 cm long and weighing approximately 300 grams, it has a bright yellowish-green color. It is common in South-East Asia, but also found in Sakhalin region(Crillon Peninsula, Moneron and South Islands Kurile Islands). The bird inhabits deciduous and mixed forests with an abundance of cherry and bird cherry trees, elderberry bushes and other plants, the fruits of which it feeds on.

The Japanese green pigeon is a rare species, and therefore little is known about its life. Today scientists know that green pigeons are monogamous birds. They weave their nests from thin twigs and place them in trees at a height of up to 20 meters. It is believed that partners hatch eggs in turns for 20 days. And after that, helpless, down-covered chicks are born, which will learn to fly only after five weeks. However, pairs or flocks of green pigeons are rarely seen in Russia; most often they are noticed alone.

3. Far Eastern, or Amur leopards.

Even at the beginning of the 20th century, there were much more rare cats, and their range covered a considerable territory - eastern and northeastern part China, the Korean Peninsula, Amur, Primorsky and Ussuri territories. However, between 1970 and 1983, the Far Eastern leopard lost 80% of its territory! The main reasons then were Forest fires and converting forest areas for agriculture.

Today, the Amur leopard continues to lose its territory and also suffers from a lack of food. After all, roe deer, sika deer and other ungulates, which this leopard hunts, are killed in huge numbers by poachers. And since the Far Eastern leopard has beautiful fur, it itself is a very desirable trophy for poachers.

Also due to the lack of suitable food in the wild Far Eastern leopards are forced to go looking for her in reindeer herding farms. There, predators are often killed by the owners of these farms. And on top of that, due to the small size of the population of Amur leopards, it will be very difficult for representatives of the subspecies to survive during various disasters like a fire.

However, all this does not mean that the subspecies will soon disappear. Today there are still large areas of forest that provide suitable habitat for the Far Eastern leopard. And if these areas can be preserved and protected from fires and poaching, then the population of these amazing animals in the wild will increase.

Interestingly, Far Eastern leopards are the only leopards that were able to learn to live and hunt in conditions harsh winter. In this, by the way, they are helped by long hair, as well as strong and long legs, which allow them to catch up with prey while moving through the snow. However, Amur leopards Not only good hunters, but also exemplary family men. Indeed, sometimes males stay with females after mating and even help them with raising kittens, which, in principle, is not typical for leopards.

4. Alkina.

These butterflies live in the southwest of Primorsky Krai and are found along streams and rivers in mountain forests, where the food plant of the caterpillars of the species, the Manchurian liana, grows. Most often, male butterflies fly to the flowers of this plant, and females most sitting in the grass for a while. Alkinoe females tend to linger on this plant to lay eggs on its leaves.

Today, due to the disturbance of the Kirkazon habitat and its collection as medicinal plant its quantity in nature decreases, which, of course, affects the number of alkynoe. On top of everything else, butterflies suffer because they are collected by collectors.

5. Bison.

Previously, these animals were widespread in the territory former USSR, but by the beginning of the 20th century they survived only in Belovezhskaya Pushcha and in the Caucasus. However, even there their numbers were steadily declining. For example, by 1924, only 5-10 bison remained in the Caucasus. The main reasons for the decline of bison were their extermination by hunters and poachers, as well as destruction during military operations.

The restoration of their numbers began in 1940 in Caucasian Nature Reserve, and now bison inhabit two regions in Russia - North Caucasus and the center of the European part. In the North Caucasus, bison live in Kabardino-Balkaria, North Ossetia, Chechnya, Ingushetia and the Stavropol Territory. And in the European part there are isolated herds of bison in the Tver, Vladimir, Rostov and Vologda regions.

Bison have always been inhabitants of deciduous and mixed forests, but avoided extensive forest areas. In the Western Caucasus, these animals live mainly at an altitude of 0.9 - 2.1 thousand meters above sea level, often going out into clearings or treeless slopes, but never moving away from forest edges.

By appearance The bison is very similar to its American relative, the bison. Nevertheless, it is still possible to distinguish them. First of all, the bison has a higher hump and longer horns and tail than the bison. And in the hot months, the back of the bison is covered with very short hair (it even seems that it is bald), while the bison has hair of the same length all over its body at any time of the year.

The bison is listed in the Red Book of Russia as an endangered species and today lives in many nature reserves and zoos.

6. Fish owl.

This species settles along the banks of rivers in the Far East from Magadan to the Amur region and Primorye, as well as on Sakhalin and the Southern Kuril Islands. The fish owl prefers to live in the hollows of old trees with an abundance of aquatic prey nearby, however, old forests and hollow trees are often cut down, which inevitably displaces these birds from their habitats. In addition, fish eagle owls are caught by poachers, and they often fall into traps while trying to pull the bait out of them. The development of water tourism on the Far Eastern rivers and, consequently, increased disturbance of these birds gradually leads to a decrease in the number of eagle owls and interferes with their reproduction. All this has led to the fact that today this species is endangered.

The fish owl is one of the largest owls in the world, as well as the most major representative kind. Interestingly, these birds can hunt with two different ways. Most often, the fish eagle looks for fish while sitting on a stone in the river, from the shore or from a tree hanging over the river. Having noticed the prey, the eagle owl dives into the water and instantly grabs it with its sharp claws. And when this predator tries to catch sedentary fish, crayfish or frogs, it simply enters the water and probes the bottom with its paw in search of prey.

7. Giant noctule.

This bat, the largest in Russia and Europe, lives in deciduous forests in the territory from the western borders of our country to the Orenburg region, as well as from the northern borders to the Moscow and Nizhny Novgorod regions. There they settle in tree hollows, 1-3 individuals each, in colonies of others bats(usually red and lesser noctules).

The giant noctule is rare view, however, ecologists do not know exactly what is causing their low numbers. According to scientists, deforestation poses a threat deciduous forests. However, today there are no special measures There are no measures to protect these animals, since it is not clear what measures will be effective.

It's interesting that these the bats They hunt large beetles and moths, flying over forest edges and ponds. However, analysis of blood and droppings showed that these animals also feed on small birds during migrations, however, this has never been recorded.

8. Heavenly barbel.

In Russia, in the south of the Primorsky Territory (in the Terneysky, Ussuriysky, Shkotovsky, Partizansky and Khasansky districts) a beetle with a bright blue color lives. It lives in broadleaf forests mainly in the wood of the greenbark maple. There the female beetle lays eggs, and after about half a month the larvae appear. They develop in the wood for about 4 years, and then, in June, the larva gnaws out the “cradle” and pupates. After about 20 days, the beetle emerges from the wood and immediately begins to reproduce. He will spend all his strength on this for the rest of his life, which lasts only two weeks.

The barbel is listed in the Red Book of Russia as a rare species whose numbers are declining. According to environmentalists, the reason for this is deforestation and a sharp decrease in the number of greenbark maples.

9. Himalayan, or white-breasted bear.

Ussuri white-breasted bear inhabits broadleaf forests Primorsky Krai, southern regions Khabarovsk Territory and southeastern part Amur region. Until 1998, it was listed in the Red Book of Russia as a rare species, and today it is a hunting species. However, if in the 90s its population was 4-7 thousand individuals, now this bear is on the verge of extinction (its population is up to 1 thousand individuals). The reason for this was, first of all, deforestation and mass hunting. The latter, by the way, was discussed during the international environmental forum “Nature without Borders” in Vladivostok, after which in 2006 a decision was made in the Primorsky Territory to introduce restrictions on hunting the Himalayan bear during hibernation.

The white-breasted bear leads a semi-arboreal lifestyle: it gets food in trees and hides from enemies (this is mainly Amur tigers And Brown bear). Almost the entire diet of this bear consists of plant food, in particular nuts, fruits and berries, as well as shoots, bulbs and rhizomes. It also does not refuse to feast on ants, insects, mollusks and frogs.

10. Black stork

A widespread but rare species, the number of which is declining due to human economic activity, manifested in deforestation and drainage of swamps. Today the bird is found in forests from Kaliningrad and Leningrad regions to Southern Primorye. The black stork prefers to settle near bodies of water in deep, old forests.

Exactly there, on the old tall trees(and sometimes on rock ledges) black storks build nests, which they will then use for several years. When the time comes to invite the female to the nest (around the end of March), the male fluffs up his white undertail and begins to emit a hoarse whistle. The eggs laid by the female (from 4 to 7 pieces) will be incubated by the partners in turn until the chicks hatch from them after 30 days.

A forest is not only a collection of all kinds of shrubs and trees, but whole ecosystem. It represents a complex community of closely intertwined elements of living and inanimate nature. This ecosystem includes both living organisms, called biota, and non-living ones - the abiotic component: water, soil, air. In this article, we are interested in forest biota, which includes not only all kinds of vegetation and microorganisms, but also mammals. In particular, we will find out what the brightest forest animals zones of Russia.

What is a forest?

WITH scientific point In general terms, a forest is a more or less significant natural space overgrown with vegetation and trees. Moreover, vegetation, consisting of ferns, shrubs, mushrooms and herbs, must necessarily cover the soil between the trees, otherwise the territory cannot be considered a forest. Another component of this concept is the fauna of the forest (animals, birds, insects). Without them, he simply cannot exist, just as they cannot exist without him.

The breath of our planet

There is a saying: “Life small forest“This is the breath of the whole planet.” And it’s hard to disagree with this. After all, it is the forest with its ecosystem that purifies the air on our planet, saturating it with oxygen. Even for a person who is difficult to surprise with anything, a painfully familiar forest can open up a world full of secrets and mysteries! Despite its alluring silence and fabulous peace, life here is, as they say, in full swing.

The forest biota contains quite a lot of birds, animals and insects. To see them and enjoy the wildlife with your own eyes, you just need to come to the nearest oak forest and carefully look around. Even tiny ants and spiders are already a whole “zoo society”, a microcosm, which is the “foundation” of the entire forest biota. So, what are they - the brightest animals in the forest zone of our country?

Red-haired beauty

First of all, it is worth mentioning the cheating fox! This mischief inhabits forest areas throughout almost all of Asia and North America. In our country, foxes can be observed in large quantities in Siberian forests. This predator from the canine family has a medium-sized body, covered with a warm red fur coat. The distinctive pride of foxes is their fluffy tail.

These animals live mainly on the edges of mixed forests, inhabit the shores of lakes and forest streams. Foxes are wild animals, but despite this, they are often kept as pets. The favorite delicacies of red cheats are mice, hares, berries and fruits. The role of foxes in the life of the forest cannot be overestimated. So, without a doubt, this is a useful animal, regulating the number of mouse-like rodents that cause irreparable harm to cultivated plants.

Without hedgehogs, a forest is not a forest!

In deciduous and mixed forest zones you can find common hedgehogs. As the famous zoologist Nikolai Drozdov said: “A forest without hedgehogs is not a forest!” Which of us has not seen this animal at least once in our lives? Probably there are simply no such people. Nevertheless, we will briefly describe it. Hedgehogs are small animals covered with fur and spines. These animals of the forest zone live throughout Europe, as well as in Asia and the Far East.

The lifestyle of hedgehogs can seem quite boring and even somewhat dull. During the day, these animals sleep as if killed, and at night they search for food. By the way, their diet consists of earthworms, small birds, beetles. Those who have kept ordinary hedgehogs as pets are well aware of their nocturnal lifestyle: the animal quickly runs around the house, tap-dancing with its paws. It's simply impossible to fall asleep!

Russian forest orderlies

You probably immediately guessed who we're talking about. These are, of course, wolves. True, these predators are not so much animals of the forest zone as of the forest-steppe, and sometimes steppe. These animals are widespread throughout our country. Wolves, like foxes, belong to the canine family, being quite large animals with strong paws. Wolf fur is coarse and very thick.

These animals are unsurpassed collective hunters. As you know, they track their prey in whole flocks, which allows them to successfully hunt even large boars, and on moose, and on domestic animals. In times of famine they feed on carrion, birds, and hares. As is known, natural role of this predator is to improve the health of the animal population. The wolf is a kind of “filter” of the forest, which regulates the number of sick and weak animals, bringing invaluable benefits to the entire forest biota.

It’s quiet in the forest, only the badger is not sleeping...

Badgers are animals of the forest zone of mixed type. They are very active and active forest predators. Their massive body is supported by awkwardly short legs. The fur is rough. These animals inhabit the entire European territory, including Russia. They lead a predominantly nocturnal lifestyle. During the day, the animals sit in burrows. Badgers eat both plant and animal foods. These animals are valuable not only for their fur, but also for their fat.

Tigers

Some people do not know that tigers are animals of the forest zone of Russia, and not only of India, China, Iran and Afghanistan. These animals are the second largest terrestrial predators after the bears. Their distinctive feature- flexible body, painted in bright orange and black stripes. However, not all tigers have only this color. There are also white tigers. In our country these large wild cats inhabit Far East, living in mixed forests and taiga.

Between the tundra in the north and deciduous forest in the south there are vast and picturesque coniferous forests. One type of such forest is called northern boreal, it is located between 50° and 60° northern latitude. Another type - coniferous forest temperate zone , grows at lower latitudes North America, Europe and Asia, at the high altitudes of the mountains.

Coniferous forests are found mainly in the northern hemisphere, although some can be found in the southern hemisphere.

This is the largest terrestrial biotope in the world and consists mainly of coniferous trees- trees on which needles grow instead of leaves, cones instead of flowers, and seeds develop in cones. Coniferous trees tend to be evergreen, meaning their needles are held up on the branches all year round. The only exception can be considered the genus of larches, whose needles turn yellow and fall off at the end of each summer. Such adaptations help plants survive in very cold or dry areas. Some of the most common species are spruce, pine and fir.

Precipitation in coniferous forests is from 300 to 900 mm per year, and in some forests of the temperate zone - up to 2000 m. The amount of precipitation depends on the location of the forest. In the northern boreal forests, winters are long, cold and dry, and summers are short, moderately warm, with plenty of moisture. At lower latitudes, precipitation is evenly distributed throughout the year.

Air temperature in pine and spruce forests- from -40° C to 20° C, the average summer temperature is 10° C.

Coniferous forests - an evergreen kingdom

Conifers grow where summers are short and cool and winters are long and harsh, with heavy snowfall that can last up to 6 months. The needle-shaped leaves have a waxy outer coating that prevents water loss in frosty weather. The branches, in turn, are soft and flexible and usually point downwards, so that snow easily rolls off them. Larches have been found in some of the coldest regions of our planet.

Evergreen forests consist mainly of species such as spruce, fir, pine and larch. The leaves of these trees are small and needle-like or scale-like, and most remain green all year round (evergreen). All conifers are able to live in cold and acidic soil.

All coniferous forests in the world are classified according to the following types:

• Eurasian coniferous forest with a dominant in the east Siberian pine, Siberian fir, Siberian and Daurian ( LAndsister-in-law Gmelin) larches. Scots pine and Scots spruce are important forest-forming species in Western Europe.
• WITHNorth American coniferous forest with a predominance of white spruce, black spruce and balsam fir.
• Tropicalth and subtropicalth coniferous forest with an abundance of cypresses, cedars and redwoods.

Northern coniferous forests, such as the coniferous forest in Siberia, are called taiga or boreal forests. They cover vast areas of North America from the Pacific to Atlantic Ocean and are located throughout Northern Europe, Scandinavia, Russia and throughout Asia through Siberia and Mongolia to northern China and northern Japan.

The duration of the growing season in boreal forests is 130 days.

Cypress trees, cedars and sequoias grow strictly vertically. The tallest of them can reach 110 m in height. The trees are usually pyramidal. The short side branches grow quite close together, but they are so flexible that the snow simply slides off.

(pine and larch predominate):

(spruce and fir predominate):

Life in a coniferous forest

The biome is noticeably higher compared to the tundra: there are 120-150 species of nesting birds alone, and up to 40-50 species of mammals. At the same time, biodiversity coniferous forests significantly inferior in its richness to tropical regions.

Even evergreen trees eventually lose their leaves and grow new ones. Needles fall on forest floor and form a thick spring carpet of pine needles. The light, usually acidic soils of coniferous forests are called podzols and have a compacted layer of humus that contains many mushrooms. Filamentous mushrooms help decompose needles that have fallen to the ground. These organisms provide nutrients from fallen pine needles back to the roots of the trees. But since the needles decompose very slowly, the soils under such trees have a low content of minerals and organic matter, and the number of invertebrates, such as earthworms there is very little in them.

Mosquitoes, flies and other insects are common inhabitants of coniferous forests, but due to low temperatures Few cold-blooded vertebrates such as snakes and frogs are present here. Birds of coniferous forests include woodpeckers, crossbills, wrens, hazel grouse, waxwings, grouse, hawks and owls. Common mammals include shrews, voles, squirrels, martens, moose, deer, lynxes and wolves.

Too little light penetrates through the thick canopy of coniferous trees. Due to the constant darkness in lower tier Only ferns and very few herbaceous plants grow. Mosses and lichens, on the contrary, are found everywhere on forest soil, trunks and branches of trees. Flowering plants very little.

Currently, extensive logging in the boreal forests may soon lead to their extinction.

The importance of coniferous forests

Coniferous forests are the world's main source of commercial timber. Their use has many advantages:

• Except in very cold areas, they grow quickly and can be cut down every 40-50 years.
• Many conifers make good neighbors.
• Frozen soil makes it easier for machinery and vehicles to access wood in winter.
• Softwood has many different uses - paper, construction and furniture, etc.
• Coniferous wood can be easily harvested like a crop using modern technology.

Acid rain

Over the past 50 years, coniferous forests around the world have been suffering from acid rain. The main reasons for which are:

• Air emissions sulfur dioxide power plants, industrial enterprises
• Increased emissions from power plants as well as from cars nitrogen oxides

These pollutants are carried air masses to the districts Western Europe. Fifty million hectares of forested areas in 25 European countries suffers from acid rain. For example, coniferous mountain forests in Bavaria are dying. There have been cases of damage to conifers, as well as deciduous trees in Karelia and Siberia.

The most common conifers:

• Norway spruce
• White spruce
• Black spruce
• Canadian hemlock
• Cedar of Lebanon
  
• European larch
  
• Common juniper (heather)
  
• Fir
• Podocarp
• Western pine
• Caribbean pine
• Scots pine
• lodgepole pine
• Fitzroya cypress