Tip 1: The largest marine animals
Tip 1: The largest marine animals
Our planet is unique and amazing. It is inhabited by diverse creatures of various shapes and sizes, high and low, small and large. Many of them are real giants. For example, the blue whale is the largest marine animal.
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January 23, 1922 in the Panama Canal was caughtblue whale weighing 135 tons. Its length reached 30 meters. It should be noted that the usual sizes of females and males of blue whales in the northern hemisphere reach about 23 meters. The heart of large specimens weighs more than half a ton.
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The dark gray body of a blue whale with a bluish tinge is dotted with a marble pattern and spots. At the same time on the belly and in the back half of the body the spots are more than, for example, on the back.
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A blue whale is spread from Novaya Zemlya,Spitsbergen, Greenland and the Chukchi Sea to the ice of the Antarctic. Rarely can it be found in the tropical belt. The blue whale winters in warm waters: in the southern hemisphere - at the latitudes of Madagascar, South Africa, Ecuador, Peru, Australia; in the northern hemisphere - in the latitudes of the Caribbean Sea, North Africa, Mexico, California, Taiwan, South Japan.
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In summer, the blue whale prefers to spend time in the waters of the Chukchi and Bering seas, the North Atlantic. However, it should be noted that recently its numbers began to decrease.
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Blue whales keep isolated flocks. So in 1959 in the southern hemisphere, near the islands of Heard, Kerguelen, Crozet and Marion, a well-segregated herd of dwarf blue whales was discovered. Japanese scientists counted their numbers, it amounted to about 10,000 heads. These animals were less than 3 meters of the usual blue whales of the Antarctic. Pygmy pygmies had a lighter color and a short tail.
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To date, experts have identified 3subspecies of blue whales: pygmies, southern and northern. They feed on animals with smaller crustaceans and black eyes. As a rule, blue whales do not eat fish. According to the facts, the full stomach of a mature animal holds 1.5-2 tons of crustaceans. Often during the wintering period their stomachs are empty.
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Blue whales breed every two yearsmainly in winter in warm waters. Pregnancy on average lasts about 11 months. A baby of the blue whale is born with a body weight of 2-3 tons and a length of 6-8 meters. Their females are fed milk for about 7 months.
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The blue whale moves at a speed of 10-15 km / h in a calm state. An animal, frightened by anything, can reach speeds of up to 30-40 km / h. In this rhythm he moves only for a few minutes.
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On the surface of the skin of the blue whale often live parasites of the crustacean class: barnacles (xenobalanuses, coronules) and whale lice. Their shells are immersed in the animal's skin with its base.
Tip 2: Which freshwater fish is the largest
Most freshwater fish are smallindividuals, and to sea giants they are far away. But some inhabitants of rivers and lakes are able to grow to several meters and in their size arrange real competition to their largest marine counterparts, except, of course, the whale shark, which can reach twenty meters.
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Giant Shilob Som is the largestfish of Southeast Asia, it reaches three meters in length and weighs up to two hundred kilograms. This species of shark catfish occurs in the Mekong River, the length of which is about four and a half thousand kilometers. Due to active fishing in habitats, the giant shilboom catfish is on the verge of extinction and is listed in the Red Book. In most countries where this catfish is found, its catch is prohibited, and individual, private fishing of this mekong giant is allowed only in Thailand.
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The European catfish is even larger fish than itsan Asian relative. The length of the body of this large fish reaches five meters, and the European catfish can weigh up to four hundred kilograms. Its main habitat is Russia and Eastern Europe, but in the south and in the northern countries this giant does not occur. Adult catfish feed on fish, aquatic animals and shellfish, but it can also attack a person, such cases are far from uncommon. In winter, catfish are practically inactive and do not even eat, and before ice-free, groups of several individuals are waiting for the heat.
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In South America, too, is found its giant, thisthe Brazilian Arapaim. It can reach three to four meters and weigh up to two centners. Its origin is incredibly ancient, and the Arapaim is considered a real living fossil, which has survived to the present day since the time of the dinosaurs. Another feature of this fish is that it can breathe atmospheric air. This allows it to burrow into the mud during a drought and to wait for a more suitable moment for active life. The Brazilian Arapaim is not an endangered, but a fairly rare fish, and in some areas of its habitat, Arapaima catch is prohibited. Despite the relative rarity, you can see this giant fish not only in South America - the Brazilian Arapaim is widely distributed in various zoos and large aquariums, and has also been introduced into the waters of Malaysia and Thailand.
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All these fish can be called giants of their owntheir habitat, but they can not compare with the beluga. This fish of the sturgeon family reaches six, and according to unconfirmed reports - nine meters in length and is the largest among those who go into fresh water. Beluga lives in the Black, Azov and Caspian seas, but regularly swims into such rivers as the Volga, the Terek, the Danube, the Dniester and the Dnieper, and far enough. Fishing is prohibited - this fish is endangered and listed in the Red Book.
Tip 3: The Biggest Animals
The world of animals is extremely interesting. There are many different animals that live on land, in water, in the air and have this or that amazing quality. Great interest in modern society is caused, for example, by animals of colossal proportions.
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The blue whale is the largest animal everwhich existed on the planet Earth. Its length is about 30 m, and the mass often exceeds 150 tons. Blue whales are distributed practically throughout the world's oceans. They are under protection, because their number is very small - only about 10 thousand individuals. These disappointing data are explained by intensive hunting for whales, because with a single carcass you can get a huge amount of meat and fat. The extinction of whales is also facilitated by their slow natural growth.
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Savannah, or African, elephant is the mostlarge animals living on land. The height of the males can reach 3 m, the length of the trunk - 7 m, and the weight - 6 m. The trunk of African elephants has a length of about 1.5 meters and an impressive weight (about 135 kg). The female elephant is much smaller. Savon elephants predominantly inhabit Africa. They are very smart animals. In ancient times people used elephants as a means of transportation, elephant strength was very useful for household needs. Today elephants help people in conducting tourist excursions, sports hunting. The life expectancy of animals is quite large - 65-70 years, of which 10-12 years are in children's age. For centuries people have exterminated elephants for their meat, hides, tusks. Back in the 80s of the last century, African elephants were on the verge of extinction, but humanity has come to its senses. Since 1988, when hunting for animals was banned and specialized reserves were being established, the number of elephants increased significantly.
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Giraffe is the tallest animal of allnow existing. Adult males reach 6 m in height, and one third of growth is occupied by a long neck. The weight of the giraffe is about 1 t. The length of the step is 6-8 m. Besides the truly enormous body dimensions, the giraffe is the owner of the largest heart muscle. Its weight is more than 10 kg. This is explained by the fact that it pushes blood to a height of about 3 meters up. Giraffes live in African savannahs. They belong to the herbivores, and the long neck helps them to easily get vegetable food from the trees.
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Australian marine crocodile is the mosta large reptile in the world. The male can reach 7 meters long, and the mass is 2 tons. Such crocodiles usually live in swamps, lagoons and deltas, but they can also land on land about 100 km from the shore. Marine crocodile is a very aggressive predator. The main diet of it consists of monkeys, kangaroos, wild bears. Several cases of attacks on people are recorded each year.
