Sacred monkey of the Hindus. Animals of India - sacred and ordinary Animal world of India

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

Many inhabitants of the post-Soviet space imagine a monkey as a sweet and docile creature. The reason for this is good fairy tales and cartoons from the times of the USSR. Meanwhile, Rudyard Kipling was largely truthful when describing the evil banderlogs.

Thailand has long been particularly popular among Russian-speaking tourists. India has not been far behind in this indicator for some time now. But among polite Indians and smiling Thais there are more and more often local residents, much less friendly. Active cutting forest areas in these countries has led to the fact that all large quantity monkeys move to cities. Having found there a good food supply and favorable conditions for living and leisure, the animals establish themselves in a new territory and begin to reproduce randomly. At the same time, both Thais and Indians traditionally give monkeys a certain sacred status, so there is no talk of shooting emigrants from the jungle. And measures such as sterilization give disappointing results.

Abusing permissiveness, the monkeys of India and Thailand diligently spoil public and private property, break TV antennas, chewing through communication wires. Moreover, the researchers noticed that primates are capable of conscious, deliberate hooliganism. In the process of creating nasty things, they act secretly, constantly look around and are ready to give a go. A separate sad topic for conversation is monkey kleptomania. Macaques, monkeys and other furry brethren steal not only food, but also things for human use, which are absolutely useless for animals. Swarms of monkeys stage devastating raids not only on the gardens of villagers, but also on houses and even apartments. There are cases where in India hordes of monkeys literally captured entire villages. It should be noted that while local residents are at least able to repel aggressors, tourists have a much more difficult time in this war. In the first half of 2013, 600 people were injured in monkey attacks in the Thai province of Krabi, including 450 foreign tourists.

The greatest trouble that primates can cause is physical attack. Urban monkeys, naturally, are not capable of ferocious reprisals in the spirit of an angry male gorilla - they are not that strong. But bites or scratches will require serious treatment from the victim: a minimum of tetanus vaccinations. Therefore, tourists should adopt some simple techniques, which, by the way, work great with our quite European dogs. From the main point: do not provoke primates. If your child is accustomed, due to your oversight, to teasing monkeys in the zoo, then keep in mind that in both India and Thailand animals are not fenced off with bars, they walk wherever they want and do whatever they want, disregarding laws, codes and others regulations local administration. Don't smile at cute monkeys! Copying in many ways human facial expressions, primates do not recognize smiles; for them, a smile is a demonstration of teeth, a grin. There is no need to be afraid of excessive monkey attention and run away - for the pack this can be a signal to attack. To drive away the tailed hooligan, sometimes it is enough to take a stick - the monkeys will realize that they are about to be beaten and will go in search of another victim. If a monkey persistently tries to take away the sandwich you recklessly decided to snack on right on the street, a reasonable solution would be to simply give the food back. There are known cases when a lone monkey, trying to take away fruit or chocolate from a tourist, received a slap on the wrist from him and immediately gathered a whole gang of associates with screams. Therefore, do not even think about beating beggars - it is not only unethical, but also dangerous. You should be especially careful if a whole flock led by a leader is interested in you.

Photo: stuartshepherd.co.uk

It happens that insolent monkeys simply surround the tourist and do not allow him passage. In this case, a brave throw of a banana (or any food product) as far and to the side as possible will help. The flock will quickly rush after the prey, and you will be able to retreat quietly. There is also no shame in asking any local passerby for help - primates clearly separate tourists from natives. Some guests in India said that extortion monkeys are especially afraid of the police and will flee the crime scene at the mere sight of an official uniform. It is also a smart idea to follow the warning signs about the dangers of feeding monkeys. Treat one cute animal and you will get several dozen who want to receive no less goodies. And given that the primates are accustomed to the generous gifts of tourists, they will brazenly terrorize any guest of the country for food. Watch your children especially carefully and be always nearby: monkeys can mistake children for play partners, and during such “fun” scratches and even bites are possible.

Photo: isastudentblog.wordpress.com

A lot of work will be required from you to preserve your belongings. Monkeys are not only skillful at stealing on the streets, they can easily break into homes, and they have enough ingenuity to climb into, for example, a refrigerator. Keep in mind, even if you check into a fairly high floor of the hotel, this will not be a hindrance for the monkey. And when you go out onto the balcony of the fifth floor, for example, to admire the morning Delhi, do not be surprised when you come across the demanding gaze of a macaque waiting for you. Thieves confidently open backpacks and bags; a zipper lock is no longer a hindrance for them; they deftly rip off any jewelry from hands and necks. Be prepared to meet monkey criminal groups not only in the middle of a park or boulevard, but also in cafes, supermarkets and even in government offices.

Be careful during a photo shoot: cute monkeys may willingly pose, but then steal the camera as a fee. When going on a city tour, remove all items of clothing that can be grabbed and torn off: belts, waistbands, phone cases, purses. Take care of your hats; monkeys do not wear hats or caps, but do not miss the opportunity to rip them right off their heads. If you wear glasses, be prepared for some monkey to steal them. Women should not use bright and shiny hair clips - monkeys often grab them for unknown purposes. Hold any valuables tightly to you; If the furry villain fails to steal the item using the element of surprise, he will most likely escape. If you use a car when visiting India, leave it in the parking lot, remove the windshield wipers, the antenna and hide everything inside the cabin that the monkeys can tear off - they will definitely try.

Photo: framework.latimes.com

In many countries in the East Asian region, monkeys behave in a decorous and well-mannered manner. But when visiting the cities, resorts and beaches of Thailand and India, be prepared to encounter monkey mayhem. And don't be fooled by appearances: cute and funny animal can cause a lot of trouble.

Photo: thecrowdedplanet.com

Order - Primates / Suborder - Dry-nosed / Infraorder - Apes / Parvoorder - Narrow-nosed monkeys/ Superfamily - Dog-headed / Family - Marmosets / Genus - Macaques

History of the study

Indian macaque, or bonnet macaque (lat. Macaca radiata) is one of the species of macaques.

The Indian macaque has been identified as separate species individuals of their monkey family back in the early 19th century - in 1812. However, until now, for more than two hundred years, there has been a debate about their further classification, since many believe that there are two more subspecies of these animals. However, no one can yet accurately determine and confirm the presence of such diversity, since even if there are other species, they live in very close connection with each other.

Spreading

Habitats of the species: mountainous rainforests India, sometimes go to cities.

Appearance

Adults, both male and female, have approximately the same height - from 40 to 60 cm. However, their sexual division can be distinguished differently external sign– proportionality of the tail. With the same body length, the length of their tails ranges from 55 cm (in females) to 70 cm (in males). The mass of primates of this species is small. So in females the weight is about five kilograms, and in males 7–8 kg.

The structure of the head of bonnet macaques has its own characteristics. They have a completely flat profile, and their skin is light brown. Also in its structure you can find cheek pouches, which is explained by their type of nutrition. As a rule, they store small plants and nuts in these compartments.

The color of the coat has a light brown tint and is almost uniform, as is its strong density.

Lifestyle

The ideal habitat for these animals is the tropical forests of India, which are located in mountainous areas. Slopes are most comfortable for these monkeys, which every now and then descend to the ground. They are diurnal animals and sleep at night on tree branches.

live Indian macaques in large flocks. Thus, on one branched tree located on a slope, a friendly family of up to 80 individuals can huddle.

The hierarchical system of relationships is based on maternal kinship. Young females remain in their native herd even after reaching sexual maturity, while males at this age are forced to leave the herd.

Nutrition

Macaque feeding ripe fruits, leaves, insects, as well as crops on agricultural plantations - grains, rice, peanuts, coconuts and coffee beans.

Number

Thanks to such large communities, as well as the unpretentious nature of their habitat and animal protection measures in India, Indian bonnet macaques are not in danger of extinction in the near future.

Ecology

Animal world for Hindus - 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 posed a danger, so the locals knew very 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 there are about 500 tigers.

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.