Caution: freshwater! The most dangerous inhabitants of rivers and lakes. Features, brief description and groups of aquatic animals Who lives in open water

Ecology

We all know perfectly well the vicious predators, inhabitants of the seas and oceans, such as sharks, killer whales, stingrays and many other fearsome animals. However, in the fresh water of various reservoirs around the world, you can find no less dangerous predatory fish and animals.

1) Piranha

Known for their razor-sharp teeth and amazing gluttony, piranhas inhabit several swimming pools. largest rivers South America... This omnivorous fish prefers meat, and although attacks on humans are rarely documented today, the very first travelers in large numbers fell prey to these voracious predators.

During his historic trip to Brazil, Theodore Roosevelt was able to see how a flock of piranhas ate a whole cow in front of his eyes, leaving only one skeleton of it in just a matter of seconds. His story fueled the imagination of local residents for years, although in fact this event was played out like a play by fishermen who caught a flock of piranhas and starved them badly before.

Piranhas are important "cleaners" of the rivers in which they live, and if food becomes scarce, they may well devour each other. Fishermen often suffer from piranhas, which leave scars on them. It is not yet known exactly how many species of piranha exist, but approximately from 30 to 60.

2) Electric eel

Electric eel (lat. Electrophorus electricus) Is a fish that belongs to the family Anthem and is a closer relative of the catfish than common eel... This unusual fish lives in the waters of the Amazon and Orinoco rivers, which flow in South America. V freshwater rivers and their pools, electric eels hunt for prey and defend themselves against enemies with the help of special organs that can shock them strongly.

An electric eel swallows air from the surface of the water for breathing. Thanks to the special internal organs, they can produce an electric charge with a voltage of up to 1300 Volts and a current of up to 1 Ampere. This may be enough to kill an adult.

Mostly electric eels prey on invertebrates, but adults can feed on fish and even small mammals. A person is attacked extremely rarely, and only if they are too angry. They prefer to live in muddy stagnant water. Scientists have long been interested in this eel and are studying in detail its ability to generate electricity.

3) Goliath tarantula spider

The second largest spider in the world, the goliath tarantula (lat. Theraphosa blondi), is a relative of the tarantula. It got its name after researchers Victorian era first witnessed a spider catching and eating a hummingbird bird.

These large spiders live in swampy areas. rainforest northern part of South America. They can reach lengths of up to 30 centimeters with their paws and weigh about 170 grams. Like many other spider species, females can devour males after mating, which is partly why males have a lifespan of 3 to 6 years and females 15-25 years.

Despite the daunting name, birds are not a staple in the spider's diet. They mostly eat insects and other invertebrates, although sometimes they do not mind eating small vertebrates. These giant spiders usually do not pose a particular threat to humans, but if the spider is very angry, it can bite, leaving a bite no more serious than a bee sting.

4) Tiger fish

This fish is widespread throughout much of Africa and is a ferocious predator with huge, sharp teeth. They often hunt in packs and can sometimes attack even large animals. Attacks on humans are rare, but still not ruled out.

The most large species tiger fish are giant hydrocin (lat. Hydrocynus goliath) and hydrocin vittatus (lat. Hydrocynus vittatus). Both of these species are used as sport fishing fish. The giant hydrocine can weigh up to 50 kilograms. It can be found in the waters of the Congo River and Lake Tanganyika. Regular tiger fish weighs no more than 15 kilograms and is found in the Zambezi River.

5) Nile crocodile

This representative predatory world belongs to the genus of real crocodiles and lives on almost everything African continent... The crocodile has earned a reputation as one of the most bloodthirsty and dangerous animals on the planet.

Males nile crocodile reach a length of 3.5 to 5 meters, however, longer representatives have been found. Usually lone crocodiles attack prey that is about the same size or smaller. Occasionally they can hunt in a group. Then they choose larger animals, such as hippos or rhinos. The Nile crocodile can attack a person. From the teeth of this predator, approximately from several hundred to several thousand people per year die!

The ancient Egyptians feared and revered the Nile crocodile, he became part of their mystical cults. In our time, crocodiles are mercilessly exterminated. By hunting for their valuable skin, although conservationists were able to ensure that the population of these animals in Africa increased. Today there are from 250 to 500 thousand individuals.

6) Snakehead Fish

Snakeheads often instill fear in people from the west, where some of these aggressive fish have been listed as invasive species... After a fisherman discovered the snakehead of the species Channa argus in North America, in one of the ponds in Maryland, the news of the find became a real sensation. Biologists warn that this large freshwater predatory fish already well established in the waters of North America, where it causes serious damage to local ecosystems.

The voracious predators of the upper level of the food chain, snakeheads, reach a length of about a meter. They hunt invertebrates, frogs and small fish, and during reproduction they can attack anything that moves.

Snakeheads can breathe air and can survive without water for up to 4 days! They survive long periods of drought by burying themselves in mud. Several species of these fish are native to Asia, where they are often caught and eaten by people. Snakeheads are often kept in home aquariums, although the owners of these fish are warned that they have an aggressive disposition.

7) Fringed Turtle - Mata Mata

Mata-mata (lat. Chelus fimbriatus) – freshwater turtle that lives in the Amazon and Orinoco basins in South America. These strange-looking turtles are completely waterfowl, although they prefer shallow water, stagnant water, where they can easily stick their heads out of the water and breathe in air.

The mata-mata turtle can reach impressive sizes and weigh up to 15 kilograms. It feeds on invertebrates and fish and is not a threat to humans, although the turtle's appearance can be quite frightening.

Mata-mata is extremely sensitive to water quality, both in captivity and in wildlife, so the pollution the environment negatively affects this reptile.

8) Giant Catfish

These large catfish inhabit many rivers around the world and are important scavengers for freshwater ecosystems.

The largest representative is the giant shill catfish from the Mekong River, which reaches a size of up to 3.2 meters in length and weighs 300 kilograms. Catfish was once found in several countries South-East Asia, is now under serious threat of extinction due to destruction natural environment a habitat. Little is known about this freshwater fish, and efforts are being made to preserve the endangered species.

The giant catfish is not particularly dangerous for humans. Some representatives of giant shill catfish can live for more than 60 years.

9) Water spider - silver

Water spider (lat. Argyroneta aquatica) - the only one famous spider in a world that lives completely under water. Like others arachnids, he must breathe air, so the spider forms an air bubble, which holds the hairs on his legs and abdomen. The spider is forced from time to time to rise to the surface of the water to replenish its air supply, although not too often.

The water spider is found in northern and central Europe, as well as some northern regions Asia. It is unusual for these spiders that the male is larger than the female, possibly because males are more active hunters.

Spiders bite painfully, after a bite there may be a fever. These spiders can bite while underwater.

10) Anaconda

Anacondas are among the largest snakes on the planet and inhabit the rivers and humid regions of South America. The name "anaconda" is believed to have come from the Tamil word "anaikolra" which means "elephant killer", referring to the reptilian reputation for being intimidating.

Anacondas feed on fish, birds, reptiles and small mammals and are often kept as pets. These large snakes can be dangerous to humans, but only a few cases of attacks are known.

Like other boas, anacondas are non-venomous, but they kill prey, strongly squeezing it in their arms. Like other snakes, anacondas swallow their prey whole.

11) Giant Freshwater Ray

Freshwater rays live in the rivers of Southeast Asia and northern Australia, where they can reach gigantic sizes - up to 5 meters in length. Some representatives may weigh 600 kilograms. Very little is known about these creatures, including how many are left on the planet and whether they can survive in salt water.

These stingrays are very difficult to see because they like to bury themselves in river silt. They hunt molluscs and crabs, hitting their prey with their electrical discharges... There are cases when stingrays overturned boats, but they rarely attack people.

The stingray delivers a powerful blow with its tail, on which is a thorn, which contains a deadly poison, and a sting up to 38 centimeters long.

Many scientists are concerned that freshwater rays are at risk of extinction due to river pollution and loss of natural habitat.

12) Vampire Fish

Fanged vampire fish, Mackerel hydrolic (lat. Hydrolycus scomberoides), offered in the markets of Pevasa, Peru, in the Amazon River region. It lives in the basins of the Amazon and Orinoco rivers, is quite dangerous predator but is famous for its delicious meat.

Vampire fish hunt mainly small fish, especially piranhas, which they pierce with their sharp and long fangs. The terrifying teeth of vampire fish can grow up to 15 centimeters!

13) Common Vandellia Fish

Some locals who live on the shores of the Amazon know how to prevent this infection, because without surgical intervention fish out of human body almost impossible. They advise wearing very tight-fitting clothing and avoiding urinating in river waters. Long time It was believed that urine attracts fish, but recent studies have shown that fish are indifferent to it.

Very few cases of human involvement are known. The average width of the fish is 0.6 centimeters, the length is 7.5 centimeters, therefore, in order to get into the urethra, the fish should be much smaller. However, even the smallest risk of infection forces people to stay away from tropical rivers, especially in areas where Vandellias are found.

A river is another type of body of water in which fish live. Many children ask who lives in the river. It is important to give them the most complete information.

Unlike the ocean, fresh water flows in the river, which cannot but affect the species of fish that are found in it.

The most common fish that can be found in the river are carp, ruff, crucian carp, catfish, pike perch, rudd, perch, pike, catfish. As well as sea ​​fish and fish that live in the oceans, river fish breathe under water thanks to gills - special organs that are able to release oxygen from the water.

The largest river fish is the catfish. It can be seen in the river on a warm night. He lives in the quietest places of rivers, in thickets and at depths.

The largest catfish caught in history was 5 meters long and weighed 450 kg! In ordinary rivers, catfish weighing about 10-15 kg are most often found.

Crucians are not picky. They can live both on a sandy bottom and in silt. The place of residence affects the color of their scales - it can be either deep golden in color or silver.

Crucians love bread very much. Therefore, being near the reservoir, you can treat these fish with pieces of crumb.

Ruffs love sandy bottom and try to stay close to river banks.
The dorsal fin of the ruff has long spines that help it defend itself from predators.

Despite the fact that the ruff loves fresh water, it can also be found in salty water bodies.

Carps are very funny. They have two antennae near the mouth, which makes it easy to distinguish it from other fish. The only exception is the catfish, but the catfish has a flatter head.

Carps love to eat a variety of crustaceans and molluscs, although in general they are not whimsical in food, for which some anglers compare them to a pig. Carp can live more than 50 years, while reaching 35 kg of mass.

Pike is another fun fish. It has not only an elongated body, but also a head, so it is somewhat reminiscent of a torpedo.
However, it is better not to joke with her, since pikes are predatory fish and are distinguished by their gluttony. They live in coastal thickets, where it is easiest to track down prey.

When a pike sees food, it slowly turns to it, and then makes a lightning dash for a fairly large distance.
The length of an adult can reach 2 meters and weigh up to 70 kg. At the same time, pikes live up to 30 years.

It is very easy to recognize a rudd by red fins - river fish with orange eyes with a red dot at the top.
The rudd is not famous for its size - its body length reaches only 36 cm, and its weight is 2 kg.

However, you should work hard to catch such a large specimen. After all, the fish is quite cunning. It is also very easy to confuse it with roach.

Roach

Roach is another freshwater fish... Only blood-red eyes differ from her rudd. However, it is even smaller in comparison with the rudd. She loves clay and silt banks.
Large fish live in clear and deep water, while its smaller representatives can often be found in coastal bushes, in thickets of water lilies, but even small things try to stay in deep water.

Speaking of river vegetation, one cannot fail to mention such plants as reeds, water lilies, duckweed. Surely, everyone has seen a reed in his life - long and narrow tall leaves and a brown thick ear are familiar to everyone. However, in fact, this plant is called cattails, although many know it exclusively as reeds.

Small pale yellow flowers on a thick stalk and wide leaves are a water lily or egg capsule. Larger flowers of white, red or color pink are also referred to as water lilies, but most often they are called lotus or water lilies.

Bright light green small leaves on the water - duckweed. These are tiny perennial plants that float on the surface of the water and serve as excellent food not only for river inhabitants, but also for livestock- pigs, geese, ducks, chickens. They say that duckweed blooms. However, it is quite a rare event... They say that if you see duckweed blooming, it is fortunate.

Due to the special vision of fish

Thanks to the fish and their special vision, the fisheye lens was invented. This is a special effect that a frame shot with this lens acquires, which is expressed in a certain bulge in the center of the photo and thus the image on it. Pisces do not see a specific straight section, but the entire 180-degree turn. This effect was first discovered and applied by the American experimental physicist Robert Wood. Now you know who lives in the river.

Many birds, mammals, reptiles, insects, etc. live on the surface of the earth. However, there are some animals that live underground. This article will tell you about creatures that have lived almost their entire lives underground. Underground animals - who lives underground photo TOP-10 - look!

Underground animals - who lives underground photo TOP-10

Naked mole rat

Underground animals - who lives underground photos - naked mole rat

This little rodent belongs to the family of diggers. His distinctive features- cold bloodedness, lack of sensitivity to pain and various acids. Of all the rodents, it is the naked mole rat that lives the longest - 28 years. Perhaps outwardly this baby can scare someone, but in fact this animal is not aggressive and kind.

Giant mole rat

Underground animals - who lives underground photo - giant mole rat

Of all the mole rats, the giant mole rat is the largest. In length, this giant reaches 35 centimeters, and weighs about one kilogram. The upper body is colored light gray or ocher-brown. This underground creature lives only underground, never getting out of its structures. Blind rats love to build multi-tiered entry and exit systems. Most often, they dig their forage passages at a depth of 30-50 centimeters, usually in layers of sand. The entire length of these feeds reaches 500 meters, but there are moves and less. Pantry and nesting chambers for mole rats are located at a depth of up to 3 meters. These creatures have huge teeth that can easily bite through the bayonet of a shovel, so it's best not to pick them up.

Underground animals - who lives underground photos - mole

Even small children know that the mole is an underground animal. Moles belong to mammals, to the order of insectivores. The place of residence of moles is Eurasia and North America... Moles come in both very small and large sizes. For example, some of them barely reach 5 centimeters, while others grow up to 20 centimeters. The weight of moles ranges from 9 grams to 170 grams. Moles are perfectly adapted to life underground. The body of these creatures is elongated, round, on which there is a smooth and velvet fur. main feature the mole that helps him move in any direction underground is his fur coat, the villi of which grow upward.

Tuco-tuco

Underground animals - who lives underground photos - tuko-tuko

Tiny rodents weighing less than 700 grams. In length, babies reach 20-25 centimeters, and the length of their tail can reach 8 centimeters. Morphological signs these beasts fully indicate that they are adapted to life underground. Tuko-tuko leads an exclusively underground lifestyle, they build many intricate passages in which their storerooms, latrines and nesting chambers are kept. Animals use sandy or loose soil to build their home.

Underground animals - who lives underground photos - gopher

The next creature reaches 10-35 centimeters in length, and its tail is 5-15 centimeters. The weight of the gophers barely reaches one kilogram. The animals spend most of their lives in their intricate passages, which they make on various soil horizons. The tunnels can be up to 100 meters long.

Spotted snake

Underground animals - who lives underground photos - spotted snake

This species belongs to the genus cylindrical. The snake is rather small in size, but very dense. The color of the snake is black with brown spots located in two rows. Lives only underground, and feeds on earthworms.

Underground animals - who lives underground photos - common crucian

This fish almost always lives in a bottom mule, but when the pond dries up, it buries itself underground. Crucians can dig from 1 to 10 meters, and can live underground for several years.

Medvedka

Underground animals - who lives underground photos - Medvedka

This insect is one of the largest. In length, the bear can grow up to 5 centimeters. The belly of this creature is three times larger than the cephalothorax, soft to the touch, the diameter reaches 1 centimeter. At the end of the belly there are filamentous paired appendages, the length of which is 1 centimeter. Like other creatures on this list, the bear leads an underground lifestyle, however, there are times when the insect gets to the surface, usually at night.

Chafer

Underground animals - who lives underground photos - May beetle

Adults oriental type in length reach 28 millimeters, and western - 32 millimeters. Their body is painted black, and their wings are dark brown. May beetles live underground, but in May they get out to the surface and live there for about two months. Two weeks later, the mating process takes place, as a result of which the female lays eggs underground at a depth of 20 centimeters. The process of laying eggs can be carried out in several stages at once, as a result of which the female lays about 70 eggs. As soon as the clutch comes to an end, the female immediately dies.

Earthworm

Underground animals - who lives underground photos - earthworm

The worms grow up to 2 meters in length, and their body consists of a huge number of ring-shaped segments. Moving, the worms rely on special bristles that are located on each ring, except for the anterior one. The approximate number of bristles on each segment ranges from 8 to several dozen. Earthworms can be found everywhere except Antarctica, since they do not live there. Despite the fact that they lead an underground lifestyle, worms crawl to the surface of the earth after rain, which is why they got this name.

Whoever has not been to the Black Sea coast at least once, has not dived into a gentle transparent wave, has not basked on pebble beaches under the rays of the summer or autumn sun, he probably lost a lot! And in warm water, of course, we have repeatedly met the inhabitants of the Black Sea: dangerous and not so. About who lives in one of the most unique seas planet, read our article.

Uniqueness of the environment

Both in composition and in the nature of settlement with living creatures and vegetation, it is unique and very peculiar. It is divided in depth into two different zones. To a depth of 150, sometimes 200 meters, there is an oxygen zone where the inhabitants of the Black Sea live. Everything below 200 meters is a hydrogen sulphide zone, devoid of life and occupying more than 85% by volume of the water mass. So living is possible only where there is oxygen (less than 15% of the territory).

Who lives here?

The inhabitants of the Black Sea are algae and animals. The first - several hundred species, the second - more than two and a half thousand. Of these, 500 are unicellular, 1900 are invertebrates, 185 are fish, 4 species are mammals.

Phytoplankton

Its inhabitants are all kinds of algae: ceratium, peridinium, exuviella and some others. At the very beginning of spring, the peak of algae reproduction is observed. Sometimes even the water seems to change its color, turning from turquoise and blue to brown. This is due to the increased division of plankton (water bloom). Rhizosolenium, chaetoceros, and skletonema multiply intensively. Whereas the mass reproduction of phytoplankton is confined to the beginning - mid-summer. Among bottom algae, phyllophora can be noted, which makes up more than 90% of the total mass. Phyllophora is common in the northwest. Cystosira, another algae, is more common off the southern shores of the Crimean part. There are many fry that feed and live among algae (more than 30 species of fish).

Benthic animals

Among the animals living on the bottom or in the bottom of the seabed (benthos) there are various invertebrates: crustaceans and crayfish, worms, rhizopods, sea anemones and molluscs. Benthos also includes gastropods, for example, the well-known rapana, and other inhabitants of the Black Sea. The list goes on: mussels, molluscs - lamellar-gilled. Fish: flounder, stingray, sea dragon, ruff and others. They make up a single ecosystem. And a single food chain.

Jellyfish

The permanent inhabitants of the Black Sea are jellyfish, large and small. Cornerot - large jellyfish, quite common. The size of its dome sometimes reaches half a meter. Cornerot is poisonous, it can cause injuries similar to nettle burns. They cause slight redness, burning, and sometimes blistering. To prevent this large jellyfish with a slightly purple dome from stinging, you need to take it to the side with your hand, grabbing the top and not touching the tentacles.

Aurelia is the smallest jellyfish in the Black Sea. She is not as venomous as her brother, but still meeting with her must also be avoided.

Molluscs

The marine inhabitants of the Black Sea are mussels, oysters, scallops, rapanas. All of these shellfish are edible and provide raw materials for exquisite dishes... For example, oysters and mussels are specially bred. Oysters are very tenacious and can go without water for about two weeks. They can live up to 30 years. Their meat is considered delicious.

Mussels are less refined. Sometimes a pearl is found in a large shell, usually pinkish in color. Mussels are marine water filters. At the same time, they accumulate everything that has been filtered. Therefore, you can feast on them only with careful processing, and it is better to avoid eating mussels that have grown in the port or in other places with highly polluted water.

The marine inhabitants of the Black Sea are scallops. This peculiar mollusk can move in water using reactive force. It quickly slams the sink shutters and is transported by a stream of water over a distance of more than a meter. And scallops also have a hundred useless eyes. But with all this, this mollusk is blind! These are the mysterious inhabitants of the sea.

Rapana is also found in the Black Sea. This mollusk is a predator, and its prey is the same mussels and oysters. But he has very tasty meat, reminiscent of sturgeon, which makes an excellent soup.

Crabs

There are eighteen species in total in the water area. They all fail to reach large sizes... The largest is red-brown. But it is no more than 20 centimeters in diameter.

Fishes

The Black Sea is home to about 180 species of all kinds of fish, including: sturgeon, beluga, anchovy, herring, tulka, horse mackerel, tuna, flounder, goby. Swordfish rarely swims. There is a seahorse, a needle fish, gurnard, angler.

From commercial fish - mullet, of which there are as many as three species, pelengas, imported from the Sea of ​​Japan and became an object of fishing. Due to the strongest water pollution, the number of mullets in recent times decreased.

Among the original specimens is the stargazer fish or It burrows deep into the silt, so that one antenna is exposed on the surface, which resembles appearance worm. With its antennae, the fish lures small fish and feeds on them.

Sea spines and skates spawn not into the water, but into the skin folds on the backs of the males, where they remain until the fry hatch. Interestingly, the eyes of these fish can look in different directions and rotate autonomously relative to each other.

Horse mackerel is common throughout the coastal area of ​​the sea. Its length is 10-15 centimeters. Weight - up to 75 grams. Sometimes lives up to three years. It feeds on small fish and zooplankton.

Pelamida is a relative of mackerel. Reaches a length of 75 centimeters, lives up to 10 years. This predatory fish, feeding and spawning in the Black Sea, leaves for the winter through the Bosphorus.

Gobies are represented by 10 species. The largest is the martovik, or toad. The most numerous is round timber.

Greenfinches in the sea - 8 species. They feed on worms and shellfish. During the spawning period, nests are arranged between the stones.

The flounder-kalkan is also found everywhere in the Black Sea. She eats fish and crabs. Reaches a weight of 12 kilograms. There are also other types of flounders.

Stingray stingray is a relative of the shark. He eats crabs, shellfish, shrimp. It has a barbed needle on its tail with a venom gland. Her injection for a person is very painful, sometimes even fatal.

Speaker, or often comes across in the spring and in summer time when visiting these waters for spawning. It feeds on zooplankton. The weight of the perch barely reaches 100 grams. It is considered one of the main types of prey for an amateur fisherman.

Sargan is a fish more than half a meter long, arrow-shaped, with an elongated beak. Spawns in May - August. Migrates and overwinters in the Sea of ​​Marmara.

Bluefish belongs to predatory and gregarious fish. It weighs up to 10 kilograms and reaches a length of one meter. The body of the fish is oblong from the sides. Mouth big size, with large jaws. It feeds only on fish. Previously considered a commercial one.

Shark

Katran (or dogfish) rarely grows to two meters. A (scillium) - more than a meter. These two species of sharks found in the Black Sea do not pose any danger to humans. But for many species of fish, this fierce predators... (as well as their liver and fins) are used to prepare various dishes of the Black Sea cuisine. From the liver of katran, a medicine is made that blocks the multiplication of cancer cells.

Katran has a streamlined body, a crescent-shaped mouth and sharp teeth arranged in several rows. His body is strewn with small but sharp thorns (hence the nickname - prickly shark). Katran is a viviparous fish. The female gives birth to up to 15 small fry at a time. The katran keeps and feeds in flocks. In spring and autumn - close to the coast, in winter - at depths.

Inhabitants of the Black Sea - dolphins (toothed whales)

There are three types of them in these waters. The largest are bottlenose dolphins. Slightly less - white-barrels. The smallest are porpoises, or azovki.

The bottlenose dolphin is the most common inhabitant of dolphinariums. For science, this species is of great importance. It is the bottlenose dolphin that scientists around the world are studying for the presence of intelligence. They are born circus performers. Bottlenose dolphins are happy to perform a variety of tricks. It seems that they really have intelligence. This is not even training, but some kind of cooperation and understanding between the dolphin and humans. Bottlenose dolphins understand only affection and encouragement. Punishment is not perceived at all, then any trainer ceases to exist for them.

Bottlenose dolphin lives up to 30 years. Its weight sometimes reaches 300 kilograms. Body length - up to two and a half meters. These dolphins are well adapted to aquatic environment... The front fins act as rudders and brakes at the same time. The tail fin is powerful and allows you to develop a decent speed (over 60 km / h).

Bottlenose dolphins have keen eyesight and hearing. They feed on fish and shellfish (they eat up to 25 kilograms per day). They can hold their breath for more than 10 minutes. They dive to a depth of 200 meters. Body temperature - 36.6 degrees, as in humans. Dolphins breathe, periodically rising outside, air. They suffer from virtually the same diseases as people. Bottlenose dolphins sleep half a meter from the surface, under water, periodically opening their eyes.

Dolphins have a gregarious and family lifestyle (up to ten generations together). The head of the family is a female. The males are kept in a separate clan, showing interest in females mainly only during mating.

Bottlenose dolphins possess tremendous power... But as a rule, it is not applied to a person. Dolphins support the most friendly relations as if with brothers in mind. For the whole long history In the relationship between man and dolphin, not a single attempt to offend the "older brother" was noticed. But people often infringe on the rights of dolphins, putting experiments on them, imprisoning them in dolphinariums.

Much has been written about the dolphin language. We will not assert, like some scientists, that he is richer than human speech. However, it contains a huge set of sounds and gestures, which still allows us to talk about a certain mind of dolphins. And the amount of information that they can transmit, and a large (larger than that of a human) brain are strong evidence of this.

It remains to add that seals are found among mammals in the Black Sea, but very few of them have recently been observed due to the harmful activities of humans.

On the land

Not only sea inhabitants and human tribe feed on seafood. Some land-based bird species forage in the water. those foraging in the sea are gulls and cormorants. They feed on fish. Cormorant, for example, can swim and dive well, eating a large number of fish even when full. The peculiarities of its pharynx make it possible to swallow rather large prey. Thus, birds are the main inhabitants of the land, foraging for food in the sea. the Black Sea coast Caucasus and Crimea.

Black Sea: dangerous inhabitants

Not all vacationers and tourists who come to the Black Sea coast know that dangers can lie in wait for those swimming in the water. They are associated not only with storm warning and pitfalls, but also with some representatives of the marine fauna.

Scorpena, or sea urchin, is one of those unpleasant surprises. Its entire head is strewn with thorns, and on its back there is a prickly, dangerous fin. It is not recommended to pick up a scorpion fish, as its thorns are poisonous and bring rather unpleasant, albeit short-term painful sensations.

Stingray stingray ( catfish) also poses a danger, sometimes even fatal to humans. On the tail of the animal is a bone spike smeared with poisonous mucus. This barbed spike sometimes inflicts lacerations that take a long time to heal. Also, from a stingray injection, vomiting, muscle paralysis can begin, and the heartbeat becomes more frequent. Death comes sometimes, so be careful.

Another, seemingly inconspicuous, fish - the sea dragon - is most dangerous to humans. At first glance, it can be mistaken for an ordinary bull. But on the back of this fish is a thorny fin, very poisonous. The prick is tantamount to the bite of a poisonous snake. In some cases, death is possible.

Jellyfish cornerot and aurelia inhabiting the Black Sea - dangerous inhabitants for a person. Their tentacles are equipped with stinging cells. A burn is possible (like from nettles and more), leaving traces for several hours. So it is better not to touch the jellyfish - even the dead, thrown by the waves on the pebbles.

Neither sharks nor other species of animals and fish pose a danger to people in the waters of the Black Sea. So swim boldly when you come to the famous Black Sea resorts Crimea and the Caucasus, observing, of course, reasonable care!

Who lives at the bottom of the ocean is known: fish, shellfish, marine worms, crustaceans and other representatives of the fauna characteristic of shallow waters. But only the conditions of existence at depth are very different from the conditions of the continental shelf and upper layers ocean strata. Therefore, the inhabitants of the depths developed defense mechanisms, thanks to which their existence became possible.

Light radiation from the solar spectrum penetrates the oceanic strata for different depths... Rays of red and orange light - no more than thirty meters, up to one hundred and eighty - yellow, up to three hundred and twenty - green, up to half a kilometer - blue. And although the most sensitive modern devices have registered traces sunlight at a depth of up to one and a half kilometers, it can be stated: below five hundred meters, pitch darkness reigns in the ocean. All those who dwell on the ocean floor below this mark have adapted to the lack of light in different ways. Some have supersensitive telescopic eyes, capable of capturing the few quanta of light available to devices. Or maybe their sensitivity is even higher and allows them to navigate where even human technology fails. Other animals have given up sight altogether and feel quite well at the same time. And some bottom dwellers have acquired the ability to emit light on their own.

A characteristic feature of the ocean floor is food poverty. Due to the low temperature (2-4 degrees above zero), all processes are sluggish there, therefore the inhabitants ocean depths do not differ in high speed of movement or increased activity in obtaining food. Almost all animals there are predators. Due to the small amount of food deep sea fish acquired the ability to swallow creatures larger than themselves.

The ocean floor is covered with a thick layer of silt. In this regard, some of the deep-sea animals (for example, sea ​​spiders) have long limbs, allowing them not to sink into bottom sediments. Since many fish regularly migrate from bottom to top and back, it is sometimes difficult to figure out where who lives. There is tremendous pressure at the bottom of the ocean, little light, little food, low temperature... Therefore, some deep sea species periodically occur in the upper layers of the water, becoming the prey of fishermen and surprising them with their unusual appearance... So, for example, a drop fish often comes across in the net, having on its "face" a funny growth, reminiscent of a drooping nose.

Fish at the bottom of the ocean quite often become the object of fishing, but large specimens there, for obvious reasons (lack of food), are rare. For example, coal fish. Although she lives at depths of up to 2,700 meters, she still often finds herself on store shelves. V different countries fish has different names... We have it - coal, in Canada - black cod, in the USA - sable fish, in Australia - oil
a fish. Among those who dwell on the bottom of the ocean, this creature is simply a giant. The length of the largest specimens reaches 120 centimeters.

Life at the bottom of the ocean is very poorly studied, and it is possible that great discoveries await us. From time to time, information comes up that the fishermen met an unknown animal in the middle of the ocean, and some even became the prey of the monster. Of course, most of these messages are rumors or ordinary nautical stories, but not all. A hundred years ago, hardly any of the serious scientists could believe that the coelacanth, a fish that appeared long before the dinosaurs, is our contemporary. However, a little later, its existence was proved by African fishermen, who presented a living specimen to scientists.

Actual

Miscellaneous
Miscellaneous
Miscellaneous