The hare and the hare are green pages of the world around us. Children's stories online

Hares found on the territory of the European part of our Union belong to two various types(Fig. 335). The white hare is common in the forest belt (it is also found far in Siberia), and in the more southern regions the brown hare lives - European look, which only recently crossed the Urals.

IN middle lane, for example, in the Moscow region, both species are found, but they live in areas of different nature: the hare is a real forest animal, while the hare lives in more open places - it lives in copses, bushes, fields, steppes and floodplains meadows and often gets into gardens and vegetable gardens.

The differences between both species - the hare and the hare - correspond to the characteristics of their distribution. The white hare, whose entire coat turns white during the winter (except for the black tips of the ears), extends its distribution further to the north, where the snow cover lies more for a long time and where protective painting to match the color of snow is especially important vital meaning(remember other similar examples).

In the hare, which is distributed to the extreme south of our Union, where snow does not lie for long, the whitening of the coat is much less pronounced and top part the back always remains gray.

Compared to the hare, the hare has a shorter tail (Fig. 336) and shorter ears (if the ear is bent forward, it does not reach the end of the nose); this feature is also important in northern winter conditions. Further, the hare has wider paws, allowing it to run on loose forest snow (they can be likened to skis), while the hare has more “knocked down” paws, getting stuck in loose snow, but well adapted to running on frozen pasture in open steppe spaces.

The composition of their usual food is somewhat different for both types of hares. The hare who lives closer to the villages often visits crops, climbs into hay barns, eats hay from stacks, gnaws cabbage stalks in vegetable gardens and gnaws on bark. fruit trees in gardens (to protect gardens from hares, a thick thorn fence is used, tree trunks are coated with a special lime compound and tied with prickly spruce paws).

In winter, the hare has to be content mainly with the branches and bark of young aspens, birches and willows. In summer, hares have a more varied diet: they eat various greens, mushrooms, and the hare also eats vegetables in the gardens.

The relatedness of both species is expressed in the fact that in the intermediate regions where they occur together, they occasionally form in natural conditions crossbreeds known as cuff hares (compare with black grouse from crossing wood grouse with black grouse).

Of course, the process of species separation of the hare and hare (as well as several other Asian and North American hares) took place in the past, and we can judge it only by the finished results. But even within these species, local forms, or subspecies, have already formed that are less different from each other and can easily interbreed.

Thus, experts distinguish more than a dozen subspecies of hare and the same number of subspecies of hare in Europe and Northern Asia.

Without describing all these forms, we will focus on two of them - one subspecies of hare, which obviously has a long origin, and one local form of hare, which arose quite recently.

Our first example is the hare found in Ireland. By all essential features, it must be recognized as a hare, however, unlike its continental relatives, this hare does not turn white for the winter (on this basis, some zoologists consider it not a subspecies, but special kind). The origin of this feature will be quite clear if we remember the mild climate of Ireland and the fact that Ireland has long been separated from the European mainland by wide sea straits. Here is an example of a local form.

The second example relates to our domestic fauna. As mentioned above, the hare avoids continuous forests, but settles inside the former forest belt when the former forests are cut down forest areas. Thus, over the last hundred years, the Rusak, in its settlement to the north, reached the upper reaches of the Kama, and in the east, it circled the Ural Mountains and penetrated into southern part Western Siberian Plain.

Along with the settlement over a hundred years, the type of hare here has also changed. The hare's growth increased, the winter color of its fur turned white, and it became thicker, longer and fluffier.

The signs of the new eastern form of the hare are clearly adaptive in nature, corresponding to the special conditions in these areas environment: winters here are harsher and longer, and therefore hares with less thick fur endured frosts worse, weaker white hares were more often prey for predators; In addition to the density of fur, larger body sizes also contributed to survival.

Using the example of the Siberian form of the hare, formed over a very short term(before the eyes of the generation still alive!), the creative role is clearly visible natural selection, changing in a certain direction the population (set of individuals) of a given species, which finds itself in new physiographic conditions.

This mammal of the genus of hares is remarkable, first of all, for its large sizes: body length more than half a meter, sometimes reaching up to 70 cm, and weight: for hares from 4 to 5 kg, and for hares up to 7 kg.

Brown hare distributed across all continents, and due to its abundance, it is well studied by scientists and naturalists, and its appearance and habits are well known to all nature lovers. Appearance brown hare It is quite characteristic, and it is not difficult to distinguish it from its relatives - representatives of the order Lagomorpha.

The animal's eyes have an original reddish-brown tint. The animal's physique is fragile, and noticeably more long ears, limbs and tail (dark on top and wedge-shaped) are significant hare difference from white hare.

The color of the animal is interesting in its variety, because animals molt and change their colors twice in the annual cycle. How can you be sure photo of a brown hare, in summer its silky and shiny coat is distinguished by brown, brown-olive, ocher-gray and reddish color scheme.

A hare hare in winter significantly whitens. However, it is never snow-white, which is especially noticeable in the dark areas of the fur on the front part of the back, as well as in the color of the fur on the ears and head of the hare.

This detail of appearance is another of the many signs by which a hare hare can be distinguished when meeting, for example, it is a brother, in winter period having a perfect snow-white color, with the exception of the tips of the ears that turn black in snowy areas, due to which the hare becomes completely invisible in the winter landscape.

In the photo there is a brown hare in winter

Brown hares are found in Europe and Asia, as well as in Australia and South America. They successfully acclimatized and took root in some North American territories and in New Zealand, where they were specially brought for breeding.

In Russia, the animals are distributed throughout the European part, right up to Ural mountains, are also found in Asian territory: from Siberia to the Far Eastern outskirts. They inhabit forest-steppes and steppes, also populating mountainous areas and densely forested areas.

Although they prefer open spaces most of all, which is typical sign of a brown hare. But most of all, these animals love to settle on agricultural lands with rich deposits of grain crops.

Character and lifestyle of the brown hare

Commitment to, once chosen, habitat is very characteristic of brown hare, A description The way of life of these animals should begin with the remark that these animals are not prone to migrations and long journeys.

Inhabiting small areas (no more than 50 hectares), they settle there for a long time. Perhaps only those of them that live in the mountains descend to their foothills in winter, and when the snow melts, they rise back again.

They can only be forced to leave their habitual place sudden change weather conditions, environmental disasters and other emergency circumstances. Nightlife animals prefer daytime.

And in daylight hours for days the animals hide in their burrows, which are usually built near bushes and trees. Sometimes animals occupy the abandoned homes of other animals:, and.

Like all representatives of the genus of hares, hare moults from head to limbs twice a year. Spring and autumn molt, which last from 75 to 80 days, completely changes view of a brown hare, which helps the animals blend in surrounded by nature, depending on the surrounding landscapes of different seasons, and be less noticeable to their enemies, from which only long legs save hares.

The ability to run very fast is another advantage of these animals. And the maximum hare speed, which he can develop into extreme conditions on good and firm soil, reaches up to 70-80 km/h. In the genus of hares, this is a kind of record.

In the speed of its legs, the hare is significantly superior to its fellow hare, the white hare, moving much faster than it and jumping much further. However, Russians are less adapted to unfavorable conditions weather conditions, and often their numbers are significantly reduced in harsh winters.

Brown hare, How and the white hare, have long been a favorite object of commercial and sport hunting. And a great many of these animals are killed every year for their sake. delicious meat and warm skins.

Nutrition

Brown hares are typical herbivores, eagerly eating a variety of grains, buckwheat, sunflowers, chicory, alfalfa, clover, rapeseed and dandelions. At night, in search of food, wanting to satiate its stomach, the brown hare travels up to several kilometers, testing the strength of its long legs.

Settling on agricultural lands, these animals can greatly damage the harvest of vegetable gardens, orchards and winter crops, actively eating human-grown grains and melons, vegetables and fruits. The proximity of Russians can be so unpleasant to human civilization that it often becomes a real disaster.

And in some countries, for example, in Australia, hare are even declared to pose a serious danger, pests. In winter, in the absence good nutrition, the brown hare is content with gnawing the bark, often bringing not only bushes, but even large trees to a disastrous state.

These animals prefer to feast on broom, hazel, oak or maple, while white hares usually choose aspen or willow for their meals (and this is another difference between these prominent representatives kind of hares).

Tearing up the snow with their paws, the hare diligently dig out plant food and tree seeds from under it. And other animals, for example, partridges, which are not able to clear snow on their own, often manage to benefit from the fruits of their efforts.

In the spring, hares actively eat young shoots of plants, their leaves and stems, often damaging the roots of shrubs and trees that are just beginning to grow, and in the summer they eat their seeds.

Reproduction and lifespan of the brown hare

Brown hares are quite fertile, but the number of offspring is highly dependent on the time of year, the age of the hare giving birth to offspring, and the climate of the area in which these animals live.

IN Western Europe On average, female hare bears up to five litters per year. One litter can have from 1 to 9 hares. And the breeding season, coming with the arrival of spring, ends in September.

While in hotter countries it starts literally in January and continues until late autumn. The most prolific are middle-aged hares.

Gestation lasts 6-7 weeks. Before giving birth to rabbits, females build simple grass nests or dig small holes in the ground.

Baby hares that are born weigh on average about 100 grams, their body is covered with fluffy fur, and with open eyes they are already ready to look at the world around them.

In the first days they feed on mother's milk, but after ten days they become so capable that they themselves try to absorb grass food, becoming more and more adapted to this type of food every day.

And at the age of one month they are already ready to go out into the big and unfamiliar world to begin adulthood. independent life. The lifespan of hares is short-lived, and usually in the wild they rarely live more than seven years. In addition, quite a lot of animals die and in more early age.

However, they reproduce extremely quickly, therefore, despite the fact that they are game animals, the population of hare is not in danger today.

4th ed. - M .: 2017 - 224 p. 15th ed. - M.: 2012 - 224 p.

Book for junior schoolchildren, dedicated to the nature of his native country and native land, contains stories - pages. They introduce you to the amazing natural diversity - from the grass at the doorstep to birds and animals. Particular attention is paid to revealing environmental connections in the surrounding world. The book is intended for use in lessons and in extracurricular activities, for independent reading. It will be interesting not only for children, but also for teachers and parents who, together with their child, will want to meet the unique world of living nature.

Format: pdf (2017 , 224 pp.)

Size: 46 MB

Watch, download:drive.google

Format: pdf ( 2012 , 224 pp.)

Size: 39.6 MB

Watch, download:drive.google

CONTENT
GREEN PAGES OF THE BOOK OF NATURE 3
Page one, which talks about the grass near our house 4
Bird buckwheat -
From the life of a dandelion 6
Yarrow 8
Sour but tasty 9
Burdock, aka burdock 11
The bitterest herb 12
Green Traveler 13
Make friends with nettle 15
Wasteland Dweller 17
Page two, where we talk about the first flowers welcoming spring 19
The bravest -
Giver of honey 20
Hasty Corydalis 22
Anemone 23
Vigorous, fresh, washed 25
Goose onion 26
Dream-inducing grass 28
Keys to summer 29
Page three, written with the hope that flowers will always bloom on Earth 31
Page four - about trees 34
About birch and Birch juice -
Strength and weakness of oak 37
Tree-city dweller 40
Bold Tree 43
Page five, whose heroes are mosses 46
Below the grass -
From the Arctic to Antarctica 47
Where does moss begin 49
Living sponge 50
Kukushkin flax, ostrich feather and others 51
Page six - about mushrooms 53
Not plants or animals -
Why mushrooms in the forest 54
His Majesty Boletus 56
Insidious doubles 58
Wolf tobacco, hare potatoes 60
Going for mushrooms 62
Page seven, almost fabulous, which invites you to visit the lichens 63
Dressing room of the forest king -
Scale, leafy, bushy 65
Union of mushroom and algae 66
Yagel 68
Centenarians 70
Lichens are leaving cities 71
Page eight, the events of which take place in the web kingdom 73
Page nine - about the complex relationship between humans and insects 77
Page ten - about dragonflies 81
Just -
Big-eyed hunters 82
Life underwater 84
Take care of dragonflies! 86
Page eleven, the heroes of which are lacewings, also known as florists 87
First meeting -
Egg on a thin stalk 89
"Evil lions" and a running doll 90
Defenseless beauties 93
Page twelve - about beetles 94
Who in the world is more than anyone -
May beetle and its relatives 95
Beetle on the road 98
Talking bug 100
Big water lover 103
Six-legged deer 105
Without them the Earth would be bored 106
Page thirteen, almost detective - about dangerous criminal among insects 107
Verbal portrait -
His first “case” 108
He goes beyond all limits 109
He changes clothes 110
He's hiding 112
Who will win? 113
Page fourteen - about the extraordinary life of an ordinary ladybug 114
"Sun" -
Name on the wings 115
Three lives of a ladybug 117
Deceptive appearance 119
Migratory... beetles 120
Where do cows spend the winter 122
Trouble! 123
Page fifteen is the most colorful because it talks about butterflies 124
170 thousand species -
Pollen on motley wings 126
How many legs does a caterpillar have? 127
Unusual duty 129
The Dangerous Life of an Admiral 130
Blueberry in an anthill 132
Mysterious Hawk Moths 133
Fading Rainbow 135
Page sixteen, which talks about how insects hibernate 137
Page seventeen, the heroes of which are insects, and the time of action is spring 141
The first butterflies -
Hooray! The flies have woken up! 143
Take care of the bumblebees! 144
Ants that remember everything 146
Page eighteen - about frogs and toads, which many people do not like at all 149
Their trouble is our fault -
What types of frogs and toads are there 151
Similar but different 153
Link in an unbreakable chain 154
Page nineteen - about the life of birds in autumn 156
Where, how and when? -
Who's left? 162
Help the birds! 166
Page twentieth - about those birds that stay with us in winter 168
Crossbills -
Tap dance 170
Bullfinch 172
Woodpeckers 173
Korolek 175
Pika and nuthatch 176
Page twenty-one - about the life of birds in spring 178
The starlings have arrived -
Singing in blue sky 180
Finch's "flourish" 182
Song Thrush 184
Pied Flycatcher 186
Invisible 187
Page twenty-two, which talks about the winter life of animals 189
City under the snow -
Agile predators 192
Three hundred cones for lunch 193
White White and Brown 194
Fox hunt 196
About wild boar and elk 197
Page twenty-three, the most mysterious, because its heroes are bats 200
What the legends say -
What Science Says 201
Caught Echo 202
Lesnaya " ambulance» 205
Like the birds and with the birds 206
Do not offend the winged animals! 207
Page twenty-four, or “Seven Wonders of the Rodent King” 208
"Rodent King" -
The first miracle - beaver teeth 209
The second miracle - beaver coat 210
The third miracle - beaver tail 211
Miracles Fourth and Fifth - Beaver Lodges and Dams 213
The sixth miracle - beavers 216
One hundred squirrels for a beaver 217
The seventh miracle - the beavers are returning! 218
LET'S SAVE ALL THE PAGES IN THE BOOK OF NATURE! 219

This book will tell you about nature: about big trees and small beetles, about loud, cheerful birds and silent, gloomy spiders, about wonderful flowers, colorful butterflies, shaggy bumblebees and about the simplest grass underfoot.
The book is called " Green Pages" Why green? Because this color is a symbol of living nature. Why pages? The fact is that nature itself can be compared to a big, fascinating book. Every flower, every bird, every butterfly is the page of the Book of Nature. Reading it means knowing, studying nature. True, it is not so easy to read.
Imagine: somewhere on the edge of a forest you are standing and looking around. A black beetle will run by, rustling dry leaves from last year, at your feet. A hurried jay flashes among the branches. A blue bell will sway in the wind... And no one will tell you or even whisper: “Look at me, what a beautiful, interesting, very necessary inhabitant of the forest I am!”
Our book will help you learn to read the Book of Nature. Notice the surprising and extraordinary in the familiar and everyday. To discover very important, necessary, but hidden from our eyes connections in living nature. And most importantly: learn to love and take care of what people cannot live without - the wonderful world of plants and animals around us!

The brown hare and the white hare are representatives of the genus Lepus (hares). The habitats of both species are almost the same: forest and forest-steppe zone. The white hare can live in steppe zone and in the tundra, i.e. even further north. Attached to his beds. Uses them repeatedly. Bunnies are born ready for danger, thanks to rapid growth and the ability to adapt. Both species face the same threats: predators and humans.

Differences between the brown hare and the white hare

The structure of the ears. The brown hare has ears longer than its own head, from 9.4 to 14 cm. In the hare, they are shorter than the head, when extended, they almost do not reach the tip of its nose, length - 7.5-10 cm. Tail. The mountain hare has a rounded, short tail white up to 10.8 cm long. In the hare it is longer - 7.5 -14 cm. It has a wedge shape. Limbs. The hare's front legs are much narrower and shorter than the hind legs. The white hare has wide, spreading feet. The soles are covered with thick fur; it runs quickly and freely through loose snowdrifts. However, on a straight, flat road, the hare's running speed is higher.

The photo above shows a white hare in summer and winter.

Body and color. The white hare has a body length of 44-65 cm and weighs up to 5.5 kg. The brown hare can grow up to 68 cm, weighing up to 7 kg. In the winter, the white hare becomes pure white with coal-black ear tips. The hare has a wavy, softer coat. In winter it may or may not be white. At the same time, the edges of the ears and tail remain invariably dark in color. In summer, both species are reddish-brown-gray in color. However, the white hare has straight hair and a dirty coat. No black on the tail. The abdomen is almost light.

Video: Brown hare

Video: White hare.avi

It turns out that not all hares are the same. The hare and the hare are so different from each other that it is even surprising how some people manage to confuse them. However, the problem is common. Understanding the differences will be useful not only for amateurs wildlife, but also to hunters, rangers, forest workers, and just young naturalists. The ability to recognize the characteristic differences of these animals will also be useful to those who study the habits of these animals, and they differ greatly.

White man and hare - who are they?

It is worth considering each representative of these species separately in order to understand the main differences at an early stage.

White hare- a fairly large animal, can reach a body length of up to 60 centimeters, weight from 1.6 to 4.5 kilograms. The usual habitat is northern Europe. In Russia, it is mainly distributed in the north up to and including the tundra zone. Considered to be a forest dweller. The ears are long, but not as long as those of his relative the hare. Solid white tail, short and rounded, wide paws. In winter it is pure white, except for the tips of the ears, and in summer it is grayish or reddish.

White hare

Brown hare- also large (57–68 centimeters, weight up to 7 kilograms), often larger than a white hare. Lives in Western and Minor Asia, Europe, North Africa. In Russia it is found within the European and northern parts. Considered a resident of the steppes, fields, and meadows. It has a fragile build, long ears, a wedge-shaped tail, black or black-brown on top.

Main differences

As already mentioned, the first thing you should pay attention to when identifying an animal is the size of the ears. The hare's are shorter, and the hare's are longer.

Also, the hind limbs of the hare are somewhat longer than those of his brother. The length of the foot can reach 18.5 centimeters. This provides him with faster running than the hare. But the latter has wider feet in order to stay on the snow.

The difficulty in distinguishing one from the other arises in summer time, when both are gray in color. However anatomical features it will not be possible to disguise it, so an experienced observer will always be able to recognize who is the real white hare and who is the hare.

The peculiarity of the hare's diet is that if deep snow cover is established, it can move onto bark and bushes. Moreover, there is maple, oak, hazel, and broom wood. But willow and aspen are not so favored. While the latter are the hare’s favorite delicacies.

Conclusions website

1. The hare is often larger in size than the hare.
2. The hare's ears are noticeably smaller than those of the hare and have black dots at the tips.
3. The hare is more slender and sinewy, while the hare is more streamlined.
4. The hare's hind limbs are longer and he runs faster, while the hare is slower.
5. The hare has wider paws so as not to fall through in the snow, but the hare cannot boast of this.
6. Willow and aspen are the hare's favorite delicacies, but the hare does not really like them.