Today it is customary to touch hedgehogs, although in ancient times people treated them with respect. It was believed that hedgehogs are carriers of wisdom, but science has a different opinion about them. Amazingly, scientists are still learning a lot about hedgehogs.
important beast
Among the ancient Slavs, a prickly predator occupies an important place in beliefs and rituals. It was believed that the hedgehog lives in the world for a long time and knows the secrets of rejuvenating grass, and is also able to drive away evil spirits with its thorns. He knows where the “gap-grass” grows, opening all the locks and doors.
Hedgehog fat was actively used to treat rheumatism, and to get rid of the "green snake" it was advised to add hedgehog urine to alcoholics in vodka. Married on the first joint night, as a talisman, they gave a kalach “hedgehog”, into which sticks were inserted in the manner of needles.
The Ezhina family, who settled in the courtyard of the house, was welcomed in every possible way and delighted with goodies. It was believed that the hedgehog is a very wise creature, and he gave advice when creating the world.
Hedgehogs without thorns
Surprisingly, hedgehogs have inhabited the planet for more than fifty million years, and during this period their appearance has not changed much. True, the first hedgehogs - gymnurs, were more like rats, and their shell covered with protective needles developed later.
The first prickly animals appeared in Asia. Anna Bannikova, head of the Theriology Laboratory of the Faculty of Biology of Lomonosov Moscow State University, claims that the gymnurs acquired a spiky shell during the climate warming in the Miocene, when they had to explore the steppe and desert spaces, while protecting themselves from predators. Hedgehogs are distributed throughout the globe, including Madagascar and New Zealand. It was there that one of the first and most original types of “naked” non-spiny hedgehogs was preserved.
Hedgehog forager
Most fairy tales, cartoons and stories from childhood have fixed in our minds the image of a hedgehog with apples and mushrooms on its back. Allegedly, the hedgehog makes stocks of vegetables and fruits (apparently, to sit on a stump, look at the stars and crunch on dryers in the company of a bear cub).
Pets
In Europe, decorative descendants of African pygmy hedgehogs have been kept in homes for more than thirty years. Nevertheless, there are at least twenty-four species of this funny animal, six of which are found in Russia! All of them differ from each other not only externally, but also habits. For example, eared hedgehogs run less, drink more and do not hibernate, and they also do not stomp when moving, which is very important if you decide to take a hedgehog to an apartment. In Russia, they mainly keep eared and forest hedgehogs. In Germany and some states in the United States, keeping "street" hedgehogs at home is prohibited by law that controls the distribution of animals in the wild.
dumber than a mouse
Paleontologist Robert Carroll found that both hemispheres of the brain of hedgehogs are lisencephalic. They are absolutely smooth and so small that they do not even overlap the cerebellum, that is, a hedgehog is even dumber than a mouse.
However, National Geographic magazine claims that the hedgehog will gladly make contact with you and is even able to remember the simplest commands. Unlike Bobik, you are unlikely to be able to teach a new pet the commands "Voice!" and “Fas!”, but with daily training, the hedgehog begins to respond to the voice and smell of the owner, later getting used to the simplest combinations, for example, “to me”, “not allowed”, “place” or “eat”. A hedgehog can even be litter-trained, but most likely, the animal will choose a place for the toilet itself, and you will have to equip the chosen corner in accordance with its needs.
Hearing and speech
Professor Henry Hefner from Vanderbilt University in Nashville began to study these animals back in the 60s and made a lot of interesting discoveries useful to mankind. The main emphasis in their scientific papers the researcher and his team did on the phenomenal hearing of the animal.
It turned out that hedgehogs are able to capture high-frequency vibrations up to 60 kilohertz, and the structure of their hearing apparatus is similar to the common ancestor of all mammals. Scientists argued that if you train your hearing from birth with the help of special devices, you can achieve a unique ability to distinguish sounds that a hedgehog has.
In addition, there are about forty sounds in the "vocabulary" of hedgehogs, and not just snorting, with which the beast expresses dissatisfaction. Hedgehogs call their mother with a whistle, adult hedgehogs express aggression and anxiety with a piercing cry, and in moments of joy they can quietly rumble.
Poison resistance
Hedgehogs have an incredible resistance to the poisons of other animals, so snacking on a dangerous poisonous snake for a prickly one is in the order of things. A snake bite, in the worst case, will cause a slight swelling in the animal, and then if the reptile bites it on soft tissues, and does not dig into the protective spines.
It has been experimentally proven that hedgehogs are not affected by the amount of poison that can kill about 45 rabbits. For example, hydrocyanic acid, opium, or arsenic will give the hedgehog only minor poisoning with a quick fix. Dangerous poisonous insects - bugs and Spanish flies, which most predators avoid, the hedgehog eats in abundance.
“Be extremely careful and warn the children!”, “Death within two hours”… I, as a respectable mother, am in several WhatsApp chats for parents, and every time someone sends a photo of a frightening insect with formidable warnings. At this point, you involuntarily think: maybe all sorts of karakurts, tsetse flies and ticks have a serious competitor?
A search on the World Wide Web yielded several dozen links to the required news. All of them are dated last autumn. As the unnamed authors assure, the new insect appeared in India and, most likely, is the product of a scientific experiment that got out of control. And supposedly there are already victims.
“If you ever see this insect, don't try to kill it with your bare hands or even touch it. Upon contact, a person becomes infected with a virus that immediately affects the entire body. This horror was first noticed in India. Share this information with your family and friends. Let the children be especially careful, because they love to pick up all sorts of bugs and insects, ”one of the news aggregators intimidates.
But the search for a photo of an insect unknown to science refers to images of a water bug completely studied by entomologists. As it turned out, the alleged poison capsules on the back of an unknown animal are young, its giant water bug, which really lives in India, wears it for greater safety.
A person believes in what he wants. Someone with critical thinking and high level intelligence, usually such controversial news is easily checked, but, unfortunately, not all. It seems to some that it is generally a pleasure to scare with such fakes (fakes. - Ed.) others, - comments on the regular distribution of horror stories in social networks Director of Public Foundation “Legal Media Center” Diana OKREMOVA.
She herself often organizes seminars for young journalists, where she explains in detail how to detect fake news. But it seems that with the development of the Internet, this kind of educational program should be carried out for the entire population.
Any publication should give a specific answer to three questions: what, where, when? With social media marketing, things are a little more complicated, because the information is compressed to one or two sentences. But all the same, there should be some specifics that could be verified, - says the media expert.
With special care, Diana Okremova advises to treat publications that begin with the words: “Attention!”, “Very important!” and ending with the words: “Maximum repost”. Often such loud calls serve one purpose: to draw the user's attention to something insignificant and distract from something important.
With the beginning of spring, the activity of many species of insects and arachnids increases. In Russia, ticks are among the first to come to life - this is a dangerous arthropod, which, due to its small size, is almost imperceptible. In addition to ticks, countless arachnids and insects harmful to humans live on the territory of our country.
PLIERS
These are the most numerous representatives of the arachnid class. At the moment there are about 48 thousand of them. different types. But not all of them are dangerous, it is believed that only about 10% of ticks carry dangerous diseases. Among them are the encephalitic tick, the taiga tick and others.
However, in climate middle lane In Russia, ticks that carry encephalitis are most common. It is in spring and early summer that ticks are most active. Many of them sit on tree branches or hang on cobwebs, waiting for their prey. Therefore, wooded areas, forest paths and young aspen trees can be the most dangerous.
The bite of a tick is at first completely invisible and does not cause any inconvenience. But within two to three days after the bite, the area of the body in which the tick that bit you is located begins to redden and swell. In order to avoid serious consequences, it is necessary to examine the body after going to nature. And also immediately consult a doctor and in no case try to remove the tick yourself. The most terrible of the consequences of an encephalitic tick bite is the possibility of damage to the joints and subsequent disability.
Another type of mites is the spider mite, which infects leaves. cultivated plants and spoil the harvest. And the smallest of the mites - representatives of the Tarsonemus species - live in house dust and cause severe allergies in humans and animals, as well as irritation and redness in various parts of the body.
horsefly
Horsefly is a dangerous species of insects; in Russia, its population reaches more than 3 thousand individuals. The period of their activity falls on the summer, and neither heat nor rain can stop them. They live mainly in forests and steppes. They are most active during the daytime, especially during hot, sunny weather. But only the female horsefly is dangerous, she bites a person and cattle and drinks blood. About 200 species of horseflies can be found in Russia.
Horsefly needs blood for nutrition and for the formation of a substance necessary for reproduction. Horsefly can carry dangerous diseases, including anthrax and polio. Also, a wound that is obtained as a result of a horsefly bite can fester and become inflamed, which also threatens human health. During a bite, a horsefly injects a special substance into the human body, which includes anticoagulants. They cause severe skin irritation and can impair blood clotting. In some people, a horsefly bite can trigger an allergic reaction, the effects of which can range from swelling to fainting. In addition, they threaten the health of animals and can provoke the death of cows, camels and other artiodactyls.
BUCK BEETLE
The blister beetle is an extremely dangerous poisonous insect that lives in the regions of Central Asia, the Caucasus and Kazakhstan. About 70 known various kinds this insect. In appearance, this beetle is not at all scary and looks like a ladybug with a slightly elongated body. They live in hot regions, mainly in forest areas, they can even harm plants and shrubs.
The danger of this little beetle lies in the composition of its poison - it includes the substance cantharidin. This is a very dangerous and caustic substance that was even used for medical purposes, like bee venom. But in medicines it was used in very small doses.
When the venom of the blister beetle gets on the skin, the affected area becomes very inflamed, turning into abscesses and blisters. If the poison enters the wounds, it can affect the functioning of the urinary tract and kidneys. A. if the poison enters the blood, it can lead to death. In the Middle Ages, some kings were sent with concentrated poison from the blister beetle and died in agony. In order to exclude poisoning, it is necessary to completely protect yourself from any contact with this insect.
KARAKUT
Few of us are not disgusted by spiders, whatever species they may be. Karakut is a poisonous spider that lives in the southern regions of the world. In Russia, its habitat is in the steppes of the Astrakhan region. However, in recent times this species was found in the territories of the Saratov and Volgograd regions.
The male of this insect is harmless, the female karakut is a danger to humans and some animal species. Her bites can be fatal to horses, camels, and humans. However, the spider does not attack without a reason, it attacks the enemy only if it believes that it is in danger.
The poison of the female karakut is very strong and is second only to the poison of the black widow spider, but is contained in the blood of the bitten individual for much longer. The main period of activity of the karakut falls on June - July, since it is during this period that the migration of female spiders occurs. Sometimes they can migrate to the northern regions, including the regions of the Moscow region. A spider bite usually immediately causes severe, burning pain, the poison spreads through the body within half an hour. Usually the bite of a female karakut leads to clouding of consciousness, delirium. There are cases in which, without timely medical attention, a spider bite caused death. Currently, work is being carried out in the habitats of the karakut to poison insects in order to protect people and livestock living in the area.
ASIAN GIANT HORNET
The Asian giant hornet is a very rare insect that poses a significant danger to humans. It mainly lives in Asian countries such as China, Japan, India. In Russia, the Asian hornet is found in the region of Primorsky Krai. Because of its size and coloration, it is even called the tiger bee in China. Its dimensions are really large: the hornet reaches more than 5 centimeters in length, and its wingspan is more than 8.5 centimeters. This insect also has a long sting, which can be 6-7 millimeters long.
The venom of the Asian giant hornet is extremely toxic and dangerous to humans. The composition of this poison includes the substance mandorotoxin, which causes severe pain and allergic reactions. People who are allergic to bee and wasp stings are most likely doomed to death if they are bitten by an Asian hornet.
Some other toxic substances that are part of the poison may attract other hornets of the same species. Moreover, the Asian hornet, unlike the bee, can use its sting repeatedly. For food, the Asian giant hornet uses its jaws, which are unusually strong. With them, he can crush prey, the role of which is played by small insects.
Users of the popular WhatsApp messenger scare each other with a terrible killer bug. A banal search on the Internet gives dozens of justifications for deception, but the photo still wanders from one chat to another, Karavan writes.
“Be extremely careful and warn the children!”, “Death within two hours” ... As a respectable mother, I am in several WhatsApp chats for parents, and every time someone sends a photo of a frightening insect with formidable warnings. At this point, you involuntarily think: maybe all sorts of karakurts, tsetse flies and ticks have a serious competitor?
A search on the World Wide Web yielded several dozen links to the required news. All of them are dated last autumn. As the unnamed authors assure, the new insect appeared in India and, most likely, is the product of a scientific experiment that got out of control. And supposedly there are already victims.
“If you ever see this insect, don't try to kill it with your bare hands or even touch it. Upon contact, a person becomes infected with a virus that immediately affects the entire body. This horror was first noticed in India. Share this information with your family and friends. Let the children be especially careful, because they love to pick up all sorts of bugs and insects, ”one of the news aggregators intimidates.
But the search for a photo of an insect unknown to science refers to images of a water bug completely studied by entomologists. As it turned out, the alleged capsules with poison on the back of an unknown animal are young, its giant water bug, which really lives in India, wears it for greater safety.
- A person believes in what he wants. Anyone who has critical thinking and a high level of intelligence usually checks such controversial news without difficulty, but, unfortunately, not all of them. It seems to some that it is generally a pleasure to scare others with such fakes (fakes. - Ed.), - Diana OKREMOVA, director of the Legal Media Center Public Foundation, comments on the regular distribution of horror stories on social networks.
She herself often organizes seminars for young journalists, where she explains in detail how to detect fake news. But it seems that with the development of the Internet, this kind of educational program should be carried out for the entire population.
- Any publication should give a specific answer to three questions: what, where, when? With social media marketing, things are a little more complicated, because the information is compressed to one or two sentences. But all the same, there should be some specifics that could be verified, the media expert says.
With special care, Diana Okremova advises to treat publications that begin with the words: “Attention!”, “Very important!” and ending with the words: “Maximum repost”. Often such loud calls serve one purpose: to draw the user's attention to something insignificant and distract from something important.
A large family of bedbugs surprises with its diversity. Among them there are predators, bloodsuckers, pests and completely harmless creatures. The body sizes of these creatures reach from 0.3 mm to 15 cm. Insects conquered all the elements, including water. Water bugs such as smooth and giant water bugs cannot be ignored. If giants live in tropical countries: India, Thailand, South America. That smooth bug can be found in our reservoirs.
How to recognize smooth
The name speaks for itself. The body of the bug resembles a boat. The streamlined shape allows it to move quickly in the water. A smooth surface makes this process easier. The insect has 3 pairs of legs. The last are the longest and most unusual - in the form of oars. Thanks to them, the smooth water bug calmly cuts through the water column and quickly reaches its intended goal. Appearance the smooth water bug attracts the human eye more than it repels. Interesting coloration, which is distributed in a regular geometric shape. Shades are present: yellow, green, light green, brown. And even pink. On the head of the water bug are huge eyes.
Behavioral Features
Interestingly, smooth water bugs can make sounds that are similar to the chirping of grasshoppers. The insect quickly rubs its proboscis with its front paws and a kind of singing is obtained. This water bug swims in a special way. He rolls over onto his back and changes beyond recognition. This strange feature helps the insect to remain undetected in the water by predators such as fish. Since the smooth body of a water bug with coloring in the tone of a reservoir is difficult to notice from a depth. Gladysh spreads its paws to the side and moves smoothly, pushing off with its fins. From a bird's eye view, the water bug can be confused with a plant. Therefore, birds often ignore him. At the same time, the smooth surface of the water calmly approaches the victim, which lives in the upper layer of water, and is taken to the meal. However, they cannot stay in the water for a long time. Periodically turn over, rise to the surface to breathe air. And at this very moment they risk being eaten.
In case of danger, the water bug acts like most of its relatives. He's just pretending to be dead. And when that doesn't help, the smooth surface releases an odorous substance with an unpleasant odor. In nature, such a signal is regarded as "carefully, poisonous!".
Insect habitats
The smooth bug prefers closed reservoirs with stagnant water. But to see it, it is not necessary to go to such places. An insect may end up in a puddle, a barrel of water. And in the evening it can be found in the veranda or on the terrace. Water bugs smooth fly perfectly. But water bugs do this rarely. Mainly for moving to more suitable water bodies in search of food. They have a weakness - they love bright light. In the evening, the activity of smooth bugs increases. Because many insects at this time begin to crawl out of shelters. And the included light bulbs and lanterns cannot be ignored. For those who camped near the pond for the night, a meeting with these creatures is guaranteed.
Food habits of the water bug
To get rid of bedbugs, our readers advise the Pest-Reject repeller. The operation of the device is based on the technology of electro-magnetic pulses and ultrasonic waves! Absolutely safe, ecological product for humans and pets. With 100% efficiency copes with bedbugs, cockroaches, ants, fleas and other insects.The smooth bug does not differ from other members of its family in terms of nutrition. The insect has piercing-sucking mouthparts, and the saliva contains a nerve agent. However, like all representatives of this family. Water bugs first pierce the victim, then let in an antiseptic. Under the influence of unique saliva, all the insides quickly liquefy. The smooth bug can calmly start a meal and suck out the entire inside.
Offspring of smooth
The insect lays eggs, which are carefully hidden at the bottom of the reservoir. Their water bugs are located on the lower part of the plants. The eggs are light yellow in color. Gather in an even circle. On average, the larva matures for 2 weeks. If the water is warm, water bugs appear 2-3 days earlier. The appearance of the larvae changes throughout the summer. During this time, water bugs go through 4 molts. After each increase in size, the color changes. Leads the same way of life as an adult. They don't really stick together. Everyone hunts individually.
Human danger
Gladysh can be called an exotic harmless creature. Man is not his goal. The insect bites extremely rarely. Mostly when they feel in danger. Curious and fearless children often suffer from them. Picking up a bug, they risk getting a bee-like sting. The poison contained in saliva is not dangerous to humans. But the bite site will be felt for a long time. Smoothness can be called more useful than harmful. The indefatigable water bug eats hundreds of mosquito larvae per day. Regulates the number of other harmful insects. Gladysh never attacks people first. Don't touch him and he won't!
Giant bugs - who are they?
For better or worse, there are no giant water bugs in our area. Giant water bug is a foreign tropical creature. Belongs to the genus Belostoma. Reaches a length of 15 cm. The color is brown with different tints. The frightening appearance of an insect does not mean at all that it is dangerous to humans. Giant water bugs have 3 pairs of limbs. The anterior ones are bent in the form of pincers. With them, the predator grabs the prey and draws it to itself.
The process of hunting and feeding
Giant water bugs can be found in ponds with stagnant water. Belostoma giant water bug prefers to hunt at night. Water bugs choose a convenient place, and simply freeze. When the victim approaches giant bug quickly grabs her with her claws. In the saliva of the belostomy there is a substance with a nerve-paralytic effect. The victim has no chance of survival if the water bug injection has already followed. Giant water bugs are interested in large insects, frogs, small fish. The giant belostom bug itself rarely becomes a victim.
reproduction
This item requires special attention. Caring for future offspring is completely shifted to strong back giant water bugs - dad. The female belostomy lays 3-4 eggs directly on the back of the male. It does this until there are about 100 pieces. This amount of back giant water bugs can easily fit. From now on, all responsibility is shifted to dad. The water bug bears them for 2 weeks. Periodically, the giant water bug rises to the surface and exposes its back for warming up. In this way, the larvae avoid the formation of mold and the accumulation of harmful microorganisms. In this form, the belostomy resembles a hedgehog.
The harm and benefits of giant water bugs
It is not worth fearing for the life or health of a person when meeting with this water bug. Belostoma does not prey on humans. In addition, for giant water bugs, it is preferable to quickly take refuge in a safe place. However, strongly persistent curious people risk getting bitten. Water bugs bite like a bee or wasp. There will be no big consequences. There will just be redness, swelling. The sore spot will calm down after a week.
On the contrary, the belostomy is considered a very useful bug. Water bugs are the only creature that can calmly deal with pests such as three-keeled turtles. They are a great danger to the young generation of commercial fish.
In addition, giant harmless water bugs themselves suffer from human hands. Giant water bug is served fried in Thai restaurants. The demand for such exotic dishes is quite high. Therefore, in some lakes, the giant bug remained in small numbers. And on farms they try to breed them.
The bug is not always harmful and dangerous to health. Reckless destruction of these creatures is strictly prohibited. Even if a wonderful dish is prepared from the bug. Everything in nature is interconnected! Perhaps in the era of global warming, such large creatures will appear in our ponds. You need to know how to meet them.
