Category: Wild animals. Wild animals Representatives of wild and domestic animals
Lesson topic: Wild and domestic animals.
Target: give an idea of wild and domestic animals, their similarities and differences, show the diversity of domestic animals, their importance for humans.
Subject results:
know which animals are called wild and which are domestic (give definitions);
distinguish between wild and domestic animals;
give examples of wild and domestic animals;
talk about the importance of pets for humans.
Meta-subject results:
Master the actions of analysis, classification, classification known concepts;
answer simple and difficult questions;
use text information and independently prepared drawings to prepare answers to questions;
accept and maintain lesson objectives;
carry out self-checks and mutual checks, monitor success educational activities, if necessary, make adjustments;
answer final questions and evaluate your achievements in class.
interact in pairs and groups to solve educational problems;
Personal results:
Recognize the importance of domestic animals for humans, for their Everyday life.
Equipment: cards with the words “animals”, “wild”, “domesticated”, “who feeds”, “who builds”, “who cares”, “beasts”, “birds”, “fish”, “insects”, “wolf”, “benefits”, “communication”, “materials”, “food”, “help”; pictures of animals: cow, hedgehog, fox, squirrel, pig, bear, horse, hare; items for the bag: egg, mitten, belt, feather, students have arrows made of colored paper.
Organizational moment
Stand up straight, straighten your shoulders, raise your head, smile at each other. I wish you good work in class. Let the motto of our lesson be the words: “If you can do it yourself, teach someone else.”
2. Updating knowledge
There are different pictures on your desks. I will tell you a riddle, you need to guess it, the student who has the answer will come to the board and attach a picture.
1. The motley itself
Eats green
Gives white (cow)
2. Angry touchy-feely
Lives in the wilderness of the forest,
There are a lot of needles
And not a single thread. (hedgehog)
3. I’ve already run around the whole forest.
The tail flickers here and there
That's not a girl - beauty
This is a redhead... . (Fox)
4. Who deftly jumps through the trees
And flies up into the oak trees?
Who hides nuts in a hollow,
Drying mushrooms for the winter? (Squirrel)
5. In front - a snout,
At the back there is a hook,
In the middle is the back,
There are bristles on the back. (Pig)
6. Forest owner
Wakes up in the spring
And in winter, under the blizzard howl
He sleeps in a snow hut. (bear)
7. It wouldn’t be my work, it wouldn’t be my running,
You would live badly, man,
But in the age of the car and the motor
I'm afraid I'll be retiring soon. (Horse)
8. The scythe has no den,
He doesn't need a hole.
Legs save you from enemies,
And from hunger - bark. (Hare)
How to call in one word what is shown in the pictures? (Animals).
(The word “animals” appears on the board)
Well done, you did a good job. The task is as follows. Divide these pictures into two groups.
(Two students work at the board)
On what basis did you arrange these pictures?
What do you think will be the topic of our lesson today?
(Wild and domestic animals) Slide 2
(On the board are the words “wild”, “domestic”)
What questions will you ask yourself? (Find out how to distinguish between wild and domestic animals, when domestic animals appeared, who was the first domestic animal, what benefit does a person have from domestic animals)
Let's open the textbook on page 72 and read what we learn.
3. Mastering new content and its application.
So, animals can be divided into domestic and wild.
Which animals do you think are called wild and which are domestic?
The following questions will help us with this: who feeds? who builds housing? who takes care of the offspring?
(on the board “who feeds”, “who builds housing”, “who cares”)
Let's check the correctness of our assumptions. Slide 3 wild animals, slide 4 domestic animals
Let's check how you understand. Let's open the workbooks on p. 50.
Option 1 - highlights wild animals with a green pencil,
Option 2 in red pencil - pets
At the same time, a student with Down syndrome works with pictures, classifying wild and domestic animals.
( For those who quickly complete the task, a card is given with text about taming animals)
So, wild animals live in nature, but where did domestic animals come from?
All domestic animals were once wild. But even in ancient times, people tamed wild animals and they began to live next to them. Scientists suggest that the first domesticated animal was the wolf. Gradually, people domesticated other animals.
There is a picture of a “wolf” on the board
Domestic animals appeared in humans in different ways.
Wolves lived near the dwellings of ancient people, mainly digging in ancient garbage dumps and eating waste from human activity. Since wolves raised the alarm when approaching the camps of strangers or large predators people noticed this and began to use and develop these qualities. People began to catch puppies and use them for protection and hunting. The result is the appearance of dogs. This happened approximately 15,000 - 20,000 years ago.
Cats came to people when people began to engage in agriculture and the problem of exterminating rats and mice in barns arose. This happened about 10,000 years ago. All living domestic cats are descended from the Middle Eastern Libyan (Nubian) cat.
Sheep, pigs, goats, cows - appeared as a result of human hunting. A goat or pig was killed and eaten, goats, piglets, calves were fed and used in children's games and for training hunters. When famine occurred, these pets were eaten (now many wild tribes of people do the same). Then they came up with the idea of leaving them in captivity all the time, and even purposefully selecting the best from a human point of view. This is how livestock and poultry appeared. The first to domesticate were rams (mouflons - 10,000 years ago), then cows (turs - 7,500 years ago), and last horses (tarpans about 5,000 years ago). Chickens and turkeys were domesticated about 6,000 years ago.
4. Physical education minute
The deer has a big house
He looks out his window
Bunny runs through the forest
There's a knock on his door:
“Knock, knock, open the door
There's an evil hunter in the forest!
Open the door quickly
Give me your paw"
-The one who names the dwelling will sit:
wolf -...den, bear -...den, wasps -...nest, bees -...beehive, squirrels -...hollow, beaver -...hut, chicken -...chicken coop, horse -...stable, fox -...hole, hare -...under a bush
5. Continue working on the topic
What groups can these animals be divided into? Slide 6
On screen: chicken, rabbit, turkey, horse, goose, sheep
(Animals, birds)
On the board the words “animals”, “birds”
Do you know other types of pets? The riddle Slide 7 will help you with this
With a tail, not a beast.
With feathers, not a bird. (fish)
The word "fish" on the board
Domestic fish species include goldfish and carp
The hard-working… (bee) stored honey for the winter Slide 8
Which group do we include the bee in?
Insects
The word "insects" on the board
Students were given home Interesting Facts about the bee. Students present a message
Bees have five eyes.
Three at the top of the head and two at the front.
Pass to the hive
Bees have many enemies and “freeloaders”, so the entrance to the hive is reliably guarded by guards who are ready to attack at any moment. uninvited guest. No bee can enter someone else's hive. Each hive has a special smell that is not detectable by humans. Each bee stores this scent in a special cavity in its body. Flying up to the hive, the bee opens it and presents the smell to the guards as its own. business card or pass.
Bees in winter
Bees do not sleep in winter, so they need to store enough food for the winter.
Although it has many legs, Slide 9
Still can't run.
It crawls along the leaf,
The poor leaf will chew it all off. (Caterpillar)
But not ordinary, but very useful for humans. Called silkworm. Silkworms only eat mulberry trees. Silkworm caterpillars eat non-stop day and night. For many centuries, people kept silkworms at home and therefore, today these butterflies cannot survive without his care and tutelage. For example, caterpillars will not look for food, even if they are very hungry, they will wait for a person to feed them. Silkworm caterpillars curl cocoons, the shells of which consist of a continuous silk thread 300-900 m long, which is then used to make world-famous silk.
Working with the textbook
Here we come to next question: Why do people breed domestic animals? Let's turn to the textbook on p. 74. Look at the drawings and photographs. What do people get from pets? Connect the animal and the product obtained from them using colored paper arrows. Check your desk neighbor's work. Make a proposal based on your models.
At the same time, a student with Down syndrome distributes pictures of “who gives what”: cow - milk, chicken - egg, sheep - mittens, fur coat.
Thus, pets are a source of food and materials, such as wool, leather, feathers.
The words “food” and “materials” appear on the board.
Let's play the game "Magic Bag". They are in the bag various items. You must identify the object by touch and say thanks to whom it appeared.
(The bag contains: an egg, mittens, a belt, a feather)
But besides food, animals are great helpers to humans. On the board is the word “helpers.”
Another important quality in pets is that they are necessary for communication.
On the board is the word “communication.” Slide 11
6. Reflection.So let's review what we learned
(Based on the map that was obtained by placing the words on the board, the guys recount the material they covered).
Use flashcards to show your understanding of the lesson material. Red - understood very well
Yellow - I didn’t understand enough
Green - I don’t understand the topic and need help.
7. Lesson summary
Complete the sentence:
I liked it today...
Which animal would you like to know more about?
Did we find the answer to all the questions today?
8. Homework
IN workbook on page 50 No. 3, guess the riddles; in the textbook, pp. 74 -75, read “Legends about Animals.”
Slide 12 - well done. Grading
Wild animals are those representatives of the fauna that live in their natural environment. Wild animals are different from domestic ones appearance, behavioral characteristics and nutrition.
Unlike animals such as cats, dogs, cows, pigs and others, which humans tamed many centuries ago and made their assistants, wild animals have a slightly different type of perception of danger and motivation to explore the object of danger - humans. Representatives developed a cautious attitude towards people and fear of them wild fauna over the centuries.
Therefore, representatives of Homo sapience are often perceived by many wild animals as . The ability of wild animals to live near humans depends on a large number of factors. Many species of wild animals living for a long time not far from a person, they may not express fear and aggression explicitly, but their behavior is poorly adapted to keeping such animals at home.
The differences between animals domesticated by humans in the process of evolution and wild animals, whose natural habitat is nature, lie in biological features these types of animals.
Researchers identify two main types of behavior of wild animals. There are “social” species of wild animals, i.e. individuals of this species live in families in territories that do not intersect with each other and, as a rule, are not protected. “Territorial” species of wild animals are distinguished by the fact that contact between individuals occurs mainly during the period of mating and courtship of offspring. The last type includes predators.
In addition, the diet differs between wild and domestic animals. The body of most species of wild animals is oriented towards a natural diet. When keeping a wild animal at home, various diseases And fatal outcome can lead to eating even a menu that is as close as possible to the natural menu for a given species of wild fauna. In order for wild animals at home to feel good, active and healthy, it is necessary to give them live food. , a variety of fruits and meat must be provided when feeding wild animals.
These differences between domestic animals and animals for which natural environment habitat is wild nature, and are the reason that keeping a wild animal at home is associated with many difficulties and great responsibility for the breeder.
They bring joy to people. Our forests are beautiful, you can admire the sunlit lawns, but how spiritual this beauty becomes when a powerful bison appears between the trees, the fiery red fur of a fox flashes, or a slender deer with spreading antlers jumps into a clearing, or a doe timidly looks out with her cub. How people need to protect this unsurpassed living nature!
Wildlife protection - a matter of paramount importance. Moreover, now people, armed with powerful technology, are increasingly penetrating the environment in which wild animals live and jeopardizing their existence. Determined that main reason the death of many animal species - environmental changes under the influence of human activity. Therefore, now such attention is paid to the issue of scientifically based protection of animals and the environment.
Proper management of agriculture, forestry and hunting farms, establishment of reserves and sanctuaries, nature reserves and national parks greatly contributes to the successful solution of this important issue. And the fact that today in 100 countries of the world there are more than 1,100 protected areas that occupy a huge area - more than 235 million hectares, which is 1.6% of all land globe, gives reason to hope that humanity will be able to preserve its “younger”, and at the same time “elder brothers” - animals. Contributes to the protection of the animal world and the international cooperation scientists various countries in the field of environmental protection, in particular animals.
For a long time aroused people's craving for beauty. The perfection of their forms, grace and strength of movements, variety and beauty of color contributed to the development of aesthetic feelings.
Animals attracted and sometimes frightened people, which aroused their unflagging interest. Because of their usefulness or because they threatened life and limb, animals became objects of religious worship. This is how the fetishization of animals arose, and in some places it has survived to this day.
Cult of wild animals
IN Ancient Egypt- herself ancient country agriculture - many animals were considered sacred. The cult of the sacred bull Apis, which was revered as the earthly incarnation of the god Ptah, the patron of arts and crafts, was very widespread. The priests cared for these animals in temples built for them, and after death they were embalmed, decorated with jewelry and buried in huge granite sarcophagi (over 60 tons in weight) in special crypts. In the ibis (birds of a number of leprosy-like birds), the Egyptians saw the incarnation of Thoth (originally the god of the Moon, and later the god of wisdom, patron of the sciences).
They were surrounded with great honor and Nile crocodiles: they were decorated precious jewelry, fed with selected food. The Egyptian cobra, or gaya, was considered a symbol of wisdom and power. If someone, even unintentionally, killed a cat - also a sacred animal, then he paid for it with his life. And almost every Egyptian wore images of a dung beetle - a scarab - carved from stone. After all, the fact that the beetle rolled balls of dung on which it feeds was identified with the movement of the Sun across the sky, and the god of the Sun was Ra - the main of all gods, the creator of the world.
The cult of the bull and cow was widespread in many Asian and European countries. Its remains can still be found in India. Not only do these animals roam freely along the streets of big cities, in some areas, during the festival of the god Run, cows are washed, cleaned, sometimes decorated with flowers and placed in the bed of their owners, who at this time sleep in a barn on clean straw. In India, rhesus macaques are still considered sacred; there are so many of them there (up to 40 million) that they “harvest” a considerable share of the harvest from the fields. In Thailand, Laos, and India, white elephants (albinos) are sacred. Of the reptiles that are the object of worship in India, the cobra or spectacled snake, and in some places in Northern Burma - King Cobra, one of the most dangerous venomous snakes.
Wild animals as national symbols
Some animals have become national symbol countries, their images are found on coats of arms and state flags. In the United States of America, the emblem is the bald eagle. The coat of arms of Guatemala features the quezal, a freedom-loving bird of wondrous beauty, and the coat of arms of New Zealand features the wingless kiwi bird. The coats of arms and state flags of Austria, Iran, Poland, Ethiopia, Sri Lanka and other countries depict eagles and lions as symbols of power.
The craving for nature has increased in our time, when many, living in major cities, involuntarily move away from her. Animals that differ from others in the features of their structure or behavior, stand out in size, body shape, color, movement, number, and their usefulness or harmfulness attract great attention.
Wildlife Sanctuaries
In our country, nature reserves play an important role, which are the highest form of protection of natural areas. Now there are about 120 of them, and in the coming years it is planned to organize at least 25 more reserves. Then their total area will be 12.5 thousand hectares. In addition, there are about 1.5 thousand more nature reserves and several national parks. It was mainly thanks to the activities of nature reserves and reserves that it was possible to preserve and restore the number of 18 very rare species animals and about 30 species of birds.
The fact that bison exist today and their herds already number hundreds of individuals is the merit of Belovezhsky, Prioksko-Terassky and Caucasian reserves. If the kulan is still preserved, then we have the Badkhiz Nature Reserve (Turkmenistan) to thank for this. The oldest of our reserves, Barguzinsky (the north-eastern coast of Lake Baikal), played a huge role in the significant increase in the number of sables.
From final destruction river beaver saved by the creation of the Voronezh Nature Reserve. The Khopersky Nature Reserve contributes to the conservation of the muskrat, a rare fur-bearing animal. The ancient antelope - saiga - is protected by the Barsa-Kelmes Nature Reserve (an island on the Aral Sea).
Sikhote-Alinsky and Lazovsky Nature Reserves - a reliable refuge Ussuri tiger, sika deer and goral, Kandalaksha Nature Reserve - eider, a valuable northern duck, from which high-quality down is obtained.
Science in the wild
Ecological and environmental research in Ukraine in the system of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR has been carried out since the first years of its existence, but they have acquired a special scale in Lately. Ukrainian biologists conduct ecological and biogeocenological research in republican reserves (Chernomorsky, Askania-Nova, Karpatsky, Polessky, etc.). With the development of zoological science, with the discovery of new species and in-depth study of the organization and origin of animals, taxonomy was gradually improved, new ones were identified systematic units(even such large ones as types), the sequence of placement of individual units in the system changed.
Modern system is natural because it reflects the relationship of organisms and certain stages of their historical development.
Types in natural system placed in ascending, progressive order, from simple to complex, since this principle makes it possible to reflect the main stages of evolution organic world.
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Species of wild animals
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Rice. 2. Seal with baby ()
Rice. 3 and 4. Camel and turtle - inhabitants of deserts (), ()
All animals have adapted perfectly to their habitat.
There are animals that are excellent builders: spiders, beavers, ants (Fig. 6-8), and those that most Koalas and sloths spend their lives in the crown of a tree, where they sleep and feed on leaves.
Marsupials live on Earth. These include the well-known kangaroos, as well as marsupial devil and marsupial mouse (Fig. 9, 10).
Rice. 9 and 10. Marsupials: kangaroos and Tasmanian devil (), ()
There are animals with unusual appearance- platypus, starfish (Fig. 11, 12), or with unusual name: ah-ah, dressing, sleepyhead (Fig. 13, 14).
Rice. 11 and 12. Platypus and starburst (), ()
Rice. 13 and 14. Animals with strange names: ah-ah and dressing (), ()
The smallest mammal on Earth is the dwarf shrew, reaching a length of only 1 cm and weighing 3 grams (Fig. 15).
Rice. 15. Pygmy shrew ()
The largest land animal is African elephant(Fig. 16).
Rice. 16. African elephant ()
The largest animal on earth is blue whale(Fig. 17), the fastest runner is the cheetah (Fig. 18), and the swimmer is the sailfish (Fig. 19), the strongest is the ant, and the rhinoceros beetle can lift 850 times its weight.
Rice. 17. Blue whale ()
Rice. 19. Sailfish ()
The tallest animal is the giraffe (Fig. 20), and the most toothy is the garden snail. There are animals like glass frog, flying dog, drop fish, dwarf horse (Fig. 21-23). And this list can be extended indefinitely. You can learn about them from books, encyclopedias, the Internet, and television.
Rice. 21. Glass frog ()
Rice. 22. Drop fish ()
Rice. 23. Flying dog ()
All animals are part of living nature. What they all have in common is that they are born, breathe, eat, grow, give birth and die. In this they are similar to plants. They differ from plants in the way they feed. Animals can eat both plants (herbivores), other animals (carnivores), and plants and animals (omnivores).
Scientists divided all the animals into groups. The most numerous class of living creatures on Earth are insects. To date, more than 1 million species of these creatures have been described and studied. The actual number of insects may be many times higher. Latin name insects is translated as “divided into segments.” All insects have 3 parts: head, chest and abdomen (Fig. 24).
Rice. 24. Structure of insects ()
They can have from 2 to 10 eyes, but they must have 6 legs. This is how they differ from all other animals. The hearing organ in insects can be not only on the head, but also on the limbs, like in a grasshopper (Fig. 25).
Rice. 25. Grasshopper ()
Antennae help insects detect odors. Daytime butterflies feel flowers with their front paws. Some insects (bumblebees, butterflies) feed on flower nectar and pollen, aphids suck out plant sap, wood-boring beetles suck wood, but all of them are herbivorous insects (Fig. 26, 27).
Rice. 26 and 27. Mourning grass and aphids are herbivorous insects (), ()
Ladybugs hunt for aphids, dragonflies eat flies and mosquitoes - therefore such insects are classified as predators (Fig. 28, 29).
Rice. 28 and 29. Insect predators - ladybug and dragonfly flat (), ()
Red forest ants can feed on everything - insects, nectar, plants - that is why they are called omnivores (Fig. 30). It must be remembered that ants protect the forest from beetles and caterpillars that gnaw leaves. Therefore, you need to take care of them and not destroy anthills.
Rice. 30. Ants are omnivorous insects ()
There are insects that humans have domesticated. These include the honey bee and the silkworm, whose caterpillars produce natural silk (Fig. 31, 32).
Every schoolchild knows that there is much more water on Earth than land. Water can be fresh or salty. Another class of animals lives in it - fish. The body of fish is covered with scales and mucus. In most fish, the shape is elongated and compressed at the sides, and the head smoothly merges into the body and tail. Fish breathe oxygen, which is dissolved in water. They eat differently. Among the fish there are herbivores (silver carp, grass carp (Fig. 33, 34)), predators (pike and perch (Fig. 35, 36)) and omnivores (crucian carp and carp).
Rice. 33 and 34. Herbivorous fish: silver carp, grass carp (), ()
Rice. 35 and 36. Predator fish: pike and perch (), ()
Fish are the most ancient of vertebrates (Fig. 37).
Rice. 37. Coelacanth fish ()
Their sizes vary from 1 cm (dwarf gobies) to 10 and more meters (whale shark) (Fig. 38, 39).
Rice. 38 and 39. Pygmy goby and whale shark (), ()
There is a huge amount amazing fish- flying and climbing fish, dangerous piranhas, as well as moon fish, stone fish, sword fish, rooster fish (Fig. 40-42). Man has learned to breed some types of fish on fish farms, such as trout.
Rice. 40, 41, 42. Moon fish, stone fish, rooster fish (), ()
Another class of animals is amphibians or amphibians. These include frogs, toads, newts, and salamanders (Fig. 43-46). They are always born in water, and adult individuals can live both in water and on land. Their larvae breathe with gills, while adults breathe only with their lungs. The skin of amphibians is always bare and is involved in respiratory processes. Frogs can even absorb water with their skin. The temperature of amphibians depends on the ambient temperature, so in the winter or during the cold season they fall asleep. All amphibians are predators.
Rice. 43 and 44. Frog and Toad (), ()
Rice. 45 and 46. Triton and salamander (), ()
Once upon a time, reptiles, or reptiles, dominated the Earth. They were the first to populate the land. Many reptiles, such as dinosaurs, became extinct long ago (Fig. 47).
Rice. 47. Tyrannosaurus ()
Modern reptiles (crawling) turtles, snakes, crocodiles, and lizards live mainly in warm and hot countries (Fig. 48, 49).
Rice. 48 and 49. Turtle and crocodile - reptiles (), ()
Some species of lizards and snakes also live in the Russian Federation. In winter they sleep, and therefore you can only see them in the warm season ( marsh turtle, viper (Fig. 50), sand lizard). The skin of most reptiles is dry and covered with scales or scutes. Reptiles can live both in water and on land.
Scientists believe that it originated from small dinosaurs. special group animals - birds, for example from Archeopteryx (Fig. 51).
Rice. 51. Archeopteryx - possible ancestor birds ()
Birds are also called birds because they are the only ones with feathers. Feathers protect the bird from scratches and blows, from heat and cold, from getting wet and drying out. Birds have different feathers - it all depends on their lifestyle. The bird's skeleton consists of hollow bones, it is light and durable. Birds fly with the help of tail feathers and wings. Birds do not have teeth, but they have a bony process - a beak. Its shape can be different, from it you can determine what the birds eat. Birds are common on all continents. There are waterfowl (swan, duck (Fig. 52, 53)), birds of prey (owl, hawk, eagle (Fig. 54, 55)), flightless (penguins, kiwi (Fig. 56, 57)), running (ostrich ( Fig. 58)). There are city birds that have adapted to live near human habitation (pigeon, sparrow, crow).
The fauna is, of course, very huge and diverse. It attracts with its unknownness and beauty. Domestic and wild animals are very interesting for children. Kids, of course, need to be told about the life of animals, their habits and characteristics, how they live in conditions wildlife. Important and very topical issue is the proper maintenance of animals at home, as well as their role in our lives.
The world around us: domestic and wild animals
The world is huge and rich in a variety of animals. Among them there are both cute domestic fluffies, which we have known since childhood, and evil wild predators. The life of domestic animals is certainly interesting, but much more informative is information about wild fauna, about which we know so little.
Most of the animals live in forests. It is they who received the name - wild animals. Many of them are very dangerous predators. And others are quite cute and harmless little animals that live in all corners of the globe. We can say that they are all united by one single goal - survival.
Pets
As you understand, pets are those animals that live next to humans. People support them, take care of them, giving them food and a home. Some types of pets bring very specific benefits to their owners. For example, they provide food (milk, cottage cheese, meat, eggs), materials (leather, wool) or perform work (guard, transport goods, help in agriculture). On the other hand, pets are friends who have long lived side by side with a person and share his home, helping to spend leisure time together.
For residents of megacities, pets are, rather, family members that they take care of, play with, and go on vacation. So the life of domestic animals in urban conditions is completely unrelated to bringing any benefit to humans. Rather, on the contrary, people care about the comfortable living of animals, which do not face the difficult task of obtaining food.
The role of domestic animals in human life
It must be said that wild and domestic animals are quite different. Nevertheless, they all play an important role in Let’s start, for example, with domestic animals.
Their role in our lives depends on what goals we set for ourselves when getting a pet for ourselves or for a child. Dogs protect us and are our friends. Cats and other furry creatures are our favorites. We take them into the house for our own pleasure. Another thing is that these species include cows, camels, ponies, sheep, horses, pigs, oxen, goats and many others.
However, it would be unfair if we did not remember that absolutely all domestic animals descended from wild ones. But in the process of his purposeful activity, man selected among them the best specimens with the necessary characteristics, until he achieved the development of certain agricultural breeds. Such domestic animals are usually kept in special buildings (cowsheds, chicken coops, pigsties, stables, sheds, enclosures). Generally, their productivity depends on how well they are cared for and fed.
Wild and domestic animals have very different diets. Unlike domestic animals, wild ones have to take care of their “dinner” on their own every time. Agricultural species are located on full content person. However, even such breeds are bred not only for benefit, but also for pleasure. For example, horses are purchased for equestrian sports and riding, rabbits are used for decorative purposes.
Historical excursion
They started ten to fifteen thousand years ago, during the period when people began to move to sedentary lifestyle life and agriculture. After the hunt, wounded, weak individuals who had lagged behind the herd were often killed. Such animals remained close to the people who cared for them, providing protection and food. And they, in turn, provided food. It also happened that wolf cubs that grew up near human settlements got so used to it that they stayed with people forever and even went hunting with them. So gradually man acquired pets, which subsequently began to benefit him.
Taming animals was not an easy task. After all, people once kept antelopes, cheetahs, cranes, aurochs, wild boars, mouflons and argali at home. People watched and cared for them. The animals gradually changed. Of course, the process was very long.
Wild animals
Wild animals live in the wild. Unlike domestic species, no one cares about them. They get their own food, protect themselves, breed and raise their offspring. Of course, such a life is much more difficult and more dangerous. It is necessary to wage a daily struggle for survival. A comparison of wild and domestic animals in this sense is hardly possible, since different conditions their lives.
Wild animals are very diverse, they live a large number of Worldwide. Let's give an example of just a few of them: bears, foxes, lynxes, moose, hares, seals, tigers, cheetahs, elephants, giraffes. It’s simply impossible to count them all.
Life of wild animals in winter
Wild animals especially suffer in winter. During this period it is quite difficult for them. This is due, first of all, to the fact that it is becoming much more less food, and it’s more difficult to extract it when the ground is covered with a thick layer of ice and snow. Of course, all animals are adapted to such natural conditions. Nevertheless, it is still very difficult for them to survive at times. IN winter time some animals change the color of their fur (foxes and hares), others hibernate, like badgers and bears, others make provisions for themselves cold period like a squirrel. Everyone prepares for the arrival of cold weather in their own way.
Wild animals live very differently in winter. Some are saved by food supplies and warm houses (squirrels), others sleep, using up summer fat reserves (bears), and still others get food even in cold weather.
The importance of wild animals in people's lives
Wild and domestic animals clearly provide benefits to people. We have already discussed the role of domestic species earlier. Let's now talk about wild animals.
I must say that they are also useful for us, because they give us:
- I'm eating. In many regions of the world, the meat of wild animals is used for food. The fact is that wild representatives of the animal world are more adapted to life, and therefore more productive. For example, hunting species include wild boars, roe deer, hares, beavers, muskrats, foxes, wolves and many others. Don't forget about fish and birds. Fishing is generally widely used by people. In addition to fish farming in specialized farms, they also fish in the seas, rivers and oceans.
- Leather and fur. Wild animals are a source of beautiful natural fur. There is no way to replace them with artificial products, either in warmth or beauty. There are also special farms where such representatives are raised for fur. wild species, like fox, muskrat, rabbit, arctic fox. All of them are valued for their beautiful and warm fur. And the number of animals in the wild is not able to provide us with the necessary skins. Therefore, people began to breed some species in artificial conditions.
- Medicinal and perfumery substances that are used in pharmaceuticals and perfumery.
In addition, wild animals in any case remain, so to speak, the gene pool of livestock farming. By crossing them with domestic species, you can get new breeds with better performance.
People use animals to combat environmental pollution. Animals act as a kind of indicators. It’s no secret that animals react very sensitively to the slightest changes in environment, which means that their behavior can be used to judge environmental pollution.
In addition, animals help humans in searching for certain types of minerals, forecasting weather and earthquakes. Many examples can be given. Absolutely all animals know in advance about the upcoming earthquake. Fish and jellyfish, for example, can sense the approach of a storm.
And do not forget that animals are carriers of plant seeds in nature. And this is very important in the cycle of biological processes.
Wild pets
The increasing pace of urbanization has led to people increasingly wanting to interact with wildlife. If a hundred years ago it was customary to keep only cats and dogs at home, now hamsters, hares, jerboas, chinchillas, otters, monkeys, hedgehogs and many other representatives of wildlife are in fashion. The “Wild Pets” project has been sufficiently implemented. In fact, many wild animals began to live in our houses like family. And this no longer seems something unusual and exotic. Of course, these are not exactly the same species that exist in the wild. After all, some of them were subject to crossing to breed best breeds. However, these are not the same pets that lived next to humans before.
Instead of an afterword
They are wild and play a big role in the life of humanity. In our article we gave only some examples of the usefulness and necessity of animals. In fact, their sphere of influence on our lives is much greater. We just don’t always think about it and sometimes cause irreparable damage to nature through our actions.